• Hello everybody! We have tons of new awards for the new year that can be requested through our Awards System thanks to Antifa Lockhart! Some are limited-time awards so go claim them before they are gone forever...

    CLICK HERE FOR AWARDS

Editorial ► Rumors of a Kingdom Hearts Disney Plus series are greatly exaggerated



REGISTER TO REMOVE ADS

2 quid is good

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 27, 2018
Messages
1,088
Awards
17
Location
airbourne
Personally I think it's more important for disney + to start putting its catalogue of Jetix and Toon Disney shows on the service, of which almost all are conspicuously missing, than faffing about trying to get a KH series off the ground.
 

Oracle Spockanort

written in the stars
Staff member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
35,552
Awards
96
Age
32
Location
California
Website
twitter.com
1) A Kingdom Hearts series should never be anything but a reboot in order to allow more freedom to the creative team. I don’t want to see KH animated as we know it. KH as we know it is flawed with horrible story pacing.

2) A Kingdom Hearts series could definitely be a story completely detached from the main storyline. New characters in its own little sector of the universe or timeline using its own catalogue of shows and films with minimal world overlap.

3) A Kingdom Hearts series should not be a space where Nomura gets to build on his ongoing story in the current timeline. The purpose of a TV series should be about expanding to a wider audience, and in order to do that the story has to remain unattached to nearly 20 years of plot developments. It could work if it was like UX the TV show or Dark Road the TV show where it’s far back enough in the timeline that the story feels fresh and is doing its own thing despite its connections to the ongoing plot.

Make a series about TAV going on their own journey to find clues on how to save Sora and it’s doomed to make no sense to a wide audience.

Personally I think it's more important for disney + to start putting its catalogue of Jetix and Toon Disney shows on the service, of which almost all are conspicuously missing, than faffing about trying to get a KH series off the ground.

Agreed. The holes in their animated TV catalogue is awful. No Tron Uprising, no Motorcity, no Wander Over Yonder and that was popular when it aired, no Fish Hooks. Then classics like WITCH, Oban, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, and just so many other shows left forgotten. I don’t think Dave the Barbarian is on the service either.

What is Disney doing by sitting on these and other shows?
 

Chaser

Not KHI Site Staff
Staff member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
23,228
Awards
70
Location
Australia
1) A Kingdom Hearts series should never be anything but a reboot in order to allow more freedom to the creative team. I don’t want to see KH animated as we know it. KH as we know it is flawed with horrible story pacing.

2) A Kingdom Hearts series could definitely be a story completely detached from the main storyline. New characters in its own little sector of the universe or timeline using its own catalogue of shows and films with minimal world overlap.

3) A Kingdom Hearts series should not be a space where Nomura gets to build on his ongoing story in the current timeline. The purpose of a TV series should be about expanding to a wider audience, and in order to do that the story has to remain unattached to nearly 20 years of plot developments. It could work if it was like UX the TV show or Dark Road the TV show where it’s far back enough in the timeline that the story feels fresh and is doing its own thing despite its connections to the ongoing plot.
And these are exactly the reasons why Nomura would reject giving his permission for a TV show to be made (like he did all those years ago because the show wasn’t working with the universe he was building with KH2)
 

Ballad of Caius

Player 💀
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
7,270
Awards
9
Location
Shibuya
1) A Kingdom Hearts series should never be anything but a reboot in order to allow more freedom to the creative team. I don’t want to see KH animated as we know it. KH as we know it is flawed with horrible story pacing.
Yes. It wouldn't be farfetched. The Sonic Boom animated series was pretty much independent from the video game (even though it isn't a very good comparison, but point stands that it wouldn't be the first time that animated media is different form video game).

2) A Kingdom Hearts series could definitely be a story completely detached from the main storyline. New characters in its own little sector of the universe or timeline using its own catalogue of shows and films with minimal world overlap.
Like a Kingdom Hearts animated universe, independent from the video game iteration.

