Disney and Adobe Announce Multi-Year Partnership to Advance AI-Powered Creativity and Storytelling

Adobe and The Walt Disney Company have announced a multi-year strategic alliance aimed at advancing creativity, innovation and storytelling through emerging technologies, including "responsibly developed AI."

What's Happening:

• Announced during the Adobe MAX creativity conference, the partnership builds on the companies’ longstanding relationship and will bring new opportunities for collaboration across Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, ESPN Edge and The Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB.
• As an Official AI Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Company, Adobe will provide Disney with early access to its latest creative and AI technologies, including Adobe Firefly, Adobe Firefly Foundry, Adobe Premiere and Adobe Photoshop.
• Adobe will also provide dedicated engineering and research resources to support Disney’s production pipeline and help its creative teams explore new storytelling possibilities.
• Through Adobe Firefly Foundry, Disney will collaborate on customized generative AI models designed specifically for its properties, characters, environments and visual styles.
• These proprietary models will be developed with a human-centered, artist-led approach, helping Disney creatives produce franchise-accurate, production-ready content while speeding up the creative process.
• Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development is already utilizing Adobe Firefly Foundry to help bring new theme park concepts to life. This includes a sketch-to-image model that transforms hand-drawn designs into fully rendered 2D concept art, as well as a customized image model capable of generating creative assets that remain consistent with Disney's franchises.
• The partnership will also expand into two of Disney’s major innovation initiatives:
  • StudioLAB: Adobe will become an Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Studios’ StudioLAB, working alongside Disney creatives and technologists to develop new tools, experiment with emerging technologies and enhance internal creative workflows.
  • ESPN Edge: Adobe and ESPN will explore how AI can improve sports storytelling, create new ways for fans to engage with ESPN content and find innovative uses for the network’s extensive archive.
• Beyond technology development, Adobe will expand its presence across Disney’s entertainment and sports media platforms through marketing campaigns, special activations and other collaborative opportunities.
• The partnership will also be highlighted at major industry events, including Adobe MAX and Adobe Summit.
• Collaborative projects involving StudioLAB and ESPN Edge are already underway, with additional experiences and initiatives expected to debut throughout the multi-year partnership.

What They're Saying:

• Hannah Elsakr, vice president, GenAI New Business Ventures, Adobe: “Adobe and The Walt Disney Company have had a decades-long collaboration, where Adobe’s creativity, productivity and customer experience orchestration tools have supported everything from Disney’s content creation pipelines and workflows to personalized marketing campaigns and digital experiences that come to life in the parks. Today’s announcement marks the next chapter of the relationship, where the two companies will build a new creative foundation that thoughtfully deploys AI as an accelerant for artistic vision, creativity and guest engagement.”
• Becca Vodnoy, senior vice president, Corporate Alliances, The Walt Disney Company: “Disney has always embraced innovation, and this alliance with Adobe builds on a longstanding relationship between two companies that share a deep commitment to creativity. By bringing together Disney’s world-class storytellers and beloved brands with Adobe’s technology, we have an exciting opportunity to give our creative teams new ways to explore and develop their ideas and bring Disney stories and experiences to life for guests and fans around the world.”