Darth Vader to become a TikTok star as Disney strikes deal on short video

Characters and memorable scenes from back catalogue made available to group of creator fans

The likes of Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Moana are about to become TikTok stars for the first time – at least now on an official basis – after Walt Disney struck a “first of its kind” deal with the booming short-video platform.

In an acknowledgment of the influence fan-made content now has in the entertainment industry, a select group of creators will be allowed to use characters and memorable scenes from Disney’s back catalogue.

It is the latest sign of the irresistible rise of short-form vertical video, where users consume content via their phone screens without flipping it round to watch in a wider landscape format.

Some of the creator content will be featured on Disney’s own attempt to break into vertical video, its Disney+ Verts platform, which is currently available only in the US.

It confirms the powerful status of creator “fandom” and the power of TikTok, which has surpassed 200 million US users, including about six in 10 adults under 30, according to the Pew Research Center. The platform launched internationally less than a decade ago.

The rise of short-form video and the resulting fan content means big entertainment companies have had to become more relaxed about the use of their intellectual property.

Disney said that under a US pilot, creators would be given access to “an expansive collection of thoughtfully curated” content featuring characters and stories from across Disney’s brands, including Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

Dawn Yang, the global head of entertainment at TikTok, said: “Creators are at the heart of everything we do at TikTok. Their creativity extends the life of films and shows into conversations that fans discover and share.

“Together with Disney, we’re bringing the authentic creator expression of the TikTok community to Disney+, inviting audiences to experience the shared creativity that makes fandom so powerful.”

It marks Disney’s latest attempt to sanction the use of its characters by a high-profile third party, after a short-lived arrangement that allowed OpenAI’s Sora video-generation tool to use figures from its back catalogue.

The decision, announced late last year, was controversial in Hollywood, given that Sora was seen as posing a threat to some in the creative industry, and longstanding issues around protecting copyright.

Just a few months later, OpenAI abruptly closed down Sora after a backlash over some of the violent and racist content produced using the tool, as well as deepfakes and misinformation. The closure was also seen as part of OpenAI’s attempts to streamline its operations before taking the company public.

Disney’s announcement came as it revealed that the success of Toy Story 5 had helped it beat earnings forecasts. Its shares jumped 4.6% ⁠in premarket trading.

Revenues from its parks and experiences were up 10% from a year ago, helped by a 4% increase in visits to its theme parks. Revenues in that portion of the business reached nearly $10bn.

Rivals season 2 became the biggest original premiere in the UK and Ireland on Disney+.