According to CNET, Disney is partnering with AI startup Animaj through its 2025 Disney Accelerator Program to revolutionize animation production. Animaj’s technology can produce a 5-minute animated episode in less than 5 weeks instead of the traditional 5 months, using a database of over 300,000 character poses from shows like Pocoyo. The system works by having human animators draw key frames while AI fills in the “motion in-betweening” movements between poses. Disney plans to announce its partnership with Animaj in the coming months for potential use across Disney Branded Television and Disney Television Studios. The technology maintains human control throughout the process, with animators correcting AI-generated movements and preserving the unique art style of each animation.
The animation revolution nobody saw coming
Here’s the thing about animation – we’ve been watching this industry evolve for decades, but AI represents the biggest leap since they moved from hand-drawn to CGI. And honestly? I’m torn. On one hand, cutting production time from five months to five weeks is absolutely insane. That’s not just incremental improvement – that’s fundamentally changing the economics of animation.
But here’s what makes Animaj different from those text-to-video tools like Sora or Veo that spit out weird, inconsistent animations. Animaj isn’t replacing artists – it’s giving them superpowers. The animator still draws the key poses, the emotional beats, the crucial moments. The AI just handles the tedious work of filling in all the movements between point A and point B.
Why artist control actually matters
Look, we’ve all seen those AI-generated nightmares where characters grow extra limbs or their faces morph between frames. Animaj’s approach is fundamentally different because it’s trained specifically on the show’s existing animation style. They built that database of 300,000 poses from four seasons of Pocoyo, meaning the AI learns exactly how those characters should move.
The company emphasizes this “creator-first approach” where artists remain in control, tweaking and correcting AI suggestions. As Animaj’s CEO told CNET, “The artist is in control. For us, it’s super important because we know that AI can be seen as a threat for the artist.” That’s a refreshing perspective in an industry where most AI tools seem designed to replace human labor entirely.
The Hollywood tensions behind the scenes
Now, here’s where it gets complicated. The Animation Guild tried to negotiate AI protections last year and basically failed. Animators can’t refuse to use AI tools if their job requires it, and they can’t stop their work from being used to train these systems. That’s a pretty scary reality for artists who’ve spent years honing their craft.
But Disney’s David Min makes a compelling point – they looked at thousands of AI companies and chose Animaj specifically because it keeps artists “driving the process.” It’s not about replacing people; it’s about testing ideas faster and responding to audience trends while they’re still relevant. In today’s streaming wars, that speed could be the difference between a hit show and a forgotten series.
Where animation goes from here
Basically, we’re watching the same kind of transition that happened when animators moved from watercolor to CGI. Each technological leap made animation faster and more accessible. AI is just the latest tool in that evolution.
The real question is whether this becomes the standard for big studios or remains a niche approach. If Disney fully embraces this across its television studios, we could see a massive increase in animated content without sacrificing quality. But the key will be maintaining that “Disney DNA” – the unique artistic style that made them an animation powerhouse in the first place.
One thing’s for sure: the dwarfs singing “heigh ho” while marching off to work looks very different in 2025. Now they’ve got AI helping carry the load.
