ⓘ Square Enix

At the D23 Entertainment Showcase panel on Friday, Disney confirmed an original animated Kingdom Hearts series is in development for Disney Channel and Disney+, marking the first time the long-running Square Enix-Disney crossover franchise has been adapted for television, proving rumors true.

The announcement came from the Honda Center stage in Anaheim, where actor Benjamin Bratt delivered it during the panel. Currently going under the working title Kingdom Hearts: The Series, the show is being developed in direct partnership with series creator and director Tetsuya Nomura, alongside the creative team at Square Enix.

Disney's official description promises a fresh take rather than a straight retelling, reimagining the story with new material that expands the Kingdom Hearts universe while still celebrating its established characters. Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis said the appeal was in taking a world fans have spent years exploring through the games and bringing it to audiences in a new way.

Details beyond that remain scarce. Disney hasn't confirmed a release date, episode count, voice cast, or the animation studio attached to the project. A teaser Disney shared across its social accounts kept things vague, noting the project is "inspired by the beloved video game franchise" and coming soon, alongside a single piece of key art showing Sora holding his signature Keyblade.

Nomura addressed the reveal directly through Kingdom Hearts' official Japanese account on X, confirming the project himself. "The production of a 'Kingdom Hearts' animated series has been confirmed," he wrote, adding that he's been closely involved with the writing team and that new character designs have already been created specifically for the show, though he stopped short of revealing further plot details.

The series announcement landed at the same event where Disney and Square Enix also showed a new Coco-themed world trailer and confirmed a release window for the long-awaited Kingdom Hearts IV, giving fans two major franchise updates in a single night. The original Kingdom Hearts launched in 2002 and has since become one of gaming's most enduring crossovers, blending Disney's animated worlds with Square Enix's Final Fantasy characters across more than a dozen entries.

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Rahim Amir Noorali - Tech Writer - 1046 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025

I am a UAE-based tech writer who likes to build and benchmark PCs both professionally and as a hobby. I contribute to multiple tech publications, including TechRadar and Notebookcheck, as well as Game Rant, where I focus primarily on news, commerce, and buying guides. When I'm not scouring the internet for the latest in tech stories, you will find me playing a game of Civilization or DotA with friends and frenemies alike while dropping recommendations for Apple TV+'s Foundation to everyone I come across.