'Wall-E With a Gun': Midjourney Generates Videos of Disney Characters Amid Massive Copyright Lawsuit
Jun 20, 2025 4:28 PM A week after Disney and Universal filed a landmark lawsuit against Midjourney, the generative AI startup's new V1 video tool will make clips of Shrek, Deadpool, and other famous creations. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Midjourney's new AI-generated video tool will produce animated clips featuring copyrighted characters from Disney and Universal, WIRED has found—including video of the beloved Pixar character Wall-E holding a gun.
It's been a busy month for Midjourney. This week, the generative AI startup released its sophisticated new video tool, V1, which lets users make short animated clips from images they generate or upload. The current version of Midjourney's AI video tool requires an image as a starting point; generating videos using text-only prompts is not supported.
The release of V1 comes on the heels of a very different kind of announcement earlier in June: Hollywood behemoths Disney and Universal filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Midjourney, alleging that it violates copyright law by generating images with the studios' intellectual property.
Midjourney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Disney and Universal reiterated statements made by its executives about the lawsuit, including Disney's legal head Horacio Gutierrez alleging that Midjourney's output amounts to 'piracy.'
It appears that Midjourney may have attempted to put up some video-specific guardrails for V1. In our testing, it blocked animations from prompts based on Frozen's Elsa, Boss Baby, Goofy, and Mickey Mouse, although it would still generate images of these characters. When WIRED asked V1 to animate images of Elsa, an 'AI moderator' blocked the prompt from generating videos. 'Al Moderation is cautious with realistic videos, especially of people,' read the pop-up message.
These limitations, which appear to be guardrails, are incomplete. WIRED testing shows that V1 will generate animated clips of a wide variety of Universal and Disney characters, including Homer Simpson, Shrek, Minions, Deadpool, Star Wars ' C-3PO, and Darth Vader. For example, when asked for an image of Minions eating a banana, Midjourney generated four outputs with recognizable versions of the cute, yellow characters. Then, when WIRED clicked the 'Animate' button on one of the outputs, Midjourney generated a follow-up video with the characters eating a banana—peel and all.
Although Midjourney seems to have blocked some Disney and Universal-related prompts for videos, WIRED could sometimes circumvent the potential guardrails during tests by using spelling variations or repeating the prompt. Midjourney also lets users provide a prompt to inform the animation; using that feature, WIRED was able to to generate clips of copyrighted characters behaving in adult ways, like Wall-E brandishing a firearm and Yoda smoking a joint.
The Disney and Universal lawsuit poses a major threat to Midjourney, which also faces additional legal challenges from visual artists who allege copyright infringement as well. Although it focused largely on providing examples from Midjourney's image-generation tools, the complaint alleges that video would 'only enhance Midjourney ability to distribute infringing copies, reproductions, and derivatives of Plaintiffs' Copyrighted Works.'
The complaint includes dozens of alleged Midjourney images showing Universal and Disney characters. The set was initially produced as part of a report on Midjourney's so-called 'visual plagiarism problem' from AI critic and cognitive scientist Gary Marcus and visual artist Reid Southen.
'Reid and I pointed out this problem 18 months ago, and there's been very little progress and very little change,' says Marcus. 'We still have the same situation of unlicensed materials being used, and guardrails that work a little bit, but not very well. For all the talk about exponential progress in AI, what we're getting is better graphics, not a fundamental principle solution to this problem.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
23 minutes ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Answers for June 21
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today's Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles. Today's Mini Crossword was a tough one for me! I struggled with 7-Across and 3-Down especially. Need some help? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips. The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times' games collection. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET's NYT puzzle hints page. Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword Let's get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers. The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for June 21, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET Mini across clues and answers 1A clue: Feeling extremely happy Answer: JOYFUL 7A clue: Wake from sleep Answer: AROUSE 8A clue: Brand of cinnamon-flavored chewing gum Answer: BIGRED 9A clue: Talk and talk and talk Answer: GAB 10A clue: Bengal, colt or dolphin Answer: ANIMAL 13A clue: TV show ending Answer: FINALE 14A clue: Rook, to a chess newbie Answer: CASTLE Mini down clues and answers 1D clue: Quick boxing punch Answer: JAB 2D clue: Beginnings Answer: ORIGINS 3D clue: Where you might strike a pose? Answer: YOGAMAT 4D clue: Nickname for a fuzzy cat Answer: FURBALL 5D clue: One of many for white vinegar Answer: USE 6D clue: Was winning Answer: LED 10D clue: The Bengals, Colts and Dolphins play in it: Abbr Answer: AFC 11D clue: ___ DaCosta, director of 2023's "The Marvels" Answer: NIA 12D clue: Harper who wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" Answer: LEE
