Disney is testing AI lyric video concepts, starting with Hercules

Disney Music Group is using AI startup OpenArt to storyboard lyric videos, beginning with “Go the Distance.” OpenArt’s menu of AI models includes one from ByteDance, which Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter in February.

Disney has spent more than a year fighting AI companies in court. Now it’s letting one take a swing at Hercules.

Disney Music Group is testing AI-generated lyric video concepts with Bay Area startup OpenArt, starting with “Go the Distance” from 1997’s Hercules, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. The collaboration was announced at the Disney Accelerator Demo Day in Burbank.

Here’s how it works. OpenArt’s platform takes a song’s lyrics, mood and emotional tone and builds a storyboard preview. Disney’s team can then change and fine-tune what comes out.

Disney’s own post says the process lets teams generate and judge several concepts “in hours rather than weeks.” OpenArt CEO Coco Mao called it “early exploration” for Disney’s creative workflow.

One thing to keep straight: this is concept work. Disney hasn’t released an AI lyric video, and it hasn’t said which channel would post one. “Go the Distance” is the only song named so far.

Here’s the song getting the AI treatment, from Disney’s Hercules:

What is OpenArt?

OpenArt is an AI creative platform, not a household name, at least not yet. Here’s what the Los Angeles Times reported about it:

• Founded: 2022, by former Google engineers Coco Mao and John Qiao

• Size: nearly 100 employees and about 17 million monthly active users

• Models: it works with several AI models, including Kling, Google Veo and Seedream, and customers choose which ones to use

• Safety net: a built-in tool that flags possible intellectual property infringement

That last feature matters to a company like Disney. So does the Seedream part. Seedream is an image model from ByteDance, the company behind TikTok.

In February, Disney sent ByteDance a cease-and-desist letter over its Seedance 2.0 video generator, the Times reported. The Times didn’t say which models Disney’s team actually uses with OpenArt.

Why are AI lyric videos a big deal for Disney?

Because Disney has been one of AI’s loudest critics in court. A quick timeline:

• June 2025: Disney and Universal sued Midjourney, saying the image generator offered unauthorized copies of their copyrighted characters, Reuters reported.

• September 2025: Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery sued China’s MiniMax over its Hailuo AI service. The suit says MiniMax pitched it as a “Hollywood studio in your pocket.”

• February 2026: Disney’s cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance over Seedance 2.0.

The difference this time is control. OpenArt is working on Disney’s song, inside Disney’s process, with Disney’s people steering. That’s a very different setup from a random user typing “Darth Vader” into a generator.

Lyric videos are also a real audience. A six-year-old “Go the Distance” lyric video on YouTube has drawn about 280,000 views, the Times noted. Disney said the goal is new fan experiences around its music between major releases.

What else did Disney show at Accelerator Demo Day?

This year’s five Disney Accelerator companies are all AI firms, the Times reported. Accelerator general manager Bonnie Rosen said the group has “a clear point of view on how these technologies can work responsibly.”

• Promise: hybrid filmmaking that blends live action with generative AI, with Walt Disney Studios

• OpenArt: lyric video concepts, with Disney Music Group

• FieldAI: robots for parking operations in changing terrain and weather, with Disney Experiences Technology and Imagineering R&D, which is also eyeing the tech for future robot characters

• Physical Intelligence: robots that sort and arrange 3D glasses for cleaning between shows, with Walt Disney Imagineering

• Simile: analytics and planning tools to help Walt Disney World guests plan visits

So yes, a robot may soon be sorting your 3D glasses. And another one might be waving you into a parking spot.

How else is Disney using AI in 2026?

The Times laid out a busy year:

• New tech chief: In September, Disney named Karandeep Anand, then CEO of Character.AI, as its chief technology officer.

• Character.AI bid: Character.AI filed for bankruptcy last month. Disney offered $20 million for licenses to some of its intellectual property, and other bidders can still top that.

• OpenAI deal, over: Disney announced a $1 billion investment and a Sora licensing deal in 2025. OpenAI shut down Sora in 2026, the deal never closed and no money changed hands, the Times reported.

So the current Disney AI playbook looks like this: sue the strangers, partner with the startups and hire the executives. From zero to hero, one storyboard at a time.

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• Los Angeles Times (Nov. 3, 2026), the OpenArt test, “Go the Distance,” OpenArt’s background and models, the ByteDance letter, and the Character.AI and OpenAI context

• The Walt Disney Company (Nov. 3, 2026), Demo Day details, the five Accelerator companies, the “hours rather than weeks” line and Bonnie Rosen’s quote

• Laughing Place (Nov. 3, 2026), Demo Day company details

• Reuters via Claims Journal (Sept. 16, 2025), the MiniMax lawsuit and the Midjourney lawsuit date

AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.