Grab the Keyblade because after more than two decades of games,Kingdom Hearts is finally making the jump to television. Disney announced at D23 that aKingdom Hearts TV series is coming to Disney+ and Disney Channel, bringing the fan-favorite world created by Disney and Square Enix to the small screen with an original anime story.
Yes,Kingdom Hearts is becoming an actual TV series. Somewhere, Donald Duck is already refusing to heal Sora when he needs it most. The upcoming project, currently operating under the working titleKingdom Hearts, is being developed by Disney in collaboration with Square Enix. Rather than simply retelling the story of the original 2002 video game, the animated series will feature abrand-new story set within the existing Kingdom Hearts universe.
That opens up quite a few possibilities. TheKingdom Hearts franchise follows Sora, a young Keyblade wielder whose adventures bring him together with Donald Duck and Goofy as they travel across worlds inspired by Disney films while battling forces of darkness. Over the years, the games have incorporated characters and locations fromAladdin,Hercules,The Little Mermaid,Frozen,Pirates of the Caribbean,Toy Story,Big Hero 6 and plenty more.
Basically, Disney had a multiverse before everybody decided they needed a multiverse. But longtime fans know there is much more toKingdom Hearts than visiting Disney worlds. The franchise has developed an enormous mythology surrounding Keyblade wielders, Heartless, Nobodies, Organization XIII, different versions of characters, memories, hearts, darkness and enough interconnected storylines to make explaining the complete timeline at Thanksgiving dinner a very bad idea.
Thankfully, the people behind the games aren’t being left out of the television adaptation. Franchise creatorTetsuya Nomura is involved with the project alongside Square Enix’s creative team, giving the upcomingKingdom Hearts series a direct connection to the people responsible for building the universe in the first place.
The announcement also comes asKingdom Hearts approaches a major milestone. The original game was released for PlayStation 2 in 2002, introducing players to the unexpectedly perfect combination of Square Enix-style RPG storytelling and Disney characters. The franchise has since expanded across numerous games and platforms and has sold more than38 million units worldwide.
Yet despite the franchise’s popularity,Kingdom Hearts has never received a full television adaptation. Until now. Disney’s decision to tell an original story rather than directly adapting one of the games could also make the series more accessible to viewers who haven’t spent the last 24 years studyingKingdom Hearts lore like they’re preparing for the SATs. Newcomers could potentially enter the universe without needing to know every detail of Sora’s increasingly complicated history, while longtime players can get a story they haven’t already experienced.
Disney is still keeping many details locked away somewhere in a treasure chest that apparently requires a Keyblade to open. Apremiere date has not been announced, and there is currently no confirmed episode count or voice cast. Disney has also not announced which animation studio will produce the series.
The final title remains unknown as well. For now, Disney is referring to the project asKingdom Hearts (working title), meaningKingdom Hearts: The Series or any other name floating around online should not be treated as official just yet.
The series is expected to maintain the core identity that has defined the franchise: Disney worlds and characters colliding with the original heroes, villains and mythology created forKingdom Hearts. Exactly which Disney properties will appear hasn’t been revealed, leaving fans plenty of time to start making wish lists.
And you already know those lists are going to get ambitious. The announcement arrives ahead of the franchise’s 25th anniversary in 2027, making the timing especially fitting. After years of fans wondering whether Disney would ever bring Sora, Donald, Goofy and the Keyblade to television, the answer is finally yes.
AKingdom Hearts TV series is officially coming to Disney+ and Disney Channel, Square Enix is involved, Tetsuya Nomura is part of the project and the show will expand the universe with an original story rather than simply replaying the games we’ve already experienced.
Now Disney just needs to tell us when it’s coming, who’s voicing everybody and which worlds we’re visiting. And please, for the love of Mickey Mouse, somebody make sure Donald remembers Cure.
