Disney has been called out for promoting a new video featuring AI imagery of Mickey Mouse. Appearing in the thumbnail of a sponsored YouTube challenge, fans were shocked to see the brand endorsing this AI-ified content after years of Disney meticulously preserving its iconic character design trademarks.
It's an uncomfortable fact that AI is becoming increasingly normalised in our everyday lives, but to see a large-scale corporation like Disney let it slip through the cracks is naturally disappointing for some fans. While it may seem a small lapse in judgment, the controversy arises at a time of rising AI scepticism and hostility over the future of creativity – something that the brand once pioneered.
The controversial AI image appeared in the thumbnail of a recent Dude Perfect video, in which the team broke the record for the fastest time to visit all Disney theme parks worldwide. Instead of opting for a screenshot from the video, the cover image features an AI-generated video of Garrett Hilbert alongside an uncanny Mickey Mouse, complete with strange waxy 'skin' and nightmarish human-like teeth.
"AI Mickey Mouse with teeth is my new fear. Change that thumbnail immediately," another added, while one fan wrote. "AI thumbnail, because you def don’t have enough to pay artists," sarcastically criticised one fan, while another added "Y'all make how much? You can't afford someone to make a thumbnail for you?".
While the image follows the usual beats of click-inducing YouTube thumbnails (think oversaturated colours and shocked faces), the design isn't in line with Disney's typical polished character art. With the corporation recently sending a giant cease and desist letter to chatbot startup Character.AI, it seemed Disney was taking a stand against cheap imitations of its IPs – it's no wonder fans are now thinking otherwise.
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