International
Oren Aviv resigns as president of Walt Disney Studios
MUMBAI: Oren Aviv has resigned as president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production.
The studio, in a statement, said that a successor would be named “at an appropriate time.”
Rich Ross, who succeeded Dick Cook as chairman of Walt Disney Studios last October, is keen to build a modern transmedia empire with an emphasis on promoting properties across the corporation‘s multiple platforms.
He was instrumental to do away with Cook‘s most trusted lieutenants. Last November Mark Zoradi, a 29-year company veteran who oversaw global marketing and most recently served as president of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, quit his post.
Since Disney wound up its specialty division this month, it was time for former Miramax president Daniel Battsek to leave also.
Among Ross‘ new appointees are president of distribution Bob Chapek, chief technology officer Greg Brandeau and studio franchise, post-production and Disneynature chief Alan Bergman.
Until his departure Aviv had also assumed oversight of physcial production. However it is understood he took the blame for box-office failures like Bedtime Stories, Confessions Of A Shopaholic, G-Force and more recently Old Dogs.
Said Aviv in a statement, “I have loved every day that I have been at the studio and feel incredibly privileged to have been part of a team that enriched my life for 20 years.
“I will miss all the amazing film-makers, the many talented actors and most importantly the lifelong friends I‘ve been so lucky to work with throughout my Disney career.lone, understood in purely naturalistic terms.”
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
