Overview

• Disney canceled the AI-generated sidekick “Bit” for Tron: Ares before any production work began due to concerns over negative publicity during union negotiations.
• The studio scrapped plans to deepfake Dwayne Johnson’s face onto stunt double Tanoai Reed in the live-action Moana remake after 18 months of collaboration with Metaphysic stalled over legal and data security questions.
• These moves underline Disney’s conservative stance on generative AI as it seeks to protect its creative legacy and limit potential legal exposure.
• In June, Disney joined Universal in filing a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, a case that remains pending in federal court.
• Wider industry tensions over cost pressures, creative control and intellectual property rights have complicated studios’ efforts to integrate AI into major film productions.