Adobe And Disney Sign Multi-Year AI Alliance
Adobe and Disney have signed a multi-year strategic alliance that makes Adobe an Official AI Innovation Partner of The Walt Disney Company. The deal was announced at Adobe MAX on 9 November 2026 and builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies.
- Companies: Adobe and The Walt Disney Company
- Deal: Multi-year strategic alliance
- Adobe's title: Official AI Innovation Partner of Disney
- Financial terms: Not disclosed
What Adobe And Disney Will Work On
Adobe will provide Disney with Firefly, Firefly Foundry, Premiere and Photoshop, along with early access to new AI, creative and media technologies and dedicated engineering and research resources for Disney's production pipeline.
Some of the work is already in use. Walt Disney Imagineering R&D uses Adobe Firefly Foundry to speed up theme park development, including a sketch-to-image model that turns hand-drawn concepts into 2D concept art and a custom image model for on-brand, franchise-accurate assets. Adobe technology will also support concept exploration in Disney's innovation labs and its parks and cruise development pipelines.
Studios And ESPN
Adobe joins The Walt Disney Studios' StudioLAB as an innovation partner, working with Disney creatives and technologists on internal creative workflows. With ESPN Edge, the two companies will explore how AI can lift fan engagement, shape how content is delivered and bring ESPN's archive to life. Co-innovation projects with StudioLAB and ESPN Edge are already under way, with more to follow over the term.
The Marketing Side
Adobe will promote the work across Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, ESPN Edge and StudioLAB through its global marketing, events and customer stories, and will raise its presence on Disney's media platforms. The partnership will feature at Adobe Summit, Adobe MAX and other conferences.
What The Companies Said
Hannah Elsakr, vice president, GenAI New Business Ventures at Adobe, described the alliance as "the next chapter of the relationship," framing AI as a way to accelerate artistic vision and guest engagement. Becca Vodnoy, senior vice president, corporate alliances at Disney, said "Disney has always embraced innovation," and that the alliance gives its creative teams new ways to develop ideas and reach fans.
The companies say the custom models are human-centred and artist-led, trained on Disney's own world knowledge such as character attributes, environments and visual styles, to produce commercially safe outputs. They did not detail licensing terms or data practices. Ad Tribe has covered Disney's AI ad tool for smaller brands and Adobe's CX Enterprise Coworker.
The announcement is on Adobe's newsroom.
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