Disney has announced that it is bringing Kingdom Hearts to the small screen, with an anime series adaptation of the beloved video game series announced at this weekend’s D23 Expo, set to air on both Disney+ and the Disney Channel.
“Kingdom Hearts has captivated gamers everywhere with its unique blend of adventure and imagination,” Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis said. “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. And with a creative team that is working closely with the legendary Tetsuya Nomura, our new series will be unmistakably Kingdom Hearts, while giving fans a whole new way to experience the world they love.”
Additional details on Kingdom Hearts: The Series are being kept under wraps at present, but the official press release states that “the series reimagines the iconic adventure with a brand-new story that will expand on the universe of Kingdom Hearts while celebrating the characters that have captured the hearts of millions of fans around the world.”
Developed by Square Enix and launching in 2002 with the original video game, Kingdom Hearts follows a teenage boy called Sora, who finds himself chosen to wield the Keyblade, a weapon to battle the dark forces of the Heartless, on a quest that sees the player traversing a number of Disney-inspired worlds whilst allying with iconic characters like Donald Duck and Goofy. It has spawned a host of sequels, spin-offs and remixes, while the next mainline instalment Kingdom Hearts IV is set for release next year.
