Disney Expo D23 has shocked fans with a surprise from the Kingdom Hearts creator, Tetsuya Nomura. He gifted fans with a Kingdom Hearts 4 update, introducing the next world to join its game universe, Pixar’s Coco, with a late 2027 release date. The franchise’s upcoming anime is spiraling the community. What felt like a fever dream is now becoming reality with Square Enix’s and Disney+’s collaboration project.
The Original Anime Pilot was from 2003
You may be wondering why older fans of the franchise are losing their minds over the anime’s announcement, considering the news is fresh from D23. That’s because Disney originally had a series in mind back in 2003. During the development of the original Kingdom Hearts, Disney negotiated with Square Enix for a possible cartoon that would coexist in hopes of marketing the action-adventure RPG.
According to Cartoon Brew, Eight Crazy Nights director and animator Seth Kearsley was entrusted with the anime project. He reported to Disney Channel executives that the children adored the animatic pilot, but the project was later shelved due to other interests at the time. The Family Guy writer would later upload a storyboard publicly in 2022, but it was later taken down.
Thankfully, YouTube user MarKreations KH reuploaded the animatic on Oct. 14 that same year. Kearsley rewrote the script to tell the story in the split perspectives of Sora and Riku. They traveled in the world of Aladdin, or Agrabah, in search of a magic lamp. Sleeping Beauty’s Mistress of Evil, Maleficent, informed Riku that if he obtained it and made a wish, he could find Kairi’s location. The animatic’s timestamp dated the pilot to be published on Sept. 30, 2003.
Kearsley, who worked hard on the project, told his followers that it shattered him when Disney abandoned the animated series. He experienced this pain again when the Willy Nilly pilot failed to captivate Netflix Animation. “This broke my heart more than Kingdom Hearts because this was my baby,” said the video’s description.
Kingdom Hearts: The Series Coming Soon
Square Enix hosted the panel for the franchise’s 25th anniversary. The developers showcased that Sora will still be visiting other worlds, but it is unclear whether it’s within or outside of the mysterious realm of Quadratum. The upcoming anime, Kingdom Hearts: The Series, appears to be an anticipated project that could be leading to multiple possibilities for where it could go.
While there is no further information, the anime’s teaser image offers enough information on the protagonist. The community will agree that this character is not Sora, for they do not have his iconic spiky hair, nor do they wear his popular outfits from the games. Some fans have taken the time to dissect the character’s design and the Keyblade’s hilt pattern. Twitter user Jen Jenneration may have the best guess.
Based on the amount of fur on the outfit and it’s three-pronged upper half, Jenneration narrowed it down to Helgi. Helgi originates from the Kingdom Hearts MMO, Dark Road. He was one of the missing students studying in Scala ad Caelum. Dark Road and its predecessor, Union X, hold significance in the franchise for the development of the Keyblade War and the backstory of Eraqus and Xehanort.
Square Enix has made the right choice by using their stories since mainline players show no interest in picking up the games. Both games terminated their services in 2021 and 2024, respectively. Disney has confirmed that the anime will be available on both the Disney Channel and Disney+. Until further details are known, Kingdom Hearts fans will be keeping an eye out for the planned release date.
