Walt Disney has agreed a "first of its kind" deal with TikTok that will let a select group of creators officially use iconic characters and scenes from its back catalogue, including Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Moana, in short-form vertical videos. The agreement acknowledges the growing influence of fan-made content in entertainment and reflects the wider shift towards vertical video consumption, with some creator content also set to feature on Disney's own vertical-video platform, Disney+ Verts, currently only available in the US.

Under the US pilot scheme, creators will get access to an "expansive" curated collection of content spanning Disney brands such as Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars, with TikTok's Dawn Yang saying the tie-up brings "authentic creator expression" to Disney+. It follows a shorter-lived and more controversial arrangement allowing OpenAI's Sora tool to use Disney characters, which was scrapped after backlash over violent and racist content; TikTok, meanwhile, has more than 200 million US users, including around six in ten adults under 30. The announcement coincided with Disney beating earnings forecasts on the strength of Toy Story 5, sending shares up 4.6% in premarket trading, alongside a 10% rise in parks and experiences revenue to nearly $10bn.