Disney Tests AI Lyric Videos With OpenArt
Disney is experimenting with AI-generated storyboard previews of lyric videos for its music, starting with a song from the 1997 film "Hercules."
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Disney is testing AI-generated lyric video concepts through a commercial deal with Bay Area startup OpenArt, announced at Disney Accelerator Demo Day in Burbank. The first song in the experiment is "Go the Distance" from the animated movie "Hercules."
Why it matters
The effort lets Disney's creative teams generate and evaluate multiple concepts far faster than traditional production allows, and aims to create new fan experiences around its music between major releases. The move comes as Disney and other studios have sued AI companies and sent cease-and-desist letters over AI video generation.
The pilot builds on a lyric video of "Go the Distance" that reached 280,000 YouTube views six years ago, while OpenArt reports 17 million monthly active users across its platform. Disney has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal or how many songs will be tested.
The players
Disney
The Walt Disney Company is a major entertainment conglomerate known for its animated films, theme parks and music catalog, and it has sued AI companies over generative video.
OpenArt
OpenArt is a Bay Area AI startup founded in 2022 by former Google engineers Coco Mao and John Qiao that offers AI image and video generation tools.
The details
Disney can input its songs into OpenArt's platform, which generates a storyboard preview of a lyric video based on a song's words, mood and emotional tone, and Disney can make changes during the process. OpenArt works with multiple AI models, including Kling, Google Veo and Seedream, and includes a tool that helps flag potential intellectual property infringement.
Timeline
1997: "Go the Distance" debuts in the animated movie "Hercules."
Six years ago: A lyric video of the song is posted to YouTube.
Tuesday: The OpenArt deal is announced at Disney Accelerator Demo Day in Burbank.
Industry Context
In February 2026 Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance over its Seedance 2.0 AI video generator, even as it now tests AI video with OpenArt. Every Disney Accelerator cohort member this year is an AI company, signaling a shift toward partnering with AI firms rather than only litigating against them.
For viewers, the near-term change is limited to possibly seeing AI-generated lyric videos on Disney's music, with no release dates or platform details announced yet. For creators and fans, the tool shows how licensed AI video workflows may soon speed up concept development for music content.
The takeaway
Disney's pairing of lawsuits against some AI video firms with a licensed pilot with OpenArt suggests major rights holders may seek controlled AI partnerships rather than blanket rejection. Watch whether the pilot yields any public releases.
Further reading
For broader context on how AI tools are reshaping entertainment production, explore our Artificial Intelligence coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Los Angeles Times.
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