A first TV outing for the franchise
At its D23 fan event on Friday, Disney announced that the Kingdom Hearts video game franchise from Square Enix will become an anime television series, the first show ever produced under the brand. The series is being developed in partnership with franchise creator Tetsuya Nomura and Square Enix, and will be available on Disney+ and Disney Channel, with Disney describing it as "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." A first-look image was revealed that appears to feature protagonist Sora and his Keyblade, and Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis said the project would give fans "a whole new way to experience the world they love" while working closely with Nomura.
Context and franchise scale
Kingdom Hearts debuted in March 2002 on the PlayStation 2 and has since grown into a franchise of more than a dozen titles spanning Disney worlds and characters from Square's own Final Fantasy series. According to Variety, the franchise has sold more than 39 million units worldwide, with the original trilogy and spinoffs following Keyblade wielder Sora alongside Donald Duck and Goofy against antagonists including Organization XIII and its leader Xehanort. Disney also noted that an earlier attempt to bring the property to television had been explored previously, making this the first series to actually move forward.
D23 announcement details
The series was unveiled during the Disney Entertainment Showcase panel at D23 by Benjamin Bratt, who also used the presentation to confirm that he will voice his "Coco" character Ernesto de la Cruz in the upcoming Kingdom Hearts IV video game. A new trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV was released at the same event, showing Sora in a real-world setting dubbed "Quadratum" fighting Heartless, with Donald and Goofy attempting to rescue him, and one of the Disney worlds featured will be Coco.
Release window and platforms
Kingdom Hearts IV is currently slated for a late 2027 release on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with that game's reveal previewed alongside a clip from the Coco sequel ahead of the anime announcement. No release date or episode count was given for the new Kingdom Hearts anime series.
What remains unclear
Disney did not share additional details beyond the working title and the first-look image, and no showrunners, animation studio, voice cast beyond Bratt's separate game role, or premiere window were confirmed in the announcement.
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