# Disney and Adobe team up on custom generative AI tools

> The partnership gives Disney early access to Adobe’s Firefly AI for parks, cruises, ESPN and studio work, aiming to speed creative production.

Oossa · 2026-11-09 · https://oossa.com/en/disney-and-adobe-team-up-on-custom-generative-ai-tools

At Adobe’s MAX conference on November 9, 2026, Disney announced a multi‑year alliance with Adobe to build proprietary generative‑AI models. Adobe will give Disney early access to its Firefly and Firefly Foundry platforms, which create images, video and text from prompts. The tools will be customized with Disney’s own character data, visual styles and world knowledge so that the output is safe for commercial use and ready for production.

## How the AI will be used

Disney Imagineering’s R&D team will use a sketch‑to‑image model to turn hand‑drawn ideas into full‑color concept art for new rides and cruise experiences. In the parks, the AI can quickly generate on‑brand graphics for signage, merchandise and immersive environments. ESPN’s Edge Innovation Center will explore ways to remix archive footage and create data‑driven visual stories that keep sports fans engaged. At Walt Disney Studios, the models will assist animators and designers by producing draft assets that can be refined by human artists, shortening the time from idea to screen.

## Why this matters now

Both companies have a long history of working together—Adobe tools already support Disney’s marketing, video editing and visual effects pipelines. The new alliance builds on that foundation by adding AI as an “accelerant” for creative work, something Disney is pursuing after recent cost‑saving initiatives that include multiple rounds of layoffs. By training the models on Disney‑specific data, the companies aim to avoid the copyright and brand‑consistency issues that have plagued other generative‑AI projects.

## The facts

- The partnership was announced on November 9, 2026 at Adobe’s MAX conference.
- Adobe will provide Disney early access to Firefly, Firefly Foundry, Premiere and Photoshop.
- Disney Imagineering is already using Firefly Foundry to turn sketches into 2D concept art.
- The alliance includes collaboration with ESPN Edge and Disney StudioLAB innovation hubs.
- Adobe calls the models “human‑centered and artist‑led” and says they are trained on Disney’s unique world knowledge.

## Why it matters

For Disney creators, the AI tools promise faster prototyping and fewer repetitive tasks, letting artists focus on storytelling. For guests, the technology could speed up the rollout of new rides, shows and personalized experiences. It remains to be seen how the models will handle brand‑sensitive content and whether they will reduce the need for larger creative teams.

## Sources & references

1. [Disney and Adobe are building generative AI tools together](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1029773/disney-adobe-generative-ai-partnership) – The Verge, 2026-11-09
2. [Adobe](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/11/adobe-and-the-walt-disney-company-alliance?utm_source=openai) – Adobe

Last updated: 2026-11-09