And these are exactly the reasons why Nomura would reject giving his permission for a TV show to be made (like he did all those years ago because the show wasn’t working with the universe he was building with KH2)
Maybe have him supervise the work? Maybe he's more open to the idea as his older. Or maybe the complete opposite: more against it D:

Make a series about TAV going on their own journey to find clues on how to save Sora and it’s doomed to make no sense to a wide audience.
I'm a sucker for the prospect of the TAV and Twilight Town gang to get their own stories via animation! :)
 

Oracle Spockanort

written in the stars
Staff member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
35,552
Awards
96
Age
32
Location
California
Website
twitter.com
Yes. It wouldn't be farfetched. The Sonic Boom animated series was pretty much independent from the video game (even though it isn't a very good comparison, but point stands that it wouldn't be the first time that animated media is different form video game).

Yes, well most of the Sonic cartoons were independent of the games. You could enjoy them without ever playing one game in the series. It was built to entice people who watched the show to play the games. Same with the Megaman shows or Pokémon. They are all functionally both advertisements of the games and also their own independent things that stand on their own from the games, loosely interpreting the storylines of the games to create its own thing.

Like a Kingdom Hearts animated universe, independent from the video game iteration.

Yes, exactly.

Maybe have him supervise the work? Maybe he's more open to the idea as his older. Or maybe the complete opposite: more against it D:

Who knows. The fact that Nomura is the one essentially writing the games and the actual scenario writers are just there to fill the gaps kinda tells me that Nomura has become more strict and protective of his vision over the years.

I'm a sucker for the prospect of the TAV and Twilight Town gang to get their own stories via animation! :)

Yes, I would be a sucker for it too, but I’m thinking more objectively here. Anything that could come out should not be about us, the existing fanbase. We are already an in-built part of the audience to a certain extent. A good number of us will either watch or will not watch.

What any animated series or even film should be is an introduction for a new generation of fans. It is about building a legacy for a new era, so to speak.

A TAV or Twilight Town gang short animated stories would solely be for us and I doubt would bring in a significant number of new fans. Why should Disney Plus put their money into that?

Nomura could already create something like that with the dev team on their own with Visual Works, or their own development team like they did Back Cover, or hire an animated studio for that. Any of those options + package it with a game like they’ve been doing.
 
Last edited:

Ballad of Caius

Player 💀
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
7,270
Awards
9
Location
Shibuya
Yes, well most of the Sonic cartoons were independent of the games. You could enjoy them without ever playing one game in the series. It was built to entice people who watched the show to play the games. Same with the Megaman shows or Pokémon. They are all functionally both advertisements of the games and also their own independent things that stand on their own from the games, loosely interpreting the storylines of the games to create its own thing.
And from a Marketing point of view, it's ideal to introduce a new audience to the franchise via a clean slate.

Who knows. The fact that Nomura is the one essentially writing the games and the actual scenario writers are just there to fill the gaps kinda tells me that Nomura has become more strict and protective of his vision over the years.
Good point. :/

Yes, I would be a sucker for it too, but I’m thinking more objectively here. Anything that could come out should not be about us, the existing fanbase. We are already an in-built part of the audience to a certain extent. A good number of us will either watch or will not watch.

What any animated series or even film should be is an introduction for a new generation of fans. It is about building a legacy for a new era, so to speak.

A TAV or Twilight Town gang short animated stories would solely be for us and I doubt would bring in a significant number of new fans. Why should Disney Plus put their money into that?

Nomura could already create something like that with the dev team on their own with Visual Works, or their own development team like they did Back Cover, or hire an animated studio for that. Any of those options + package it with a game like they’ve been doing.
Very good points.

Squaresoft, don't know if that vision lingers in Square Enix, always wanted to be a developer of every sort of digital media: video games, series and movies. Reason as to why they made the FINAL FANTASY movie. Maybe they could make the hypothetical KH animation series in-house and/or cooperating with Disney/+?
 

Luminary

Bronze Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2018
Messages
3,170
Awards
5
Personally I think it's more important for disney + to start putting its catalogue of Jetix and Toon Disney shows on the service, of which almost all are conspicuously missing, than faffing about trying to get a KH series off the ground.

I’m indifferent to a KH series until I see something concrete as to what the concept would be. (Tbh, I think Kingdom Keepers would translate to the format better.) I mainly just want them to allow more creative risk in their projects, KH or otherwise. They’re already scaring away creative talent by being too restrictive with their IPs.

