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What about a Kingdom Hearts without Disney??



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BenjaminLucas

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Since we all know that Xehanort's Saga is going to end at KH3 and Sora is still going to be the hero, I'm really interested in people's opinion about Kingdom Hearts to let go of Disney (meaning no Goofy and Donald and the rest of Disney Worlds).

So should Kingdom Hearts let go of Disney and create new worlds entirely, plot, characters, etc? or Do you think it is better to continue Disney + KH + FF?

I'm really clueless as to what Kingdom Hearts might be in the future. But to be honest, I think it is time to let go of Disney and go on with new characters and worlds etc etc.
 
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okhi12

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I would like to have more presence of original worlds in future KH games, though I wouldn't want Disney content to disappear entirely because the KH series would lose the charm that makes it something special.

Anyway, KH letting go of Disney is never going to happen. The franchise is developed by Square Enix but Disney owns it and the main characters. No way they would allow it.
 

SweetYetSalty

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I don't want Disney to disappear, I want it to be more involved. So many Disney characters, and worlds could have been used better in the series to help advance the plot or help save a character but as we see they are restricted and mostly just go for the movie plot beat for beat and thus the disdain for Disney worlds comes from for those interested in the original plot and characters of KH.

Kingdom Hearts does need Disney. Disney was a huge selling point to market KH3. Seeing Frozen, Tangled, Pirates, Toy Story and the like got casuals or new fans interested. KH would not sell as much without Disney. What they need is balance. Having these iconic Disney worlds play a role in Sora and friends quest. The Disney worlds are one-sided. It's always Sora helping the Disney characters with their problems, very rarely do the Disney characters help Sora in whatever his quest is for the game. Every now and then you'll get a moment but it doesn't happen often. If they weren't so restricted with Disney worlds I feel they would be better used in the game.

Like okhi12 above, I would also like the original worlds to be better used as well. KH3 didn't use original worlds very well at all. Again we have to find that balance.
 

AegisXIII

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I think they could get rid of worlds based on movies and develop custom disney worlds, like mysterious tower or Disney castle. In that way, they would have more freedom rather than having Disney controlling every tiny detail.
 

Elysium

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^ That’s a really good idea! I always loved Disney Castle's design. Since Maleficent wanting a castle of her own again (that’s not her fortress from SB), they could make a world that fits Maleficent's design to be her new home base. Although I guess, technically, they already did make a world that suits her design with Hollow Bastion in KH1... Maybe something more shadowy this time?
 

disney233

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I've made a post of this long ago. And even now it just feels like the Disney aspect of Kingdom Hearts is just filler and movie promotions. However, on a literal standpoint getting rid of KH would call for getting rid of the entire cast. If I hadn't had THAT drilled in my head by others, yet.

But on a personal standpoint, since there's no getting rid of the Disney aspect, there NEEDS to be middle ground. Disney, Final Fantasy, there needs to be a balance between all of them. But...it's hard for me to see that happening. Disney began to grow scared of crossing over....within their crossover. Disney characters can't LEAVE their worlds, summons have to resort to spirits, and MANY films have to suffer restrictions and boring film storylines.

And I don't see a change in it. Anytime soon. Which is a shame. Kingdom Hearts has potential. It's hard to tell where Nomura and ESPECIALLY Disney wants that potential to go.
 

Grey Skies

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In my favorite games in the series I think the Disney aspects were handled very well. Namely these are KH1, CoM, and 358/2 Days. In all of them the Disney worlds have their own stories, but are all relevant to the overall plot and drive the plot and characters forward. These Disney worlds don't simply follow their movies with a few exceptions like Atlantica in KH1. Care was taken to take the Disney worlds and characters and make new stories from them. Oftentimes, especially in KH1 you find Disney characters out of their worlds of origin, and that was also good for the overall story.

The key going forward is to make the Disney worlds relevant to the overall plot and characters. The usual formula of following the Disney plot without a care for the overall story really isn't working to make the series good.

If I had a choice between a KH game with bad Disney elements and a KH game with only original characters (with or without FF characters), I would choose the latter, but a KH game with Disney done well is my ideal for the series.
 

Face My Fears

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KH needs Disney, end of story. I don't think I would be interested with a KH game that didn't have Disney (although I would still play it).

I think Nomura needs to find out the Disney restrictions BEFORE writing the main plot. Then he can work around the restrictions to include main plot stuff. One example would be: If Disney demanded that Frozen's plot happen exactly as the film and Sora have barely any interaction with the plot, then that was free reign to include main story stuff. Kairi/Axel could have finished their training and joined as party members in Arendelle as a "test run" of their training. Frozen could happen and we get scenes with Sora/Kairi/Axel. You could also link Kairi being a PoH with Elsa/Anna (albeit Kairi commentating on it as if the non-Frozen characters have to social distance from the Frozen characters).
 

welken

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I see nothing offensive about the idea of a Kingdom Hearts without Disney film properties mixed in. The classic Disneyness is infused into KH's DNA no matter what. It's that silly spirit of wonder, and it's not dependent on existing movie characters. I would love a lush and fully-new fantasy in the Kingdom Hearts world, with original forest, gothic and technological worlds amongst the fabulous villages and castles. The original worlds are simply better. They embody the novelty of Kingdom Hearts, and are a marvel of visual design. Without having Disney to fall back on, it would also be necessary to create new absurd and cartoonish characters to maintain the tone, something I think Square-Enix is absolutely capable of. We need more weirdoes in the cast, surprisingly. Maybe the Heartless should talk more.

