Disney has recently made a deal with OpenAI, and Hollywood isn’t happy. Now Disney fans are noticing that the company is using AI for important merchandise promotions and even advertisements. Bob Iger is all about using AI to cut costs, but to fans, it is a cheap and tacky move.
The merchandise video
A recent video has been posted showing an event with a person on stage and a Disney merchandise promotion being run in the background. However, the voice seems AI to many. It’s monotone, and it can’t even say “Rapunzel” correctly. Frankly, if it’s true, I’m surprised the company let this through because “he” isn’t pronouncing one of their main characters’ names right.
It is possible that this isn’t AI, but it makes the pronunciation mistake worse, as someone would have been live-reading it, and no one corrected the error.
DLP Report posted it on X.
The merchandise video voice over is clearly AI, a monotone voice struggling to say Rapunzel. Please stop. pic.twitter.com/D3dcd8bTto
— DLP Report (@DLPReport) December 13, 2025
Fans aren’t amused,
“They couldn’t get some unpaid intern to read it for them?” – Nicholas Vancosky
“Rah-Puzzle Collection!?!” – Neal Hunter Hyde
“They’ve used AI to replace the Donald Duck voice actor, for billboard theming on Main Street, as hotel theming and in Disney Village. Yet fans always find excuses for these dumb choices. They won’t stop” – Themountainking
“I am all for AI when used to create a wonderful product that is at or better than the alternative all things considered. But this voice over just feels like a cheap cop out and lacks the depth and magic of the numerous voice actors and narrators previously featured in the parks.” Park Mind
“Just the way of how the voice never takes a breath between sentences makes it noticeable” – The Giant Peter Adventures
“Oh da*n the timing the pronunciation … they should’ve known better” – Carmen
One commentor did mention that it is possible an AI was used to translate a French audio version into English. Given that this is for Disneyland Paris, that could be the case.
Others think this Happy Hanukkah image is AI
View this post on Instagram
To be fair, it’s much harder to tell with this image, but some fans think that it is. What matters is the perception of AI use by fans and customers.
There have been other instances of AI accusations against Disney as well. With them embracing AI and making deals to utilize it, you can be 100% sure Disney is going to stop using people for cheap computer-assisted labor more and more.
It’s similar to how they started using interns for cheap labor and now employ so many that they need housing villages. Every few months, they have to retrain everyone and start again, and it shows.
That being said, as AI progresses, it is getting harder to tell what is human-made and what isn’t.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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