From Sketch to Storyboard: Disney Imagineering Taps Adobe's Firefly AI to Help Design Future Parks
Walt Disney Imagineering's R&D unit is using Adobe's IP-protective Firefly Foundry AI to turn sketches into concept art and 2D renderings into 3D prototypes for upcoming attractions. The move is Disney's first major AI partnership since its OpenAI deal collapsed.
Months after its planned OpenAI deal fell through, Disney has found a new home for artificial intelligence — inside its parks. Walt Disney Imagineering's Research & Development unit is now using Adobe's Firefly Foundry to help design and visualize elements of upcoming parks and attractions, turning sketches into rendered concept art and 2D drawings into 3D prototype models.
Key Details
- Who: Walt Disney Imagineering's R&D, technology and engineering unit
- Tool: Adobe Firefly Foundry — the commercial, IP-protective version of Adobe's AI model
- Trained On: Franchises including Frozen, Cars, and Lilo & Stitch
- Use Cases: Sketches → fully rendered 2D concept art; 2D renderings → 3D prototype models
What Imagineering Is Actually Using AI For
According to Disney and Adobe, the Firefly models have helped Imagineers accelerate the early creative pipeline — converting rough sketches into polished concept art and translating 2D renderings into 3D prototypes. Crucially, Firefly Foundry is the commercial version of Adobe's model, designed to protect a brand's intellectual property, an important guardrail for a company as protective of its characters as Disney.
"At Imagineering, we've always believed technology and human creativity can work together responsibly. Our work with Adobe lets us bring Disney stories and characters to life in our Parks faster, and with the emotional quality our guests expect." — Kyle Laughlin, SVP of R&D, technology and engineering, Walt Disney Imagineering
Why Adobe, and Why Now
The partnership lands at a pivotal moment for Disney's AI strategy. The company nixed a planned $1 billion investment in OpenAI and a licensing deal for the OpenAI Sora model after OpenAI shut the Sora platform down in March. At the same time, Disney is still pursuing AI companies including Midjourney and MiniMax in court over copyright infringement — making an IP-protective tool like Firefly Foundry a natural fit.
"Storytelling is in Disney's DNA. Empowering creators with the latest AI innovations is in ours… our tools and workflows will provide a creative foundation to explore bolder ideas and make the best ones a reality." — Hannah Elsakr, VP of GenAI New Business Ventures, Adobe
A Broader Disney AI Strategy
The Imagineering team isn't keeping its findings to itself. Laughlin told Axios the group was "eagerly sharing our insights" with the broader Disney company — a signal that interest in responsible, IP-protected generative AI is spreading across the Mouse House.
The Buzz
- Why it's trending: Variety reported the partnership, and AI in theme-park design is a hot-button topic among Disney fans
- The pivot: It's Disney's first major public AI move since walking away from its OpenAI deal
- The guardrail: Firefly Foundry is built to protect Disney's intellectual property — central to fan concerns about AI and beloved characters
What This Means for Disney Fans
For fans, the key takeaway is that AI here is a concepting and visualization tool — a way to help Imagineers iterate faster on ideas, not a replacement for the artists who bring lands and attractions to life. Disney is framing the work around "responsible" use and the "emotional quality" guests expect, and by choosing an IP-protective platform, the company is signaling it wants the efficiency of generative AI without surrendering control of its characters. Whether that balance holds is exactly what fans will be watching as the next generation of Disney parks takes shape.