Disney and Square Enix are making an original Kingdom Hearts anime
After 24 years of video games and a shelved 2000s pilot, Sora and the gang are getting an official anime series on Disney+.
Disney and Square Enix have officially announced a Kingdom Hearts anime series for Disney+ and the Disney Channel. The project was greenlit by Disney Branded Television and revealed during the entertainment showcase at this weekend's D23 expo in Anaheim.
According to The Walt Disney Company, the series is being developed in close partnership with Square Enix and original franchise creator Tetsuya Nomura. Instead of doing a shot-for-shot retelling of the original 2002 PlayStation 2 game, the production team is crafting a new storyline designed to expand the existing universe. Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy will remain at the center of the narrative.
It only took 24 years
The Kingdom Hearts franchise has been strictly confined to interactive media and manga adaptations for over two decades. When the first game launched in 2002, the core concept of mixing Final Fantasy angst with Walt Disney Animation characters seemed completely absurd. It went on to sell millions of copies and spawn a massive, sprawling franchise. A linear television adaptation has been the obvious missing piece of the puzzle since the beginning.
Disney actually tried this once before. In the early 2000s, the company commissioned an American animated television pilot directed by Seth Kearsley. That project was ultimately shelved due to scheduling conflicts and creative differences, leaving the IP entirely in Square Enix's hands on the gaming side. Now, with Disney pushing harder into cross-media adaptations of its gaming properties, the timing apparently aligns for a proper animated series.
I am curious how they plan to weave a new original story into a timeline that already requires a spreadsheet to understand. The Kingdom Hearts lore is famously dense. It spans numbered console entries, handheld spin-offs, mobile games, and browser titles, all of which contain mandatory plot information. Dropping an entire anime series into that continuity is either genius or madness. Possibly both.
Nomura is directly involved
Tetsuya Nomura's involvement is the main takeaway for long-time players. Nomura conceptualized the original crossover in the early 2000s after a chance elevator meeting between Disney and Square executives in a shared office building. He has directed the series ever since, alongside his work on Final Fantasy VII and its recent remakes.
Having the original creator attached suggests this anime will be treated as canonical material rather than a disposable spin-off. Disney Kids & Family is handling the production side, but the lore and character designs are being coordinated directly with Square Enix.
Streaming on Disney+
The series will broadcast on the Disney Channel and stream on Disney+. Disney has not announced a specific release window or an animation studio partner yet, as the project appears to be in early development.
This announcement arrives alongside a broader push from Disney to leverage its video game partnerships across multiple mediums. The company recently invested heavily in Epic Games and continues to license its characters out for major interactive projects. Bringing Kingdom Hearts back in-house for a television production closes a loop that started a long time ago. We just have to wait to see where exactly this new story fits between the Keyblade War and whatever is happening in Kingdom Hearts 4.
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