News ► A Kingdom Hearts Disney Plus CGI series is rumored to be in the works

[KudoTsurugi]

They can't just throw "Simple & Clean" into the bin! That song deserves some respect. They need to use it at least once! I can see "Dearly Beloved" being the credits music.

I can't see a brand new song being used, it would just not feel like KH1.

It could go either way honestly, depending on who's making the series for Disney. Take the adaptations of Namco's ‘Tales Of’ franchise, for example.
For the Tales of Symphonia OVA series, Ufotable used original songs for the openings of each arc they adapted. They'd later do the same for their adaptation of Tales of Zestiria. But for Tales of The Abyss, the team at Sunrise(the studio famous for Gundam among other franchises) chose to keep the original opening song from the game.

 

[Absent]

Nah even better only use Simple and Clean for the finale’s credits.

 

[Face My Fears]

It could go either way honestly, depending on who's making the series for Disney. Take the adaptations of Namco's ‘Tales Of’ franchise, for example.
For the Tales of Symphonia OVA series, Ufotable used original songs for the openings of each arc they adapted. They'd later do the same for their adaptation of Tales of Zestiria. But for Tales of The Abyss, the team at Sunrise(the studio famous for Gundam among other franchises) chose to keep the original opening song from the game.

Well I mean apparently The World Ends With You will NOT be using "Calling" as the theme song, which has me physically ill.

It's just a disgrace to not use the song that is a part of that franchise in SOME capacity.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

Well I mean apparently The World Ends With You will NOT be using "Calling" as the theme song, which has me physically ill.

It's just a disgrace to not use the song that is a part of that franchise in SOME capacity.

You’re thinking of “Twister”. “Calling” is just one of the overworld songs in the game. Also, we don’t know if it’s never going to be used, just that it’s not the main opening. It’s possible that, as I suggested before, they'll use it as a 1st episode opening, then switch to “TEENAGE CITY RIOT” after. To add to that, it’s the same composer making the soundtrack for the anime so maybe he wants to update the music too. It happens.

But back on topic. When it comes to the song Simple and Clean, I think ‘less is more’ would be a good strategy to have. Playing the remix for the first episode’s opening and the regular version for the final episode’s ending would also mirror the game itself: You only hear them at the beginning and at the end. Plus, having some songs original to this animated series could help with its identity.

As for using Dearly Beloved, I could see it being used as either a next episode preview, a prologue song before we hear the opening, or just a tune you’d hear somewhere in the odd episode.

 

[2 quid is good]

Frankly, I'm tired of S&C, give sanctuary or don't think twice some airtime

 

[Barrett]

Do you think that if the series ends up using any of Utada's songs, we'll get exclusive new renditions/remixes for them or just end up using what we already have again? It'd be really neat if we got new remixes, but I'm not expecting it either way.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

Do you think that if the series ends up using any of Utada's songs, we'll get exclusive new renditions/remixes for them or just end up using what we already have again? It'd be really neat if we got new remixes, but I'm not expecting it either way.

It’s either that or all new songs. Though if we do get new renditions of songs(not remixes), I hope we get one for Sanctuary. Passion’s song structure didn’t really help it for me, so if Sanctuary’s lyrics got a restructure to better match Passion’s rhythm, that’d be nice.

 

[KingdomKurdistan]

It’s either that or all new songs. Though if we do get new renditions of songs(not remixes), I hope we get one for Sanctuary. Passion’s song structure didn’t really help it for me, so if Sanctuary’s lyrics got a restructure to better match Passion’s rhythm, that’d be nice.

Sanctuary did nothing to for me as a kid after after snazzy, catchy Simple and Clean. Found it utterly boring and abstract.

With ears 15 years older, it's like a whole different song now. I think it's brilliant; by far the best of the KH songs and the only one I can actually listen to outside the games.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

Sanctuary did nothing to for me as a kid after after snazzy, catchy Simple and Clean. Found it utterly boring and abstract.

With ears 15 years older, it's like a whole different song now. I think it's brilliant; by far the best of the KH songs and the only one I can actually listen to outside the games.

Yeah, I don’t know what it is, but the opening version for Sanctuary feels off for me, even after how long it’s been. I like the ending version though, that worked well. For the opening version, it’s more a lyrics thing than the actual music.

 

[Absent]

I think Sanctuary works because of how vague it is compared to the other ones. Simple and Clean is too personal, same with Don’t Twink Twice.

 

[Face My Fears]

Frankly, I'm tired of S&C, give sanctuary or don't think twice some airtime

If they use Sanctuary for Season 1 (KH1's story), then what will they use for Season 3 (KH2's story)?

 

[Antifa Lockhart]

This is starting to feel like when y'all swore up and down Jungle Book and Wreck it Ralph were gonna be in Kh3.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

They are not going to adapt the entirety of any KH game, let alone multiple seasons focused on each game. Disney can’t even give their most popular animated shows more than 3 seasons.

Again, the only thing that would work is a spin-off within the existing canon that can be enjoyed by newcomers, a loose adaption of KH1 because it has the most straightforward plot, or a stand-alone that loosely uses the lore.

Do not expect them to make more than two seasons without it having extreme acclaim, and anticipate it only being one season only to save yourselves some heartache.

And that is only if they get the project officially green lit for D+.

 

[Absent]

I agree. Kingdom Hearts is the perfect game to cover over multiple seasons. You could change some plot points to make certain events viable for a season finale and have the series finale be the end of 1.
If it’s real, I see it with 2 seasons at best.

 

[KudoTsurugi]

I agree. Kingdom Hearts is the perfect game to cover over multiple seasons. You could change some plot points to make certain events viable for a season finale and have the series finale be the end of 1.
If it’s real, I see it with 2 seasons at best.

