Toy figures of people are seen in front of the displayed Disney+ logo, in this illustration taken on Jan. 20, 2022. Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Buzz Lightyear could become the next TikTok star to learn to do the Dougie under the platform’s new content-sharing agreement with Disney announced on Aug. 5.
The Walt Disney Company and TikTok have agreed to a first-of-its-kind partnership to share short-form video content, the companies said.
The program will debut in the United States in the next few months before expanding to other international markets, the companies said.
Once up and running, TikTok creators can create short videos using scenes and moments from Disney movies and shows, chosen from the studio’s collection. That content will then be available on the Disney+ app.
The short-form videos from participating creators will be live on TikTok and in Verts on Disney+, a mobile vertical video feature similar to other social media apps that lets users swipe through clips and shows.
The videos will feature characters and stories from across Disney’s brands, including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, FX, and more, according to Disney.
“The best storytellers are fans first,” said Asad Ayaz, chief marketing and brand officer at The Walt Disney Company. “That has always been true at Disney, and today, fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways.
“This collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire, giving creators a bigger stage to share what they’ve made, and audiences more to discover on Disney+ every day,” Ayaz said.
TikTok’s head of global entertainment Dawn Yang said the agreement will bring the authentic creator expression to Disney+.
“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,” Yang said.
The program will allow creators to unlock special rewards and give them increased visibility and access to exclusive events and career development pathways, according to the companies.
Hollywood has increasingly embraced social media influencers and content creators in the last few years as vertical videos have exploded in popularity.
(L–R) Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), and Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) look at Bonnie’s tablet in “Toy Story 5.” Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Rachael Connelly, an entertainment attorney with the Sheppard, Mullen, Richter and Hampton law firm, said in a blog that the content creator economy “has been legitimized as a mainstream commercial force, and is no longer a separate operation in Hollywood.”
“What started as platforms that generated viral cat videos and dance trends has quickly transformed into one of the most influential and profitable sides of the entertainment industry,” Connelly wrote on Aug. 3.
Food content creator Desarae Legros shows ingredients she’ll use to create her signature Brinner Burger while filming a TikTok video in her kitchen in Monongahela, Pa., on March 4, 2026. Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS
Goldman Sachs has estimated that the content creator sector could reach a market valuation of almost $500 billion by next year.
Other industry power brokers besides Disney have come to the table and dedicated resources to content creators, including Creative Artists Agency, according to Connelly.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union representing talent in the entertainment industry also created a national influencer and digital creator committee in 2025 to focus on issues related to influencers and creators.
