Disney and Adobe have struck a multi-year deal to co-develop custom generative AI models for the media giant, Reuters reported on November 9, 2026 — models trained on Disney’s own intellectual property, built through Adobe’s Firefly Foundry, and kept private and proprietary to Disney. Why it matters: this is the clearest example yet of a major studio choosing custom, IP-trained models it controls over renting a general-purpose generator — and Disney says its Imagineering team is already using them to turn months of concept work into hours.
November 9, 2026.
What the deal covers
The goal is to scale AI tools across Disney’s theme parks, studio and sports media businesses. The work starts in two places: speeding up project development timelines at Disney Experiences — the division behind its global theme parks, resorts and cruise lines — and concept exploration at StudioLAB, the innovation hub within Walt Disney Studios. Adobe will also work with Disney on AI tools to boost engagement with sports fans at ESPN and bring more of ESPN’s content archive to audiences.
The models will be built through Adobe Firefly Foundry, Adobe’s offering that lets enterprises build and deploy custom AI models. The two companies will develop generative models trained on Disney’s intellectual properties that generate production-ready outputs — and, notably, the models will be private and proprietary to Disney rather than shared Adobe products.
Imagineering is already using it
Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative, design and research arm behind Disney Experiences, has already deployed a custom image generation model and a sketch-to-image model that can turn hand-drawn sketches into fully rendered concept art. Kyle Laughlin, Disney’s senior vice president of R&D technology and engineering, told Reuters the tools compress a creative process that would have taken months into hours and days, let teams run through multiple iterations quickly, and help reduce costly changes once construction begins. He added the tools are “in no way meant to replace” roles at Imagineering.
That assurance lands in a sensitive context: earlier this month, Bloomberg News reported Disney was considering cutting thousands of jobs and has asked some managers to target 20% in annual cost savings. Reuters included that backdrop in its report, and it is the obvious tension readers will bring to the announcement.
Why it matters
For Adobe, the deal is a flagship proof point for Firefly Foundry’s enterprise pitch: custom models trained on a client’s own IP, with the outputs staying inside the client’s walls. For Disney, it formalizes a build-with-a-partner strategy for the parts of AI where its library is the asset — concept art, park design and sports archives — rather than competing to train foundation models itself. No financial terms were disclosed, and neither company gave a timeline beyond the work already under way at Imagineering, so the honest test is output: how much of what guests and viewers see in the next few years traces back to these models.
Frequently asked questions
What did Disney and Adobe announce?
A multi-year deal, reported by Reuters on November 9, 2026, to co-develop custom generative AI models for Disney through Adobe’s Firefly Foundry, for use across Disney’s theme parks, studio and sports media businesses.
Will the models be trained on Disney content?
Yes. Reuters reports the models will be trained on Disney’s intellectual properties to generate production-ready outputs, and will be private and proprietary to Disney.
Where is Disney already using these AI models?
Walt Disney Imagineering has deployed a custom image generation model and a sketch-to-image model that turns hand-drawn sketches into fully rendered concept art. The deal also covers concept exploration at StudioLAB and fan-engagement and archive work at ESPN.
What were the financial terms?
None were disclosed in Reuters’ reporting.
Sources: Reuters