CBS News
24 minutes ago
- CBS News
Colorado arcade bus owner honors heroic good Samaritan Johnny Hurley
A Colorado man is hitting the road and bringing classic arcade games to you. It's an achievement that began as an aspiration between two friends. Despite the death of one of them, the other has followed through with their goal to share beloved games with others who also cherish them. Boss Battle Bus CBS Owning and operating the "Boss Battle" arcade bus has been a dream come true for Devin McKenna, a self-proclaimed "arcader" and entertainer. "It's a love letter to the '80s," McKenna told CBS Colorado. "There is nothing else out there like it." The bus, formerly a Denver International Airport shuttle bus, is filled with retro nostalgia, and it's equipped with over 12,000 games. It has everything from Pac-Man, NBA Jam to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. With the ability to host more than two dozen players at once. Meaning when it's full, there are dozens of smiling faces. "There is nothing better in the world," McKenna said. "I could literally live in that moment forever." The bus also carries with it an homage to one of its original creators -- Johnny Hurley. McKenna made the connection while on a test drive before he purchased it a year ago. "I look down, and there's stickers of Johnny from his memorial, and I will go, 'Wait. Is that John Hurley?" McKenna explained. "He's like, 'Yes. That was my best friend, and that's who built the bus with me.'" Johnny Hurley was shot and killed on June 21, 2021 after he stopped an active shooter who had killed Arvada Police Officer Gordon Beesly. Hurley was then shot by an officer who mistook him for the suspect. McKenna wanted to make sure Hurley would have a lasting legacy beyond the heroics that led to his death. "We rebranded it to be called the "Boss Battle Bus" with the tagline, "Beat the boss, whatever the cost," because that's what Hurley did. He beat the bad guy," McKenna said. "He gave everything, and it was to have this kind of community involvement that there is. He was trying to build what we're building now, and it is the greatest honor to be able to carry that on." McKenna joined forces with a party rental company to create Epic Party Rentals, which offers the arcade bus for rent and a plethora of other games. The bus brings joy to people's lives. That's McKenna's full-time mission now, and he feels reassurance from someone he lost as well. "My wife passed three months after Johnny, so I just know it was up there, them going, 'OK, you're supposed to do this, kid,'" McKenna said. "It was what I wanted to do my whole life -- bring fun and bring joy to this darkening world."
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Blake Shelton Adorably Kissed Gwen Stefani Wearing This Truly Wild Pink Costume
Ninety-nine percent of the time, The Voice Coach alum Blake Shelton dresses down in casual rancher attire — think plaids, flannels, and jeans. He is a country-singing cowboy, after all. Which makes him dressing up as the Easter Bunny once in a while that much more precious. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clip from Gwen Stefani's June 18 Instagram video celebrating her husband's 49th birthday, fans spotted Shelton in a full-on pink Easter Bunny costume giving Stefani a very tender kiss. (See the moment here.) The video is filled with sweet moments throughout their relationship. It features plenty of kisses shared between the couple, but nothing beats the one Shelton gave Stefani dressed as a giant pink bunny. "Happy birthday to my greatest love @blakeshelton u are my everything!! ❤️❤️," Stefani captioned her post. While Stefani loved Shelton's bunny costume, some people — like Carson Daly's daughter, Goldie, for example — didn't share the same enthusiasm. In 2022, Shelton memorably showed up at Daly's home as the Easter Bunny to pay a visit to Goldie, which resulted in one of the most iconic photos ever. "Goldie's not so sure about this," Daly captioned. In a 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Shelton spoke candidly about his relationship with Stefani's three children: Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. RELATED: Blake Shelton Singing "Old MacDonald" for Gwen Stefani's Baby Son Is Beyond Sweet "I get to teach them the country, you know, and I love that," Shelton said. "Whether it's music, whether it's literally getting out, getting their hands in the dirt or being out on the ranch, seeing the animals, whatever, you know? I absolutely love being the person that gets to introduce them to that stuff." And on his marriage to Stefani, Shelton remains as enamored as ever with the No Doubt singer. "I don't know how you can imagine when you find that life partner, that missing piece, you know, you didn't know what was missing?" he explained. "If you would've told me the first season [of The Voice] that we met that — what was gonna happen, I would've been like, 'No, we actually don't even have anything to even talk about, you know? What are you talking about?'" RELATED: Blake Shelton Has an Exciting New Career Update Involving Pitbull "It's crazy how things work out," Shelton added. .
