Disney Accelerator, the Mouse House’s annual program that supports and collaborates with companies at the cutting edge of technology, has selected four companies to invest in and work with this year. 

The program’s picks typically give the broader industry a sense of what new technologies Disney is exploring and looking to integrate into its entertainment and consumer products businesses. Selected companies get to work with Disney teams and apply these emerging technologies to Disney brands. They will also receive a capital investment, but Disney hasn’t shared how much. 

After vetting thousands of potential companies, Disney Accelerator chose animation studio Animaj, vertical microdrama streamer DramaBox, 3D-printing factory Haddy and 3D-holograph company Liminal Space.

Animaj 

The Paris-based animation studio uses “sketch-to-pose” prediction and other AI techniques to speed up production on its animated series—including preschool series Pocoyo (pictured), which it distributes on YouTube. The studio’s content attracts more than 22 billion views annually and 240 million unique visitors per month on YouTube, according to Disney. 

DramaBox 

LA-based DramaBox is a microdrama platform and production company that makes and streams short live-action episodes meant to be watched vertically on phones, almost exclusively aimed at audiences that are YA or older. DramaBox series A Deal With The Hockey Captain, for example, features more than 50 one- to two-minute episodes about a nerdy college girl who has a crush on a hockey player, and has generated 1.7 million-plus likes on the platform. “Through innovative storytelling and high-quality production values, DramaBox is a leader in this growing genre and provides audiences with unique entertainment experiences,” said Disney. 

Haddy 

Haddy is a Florida-based manufacturer that claimed in April to have set up the largest 3D-printing facility in the world. It can create large-scale objects, the sort that would be used in theme parks and set designs—both areas Disney obviously has a vested interest in getting materials for. 

Liminal Space 

This LA-based company creates holograms for in-person entertainment experiences. With a mix of 3D glasses and LED technology, the company can make it look like characters are coming out of a screen. It has previously worked with Feld Entertainment and NBCUniversal to create a 3D dance party where kids were able to dance with their favorite Trolls characters. And its latest partnership is with Netflix for Stranger Things: The Experience, where fans can explore a spooky location from the series. 

Since 2014, more than 60 companies have gone through Disney Accelerator, including Camp (kid-focused retail chain), Eleven Labs (AI voice generator for audiobooks) and Kahoot! (learning games). Fortnite maker Epic Games was an Accelerator participant in 2017, before Disney invested US$1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in the company in February 2024, making it one of the biggest partnerships to come out of the program. As part of that deal, the companies teamed up on a multi-year project to make Disney-based games. 

Each year’s Accelerator wraps up with a demo day in November, where the companies present what they’ve worked on with Disney.