At D23 in Anaheim, Disney+ announced a new animated series based on Kingdom Hearts, the beloved franchise that has woven Disney magic and original fantasy together in gaming for over two decades. Developed in close partnership with creator Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix, the project will chart an original story rather than retrace familiar game plots — a choice that reflects both the opportunity and the challenge of translating a notoriously intricate mythology into a new medium. The announcement signals not only a milestone for a franchise long confined to gaming, but also Disney's deepening
Disney+ Greenlights 'Kingdom Hearts' Series With Square Enix
A world fans have spent years exploring through games, brought to life in a completely new way
Mark
Why does Kingdom Hearts need to become a TV series? The games have a massive audience already.
Mimi
The games do, but they're dense and hard to follow. A show could reach people who find the games' complexity intimidating—families, younger kids, people who want the story without the controller.
Mark
So this is about expanding the audience, not serving the existing one?
Mimi
Both. Existing fans get to see their world in a new form. New viewers get an entry point. And Disney gets to leverage a property that's been quietly profitable for over two decades.
Mark
Tetsuya Nomura is involved. Does that mean the show will feel like the games?
Mimi
That's the bet. Nomura's fingerprints on the project should keep it recognizable. But television has different pacing, different constraints. It won't be the games translated—it'll be something new that respects what came before.
Mark
What's the real risk here?
Mimi
Oversimplifying the story. Kingdom Hearts works because it's weird—Disney meets Final Fantasy meets original mythology. Strip that away and you lose what made people care in the first place.
Mark
And if they get it right?
Mimi
Then Disney has another flagship animated series, and Kingdom Hearts becomes a genuine multimedia franchise instead of just a gaming property.
Der Puls
- A franchise beloved by millions but notorious for labyrinthine storytelling is now being asked to make itself legible to a television audience for the first time.
- The creative tension is real: Kingdom Hearts' identity is inseparable from its dense layering of Disney, Final Fantasy, and original lore — simplifying it risks alienating the faithful, while preserving it risks losing newcomers.
- Tetsuya Nomura's direct involvement and the decision to build an original narrative rather than adapt existing games represent a deliberate attempt to honor the franchise's soul without being trapped by its complexity.
- Disney+ is positioning the series within a rapidly expanding animated slate — Dragon Striker, Warrior Cats, Journey, and more — signaling that animation is no longer a side bet but a strategic pillar.
- For the franchise's devoted fanbase, the greenlight is a long-awaited validation; for the uninitiated, it may be the first door into a world they never knew existed.
At D23 in Anaheim, Disney+ announced a new animated series based on Kingdom Hearts, the beloved franchise that has woven Disney magic and original fantasy together in gaming for over two decades. Developed in close partnership with creator Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix, the project will chart an original story rather than retrace familiar game plots — a choice that reflects both the opportunity and the challenge of translating a notoriously intricate mythology into a new medium. The announcement signals not only a milestone for a franchise long confined to gaming, but also Disney's deepening conviction that animation is central to its streaming future.
Disney+ has greenlit an animated series based on Kingdom Hearts, the franchise that has spent more than two decades fusing Disney characters with original fantasy worlds inside video games. The announcement arrived Friday night at D23, Disney's fan event in Anaheim, marking the first time the property will make a serious leap into television.
At the center of the project is Tetsuya Nomura, the designer who created Kingdom Hearts and has guided it through sequels and spin-offs for over twenty years. Square Enix is partnering with Disney on the series, and the creative team has made a notable choice: rather than adapting the games' existing storylines, they will build an entirely original narrative that expands the universe while preserving its characters and tone. It's a decision that acknowledges one of the franchise's defining challenges — its plots are famously intricate, layering Disney properties, Final Fantasy characters, and wholly original creations into a mythology that can bewilder even dedicated players.
Ayo Davis, who leads Disney's Kids & Family division, described the series as an effort to translate what makes Kingdom Hearts compelling into a new medium without losing what makes it distinctly itself. How faithfully the show will track game canon, and which characters and worlds it will center, remains open — details that will likely surface as production advances.
The series joins a crowded and ambitious animated slate at Disney+, which is simultaneously developing Dragon Striker, a new season of Phineas and Ferb, Warrior Cats, and Journey, among others. The pattern suggests Disney is placing animation at the heart of its streaming strategy, especially for younger audiences. For Kingdom Hearts fans, the announcement is a form of recognition — proof that a franchise long sustained by devotion alone has finally earned its place in a broader cultural conversation.
Disney+ has greenlit a new animated series based on Kingdom Hearts, the video game franchise that has spent decades blending Disney characters with original fantasy worlds. The announcement came Friday night at D23, Disney's fan event in Anaheim, marking a significant moment for a property that has lived almost entirely in the gaming space since its debut in 2002.
The series is being developed in close collaboration with Tetsuya Nomura, the legendary designer who created Kingdom Hearts and has shepherded it through numerous sequels and spin-offs. Square Enix, the Japanese publisher behind the games, is partnering with Disney on the project. Rather than simply adapting existing game storylines, the creative team plans to build an original narrative that expands the Kingdom Hearts universe while keeping the characters and tone that have drawn millions of players over the years.
Ayo Davis, who leads Disney's Kids & Family division, framed the project as an opportunity to translate the games' appeal into a new medium. She emphasized that the series would feel authentically Kingdom Hearts—maintaining the franchise's distinctive identity—while offering fans a different way to engage with the world. The challenge of such an adaptation is real: Kingdom Hearts games are known for their intricate, sometimes bewildering plots that layer Disney properties, Final Fantasy characters, and original creations into a single narrative. Translating that complexity into television requires careful storytelling choices.
The Kingdom Hearts series arrives as Disney+ continues to expand its animated original content. The streaming service is simultaneously developing Dragon Striker, a new season of Phineas and Ferb, Big City Greens, Messi and the Giants, Warrior Cats, and Journey. This slate suggests Disney is betting heavily on animation as a core part of its streaming strategy, particularly for younger audiences and families.
For Kingdom Hearts fans, the announcement represents validation of a franchise that has maintained a devoted following despite its games' reputation for narrative complexity and the gaps between major releases. The series could introduce the property to viewers who have never played the games, while also giving longtime fans a chance to see their favorite characters and worlds rendered in a different visual style. How closely the show will follow game canon, and which characters and storylines it will prioritize, remains to be seen. Those details will likely emerge as production moves forward and Disney begins releasing more information about the project's direction and timeline.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There's something really exciting about taking a world fans have spent years exploring through the games and bringing it to life in a completely new way.— Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family
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