Disney Partners with Animaj to Accelerate Animation Using AI

Disney’s New AI Collaboration

At Disney’s Burbank headquarters, executives gathered to hear from Animaj, a startup chosen for the Disney Accelerator Program. The partnership is intended to bring Animaj’s artificial‑intelligence‑driven animation technology into Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios. Disney’s vice president of innovation, David Min, indicated that an announcement about the collaboration is forthcoming.

How the Animaj Tool Works

Animaj’s system is built around the concept of “motion in‑betweening.” Animators sketch the primary poses of a character, and the AI model predicts and generates the intermediate frames that move the character from one position to the next. Artists retain full control, reviewing and adjusting the AI‑generated movements to ensure consistency with the show’s style. The tool was trained on over 300,000 poses from four seasons of the children’s series “Pocoyo,” allowing it to learn the specific character motions while preserving brand DNA.

Speed Gains and Production Efficiency

According to Animaj’s co‑founder, the AI‑assisted workflow reduces the time to produce a five‑minute episode from five months to less than five weeks. Disney’s Min noted that the same technology can cut the development time for a series pilot to roughly 30% of the traditional schedule. The speed advantage enables Disney to respond quickly to audience trends, using AI not only for animation but also for analytics that inform storytelling decisions.

Artist‑First Approach

Both Disney and Animaj emphasize that the AI tool is designed to augment, not replace, human animators. The process still requires artists to create the key frames, and the AI merely fills in the gaps. This approach addresses concerns about AI threatening creative jobs, positioning the technology as a productivity enhancer that frees artists to focus on style, flow, and creative refinement rather than repetitive sketching.

Industry Context and Reactions

The animation industry is watching the collaboration closely. While generative AI video tools like Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora have entered the mainstream, Disney selected Animaj because its workflow keeps the artist in the driver’s seat. The Animation Guild has been negotiating contract terms related to AI safety, though it has not yet secured broad provisions. Disney’s exploration of AI tools reflects a broader push among media companies to produce high‑quality content at a faster pace to meet streaming demand.

Future Outlook

Disney plans to integrate Animaj’s technology across its television animation divisions, with a formal announcement expected in the coming months. The partnership illustrates how legacy studios are experimenting with AI to streamline production while preserving artistic integrity, signaling a potential shift in how animated series are created for modern audiences.