I also don’t think the development of a KH series or any other original content would in any way impact what existing series are or aren’t added to the platform. Many of the movies and shows that weren’t made specifically for Disney+ that are currently available are going to be removed at some point and other content will take its place. So I’m sure we’ll see these shows in due time but it’ll be at the expense of other content being removed. Then eventually they’ll leave again, other stuff will come back, and the cycle continues. That’s just how these streaming platforms operate to keep us paying every month, unfortunately.

Agreed. The holes in their animated TV catalogue is awful. No Tron Uprising, no Motorcity, no Wander Over Yonder and that was popular when it aired, no Fish Hooks. Then classics like WITCH, Oban, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, and just so many other shows left forgotten. I don’t think Dave the Barbarian is on the service either.

What is Disney doing by sitting on these and other shows?

I actually saw Tron Uprising and Fish Hooks on there recently! Maybe some of the others will be added before long. I miss the days of watching Dave the Barbarian at 2am. Though more than anything, I want them to add the old Aladdin series.

In regards to a potential KH series, I agree that it should have its own unique story, worlds, and characters. I’d even be fine with an animated show with a similar premise and themes but has its own original lore, characters, and even title. Kinda like the concept of a spiritual sequel.
 
Last edited:

Sarius

Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2019
Messages
64
Awards
2
Yes, well most of the Sonic cartoons were independent of the games. You could enjoy them without ever playing one game in the series. It was built to entice people who watched the show to play the games. Same with the Megaman shows or Pokémon. They are all functionally both advertisements of the games and also their own independent things that stand on their own from the games, loosely interpreting the storylines of the games to create its own thing.
Yes, but kingdom hearts isn’t either of those. Everything that we’ve gotten at this point has connected in some way. If we get a series (which God I hope not) it’ll most likely have its connections. It’ll probably be similar to what marvel is doing, how their shows are going to influence the movies.
 

Oracle Spockanort

written in the stars
Staff member
Joined
Jul 13, 2008
Messages
35,552
Awards
96
Age
32
Location
California
Website
twitter.com
Yes, but kingdom hearts isn’t either of those. Everything that we’ve gotten at this point has connected in some way. If we get a series (which God I hope not) it’ll most likely have its connections. It’ll probably be similar to what marvel is doing, how their shows are going to influence the movies.

The upcoming Marvel shows are different imo. For one thing, it’s a multi-billion dollar franchise with huge brand recognition. If you haven’t seen a Marvel film, you probably at the very least know of the films and the more popular characters in those films.

If somebody happens to watch say Falcon and the Winter Soldier or Wandavision and need background on those characters and their story, they only need to back out of the show and find the films they were in on Disney Plus.

Kingdom Hearts does not have the pleasure of being that easily accessible. To learn anything about the series, you have to buy a $200/300 dollar console and the games and invest over 200+ hours into playing said games or watch a bunch of videos on YT which does not make Disney or SE money. The only reason it would ever be a tie-in into the main storyline is because Nomura would have wanted it that way, not because Disney Plus would make the show that way.

Kingdom Hearts, for all of its popularity, is not an easily accessible series compared to watching the Marvel films. That a low-cost, low-time investment. If somebody watched the films and doesn’t really like them, they probably weren’t going to enjoy the shows but at least they didn’t sink in hundreds of dollars and all of their free time to find this out.

Perhaps a better example would be Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That was built as a tie-in that grew into its own, yet very important piece of the Star Wars lore. It relied on existing characters and existing story from the Prequel films but you could easily learn about it all in the show and didn’t necessarily have to watch the films.

This is a great example of how to do a tie-in.

I don’t think Nomura has the skill to accomplish this level of writing or the ability to let go of the series enough to let somebody else do it like George Lucas did with Dave Filoni and the entire TCW crew. Nomura is too hands on and it would be to the detriment of any series. This is why I would never want one to happen if it was left in his hands and why I am so adamant about how it needs to be a reboot or something self-contained in its own original story and characters apart from the main storyline.
 

MATGSY

Silver Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2005
Messages
6,782
Awards
8
Real talk: The true reason a live action Disney Plus series is a bad idea is because high budget Mickey/Donald/Goofy CGI would be nothing short of terrifying!

5v19v9qeroi21.png

They freak me out enough as is in the FMVs.
 
Back
Top