Personally, I would still include 40-50% Disney worlds and at least Donald, Goofy and Maleficent in my own ideal KH game, but I wouldn't mind something utterly fresh from a standpoint of setting. I would prefer Disney characters be used in a more meaningful way, embedding them into the main story, mixing them together with no regard for borders and order. A little more of the American cartoons visiting epic anime world instead of the other way around.
 

ashwik

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Kingdom Hearts needs to no longer involve the Disney brand in the franchise must read this article VISIT share by Michael Baginski

"After spending over 35 hours with a game that not only concludes another chapter in my life but the myriad of chapters that this franchise has added through its spinoffs, mobile and web browser only games, I can definitely say this."

Thanks
Ashwik | writer | blogger | Bug Fixer |
 

Absent

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I like to envision this with a music industry example. You know how certain girl and boy groups break up, and try solo careers thinking they can be successful by themselves?

Lets just say that Kingdom Hearts is the NOT Beyoncé or Justin Timberlake.
 

Elysium

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I like to envision this with a music industry example. You know how certain girl and boy groups break up, and try solo careers thinking they can be successful by themselves?

Lets just say that Kingdom Hearts is the NOT Beyoncé or Justin Timberlake.
Thank God.

I can understand the appetite for a Disney-less game after KH3. Both because of the dearth of original worlds / content in that game and because its abandonment of its FF side setting a precedent that the original composition of the series is no longer necessary. It’s funny how Square seems to be very extreme in its reaction to fan feedback. I wanted better Disney worlds after 2 and BbS, but I didn’t mean for them to turn the series into only Disney.
 

May-Jor

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Thank God.

I can understand the appetite for a Disney-less game after KH3. Both because of the dearth of original worlds / content in that game and because its abandonment of its FF side setting a precedent that the original composition of the series is no longer necessary. It’s funny how Square seems to be very extreme in its reaction to fan feedback. I wanted better Disney worlds after 2 and BbS, but I didn’t mean for them to turn the series into only Disney.

I'm not sure the way Disney was handled was 100% on Square reacting to fans. Disney being very picky about how their IPs are handled and how much "mingling" they will allow between all of them and the OC probably plays a huge part in this.
 

MrFranklin95

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Kingdom Hearts isn't Kingdom Hearts without Disney. Same thing with Final Fantasy, which is why people got upset when there were no FF cameos until Re: mind. It's kind of the point.

I just think both need to be more in the franchise or at least done better. More fun FF cameos and making more sense of the Radiant Garden government fiasco (it's still weird that Ansem just kind of came back and no one cares lol) and Disney worlds being more apart of the plot.
 

Xblade13

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^ That’s a really good idea! I always loved Disney Castle's design. Since Maleficent wanting a castle of her own again (that’s not her fortress from SB), they could make a world that fits Maleficent's design to be her new home base. Although I guess, technically, they already did make a world that suits her design with Hollow Bastion in KH1... Maybe something more shadowy this time?
They could have Maleficent come into the castle from The Black Cauldron and take it over after the party defeats the Horned King.
 

pastel.goblin

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Pretty much agree with what everyone else has said, I'd hate for Disney to go entirely. Ideally I'd love more original worlds, and for the Disney worlds to be more involved/relevant to the plot, like even 50/50 Disney/original worlds. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love most of the Disney worlds in KH3, I think so far they've been the best designed and most fun to play, but even the ones I loved were lacklustre in regards to the entire plot, though I think that's down to Disney more than Square/Nomura. Also love the idea of more Disney based original worlds, that could be really cool
 

Ballad of Caius

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but I didn’t mean for them to turn the series into only Disney.
Many of us speculate that Kingdom Hearts III lost more than a year of development. Perhaps a year and a half up to two years worth of material. Reason as to why original worlds took a backseat: they had to prioritize Disney for the sake of lost time.

With that in mind, I don't think it's about over focus on Disney on a philosophical point of view, but rather, from a "this is what we have right now, so we have to deal with this". Like the circumstances forced to focus on Disney. As in: not a design decision.

Which is why next KH game could beat KH3 in that aspect: harmonization between the priorities of Disney vs Original Worlds.
 

May-Jor

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Many of us speculate that Kingdom Hearts III lost more than a year of development. Perhaps a year and a half up to two years worth of material. Reason as to why original worlds took a backseat: they had to prioritize Disney for the sake of lost time.

With that in mind, I don't think it's about over focus on Disney on a philosophical point of view, but rather, from a "this is what we have right now, so we have to deal with this". Like the circumstances forced to focus on Disney. As in: not a design decision.

Which is why next KH game could beat KH3 in that aspect: harmonization between the priorities of Disney vs Original Worlds.

I feel like we shouldn't be wrestling between OC and Disney at all. There should be more focus on blending the two together where it doesn't feel like you're playing through two different games, in a thematic sense. That would really remedy the feeling of playing through commericals for movies we already saw most likely, and give the Disney content more of it's own identity from the films.
 
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