Disney just released the Pixar trailer for ‘Toy Story 5’ today, and the film seems to be about toys and traditional childhood being challenged by devices and internet brain rot. I can’t help but notice that it feels hypocritical for the Walt Disney Company, given its stance on technology, AI, and gaming.
In the ‘Toy Story 5’ trailer, Jessie, along with Bonnie’s toys are trying to help the child make real-world friends when a new iPad-esque device called “Lilypad” shows up and turns her into a lounging device potato. Then Woody shows up to help the toys “save” Bonnie from the online world she is now connected to.
How does this seem hypocritical?
Disney has made numerous announcements about their future with AI, including a three-year partnership with OpenAI and Sora.
This deal makes Disney the “first major content licensing partner on Sora”. Disney plans on bringing generative AI to Disney+.
“As part of this new, three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that can be viewed and shared by fans, drawing from a set of more than 200 animated, masked and creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, props, vehicles, and iconic environments….
Alongside the licensing agreement, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees.”
Basically, to increase user time on the Disney+ app, customers can use characters to augment their own videos and photos. Again, the goal is to keep the audience engaged on their platform for long periods of time instead of spending that time elsewhere.
Keep kids on longer. Isn’t that the opposite message from the ‘Toy Story 5’ trailer?
Disney and Gaming
Besides trying to keep kids on devices longer with Sora, Disney is going all in on games like Fortnite.
While it isn’t Disney’s fault that a lot of kids are playing the game, they are trying to cash in on that attention for themselves.
Seems counter-message to me.
Hopefully, the movie focuses on finding a balance between real life and virtual life. If Lilypad really is the villain, what does that make Disney?
Just an observation.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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