Agreed. 2 seasons would work best for a show based on the first game. I’ve said before I’d like a show based on KH1 to be around 51 episodes(or 2 seasons of 25 episodes each), and part of the reason why is to A) explore some sides of the story we wouldn’t get to see in the games(like maybe actually see Sora’s parents or glimpse of life on the main island), B) use that time to cover material from the novels and manga if possible, or C) maybe expand on the side quest stuff, like seeing the gang piece together Ansem’s Reports, train in the Olympus tournaments, or have 100 Acre Wood visits as some breather episodes.

Though this is assuming it even gets that much. If we got just one season, as a taster, I think a good cutoff point would be Agrabah. We’d have a villain defeated, and end on the reveal that Riku is working with Maleficent and that they found Kairi's body, which would set up the conflict in the next season

 

[Keyblade Knight 1st Class]

 

[Face My Fears]

They are not going to adapt the entirety of any KH game, let alone multiple seasons focused on each game. Disney can’t even give their most popular animated shows more than 3 seasons.

Again, the only thing that would work is a spin-off within the existing canon that can be enjoyed by newcomers, a loose adaption of KH1 because it has the most straightforward plot, or a stand-alone that loosely uses the lore.

Do not expect them to make more than two seasons without it having extreme acclaim, and anticipate it only being one season only to save yourselves some heartache.

And that is only if they get the project officially green lit for D+.

Disney is clearly gearing up to generate as much original content as Disney+ exclusives. The dump of Marvel/Star Wars show makes that evident. Due to COVID19, streaming got fast tracked to where it was heading; Disney is adapting to follow suit. They're copying NETFLIX's original plan of having a ton of content we already saw on there, then gradually add originals. The only problem that NETFLIX didn't anticipate (at least my theory) is that every other studio would eventually want to take back everything that they had, leaving them with nothing but scraps and crap. So even though NETFLIX has some critically acclaimed shows, there's nothing much else on there. Their monthly reveals have been trash for so long now.

Disney on the other hand is in the position to keep churning out and keep people on the line. They can even screw over NETFLIX even more by bringing back Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil on Disney+ (they can skip Iron Fist please). So I really doubt that Disney will do what NETFLIX is doing now by bringing out a show and cancelling it. Disney is way smarter than that, they can clearly see the backlash that NETFLIX gets for doing that and Disney wants to dominate (as per usual) the streaming service market. They already have MARVEL exclusive fans signing up for Disney+, Star Wars exclusive fans signing up, and now they can tap into a market that they have long ignored - gamers. KH3 opened Disney's eyes to the cash cow that the KH franchise was (I'm actually not too happy with that), but Disney will milk KH for what it's worth if they do the series. There is no way they will stop free promotion for old and new franchises AND new content for their service after one season. KH is like a dream come true for Disney.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Disney is clearly gearing up to generate as much original content as Disney+ exclusives. The dump of Marvel/Star Wars show makes that evident. Due to COVID19, streaming got fast tracked to where it was heading; Disney is adapting to follow suit. They're copying NETFLIX's original plan of having a ton of content we already saw on there, then gradually add originals. The only problem that NETFLIX didn't anticipate (at least my theory) is that every other studio would eventually want to take back everything that they had, leaving them with nothing but scraps and crap. So even though NETFLIX has some critically acclaimed shows, there's nothing much else on there. Their monthly reveals have been trash for so long now.

Disney on the other hand is in the position to keep churning out and keep people on the line. They can even screw over NETFLIX even more by bringing back Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil on Disney+ (they can skip Iron Fist please). So I really doubt that Disney will do what NETFLIX is doing now by bringing out a show and cancelling it. Disney is way smarter than that, they can clearly see the backlash that NETFLIX gets for doing that and Disney wants to dominate (as per usual) the streaming service market. They already have MARVEL exclusive fans signing up for Disney+, Star Wars exclusive fans signing up, and now they can tap into a market that they have long ignored - gamers. KH3 opened Disney's eyes to the cash cow that the KH franchise was (I'm actually not too happy with that), but Disney will milk KH for what it's worth if they do the series. There is no way they will stop free promotion for old and new franchises AND new content for their service after one season. KH is like a dream come true for Disney.

That isn't what I'm saying.

Most of their existing original content is slated to be standalone series or only have a handful of seasons, and 90% of what they announced during their Investor Day were also standalone or limited series. Only a handful of their tentpole projects will get a bunch of seasons or tie-ins (i.e. The Mandalorian with the Book of Boba Fett, Loki is getting a second season, Percy Jackson if things go well) and unless it is a blowout success, everything else will likely stay the course set right now.

They aren't trying to make long-running series right now. They are trying to build their catalogue as quickly as possible. They will adapt as they go and give big hits more seasons (if it fits their plans), and eventually they will start to automatically release non-SW and Marvel shows with multiple seasons already planned, but you're expecting too much from Disney.

Disney still doesn't even really have a grip on D+ yet despite the good sub numbers. They've been struggling behind the scenes to lock in the right executive team to help them navigate the streaming service market, and much of what they announced during the Investor Day was a big gamble of theirs to make sure they proved they had the content to back the service properly. We'll be waiting a long time for those projects to release (or waiting to see if some of them get canned which is almost assured to happen).

Kingdom Hearts, while being a great opportunity for them, is not going to get a multi-season deal off the bat. It'll have to earn it like everything else that is new and untested in the TV market, and since it is being developed internally at SE according to insiders, it'll have any even harder time proving itself.

Again, Disney can't even give their best and most popular animated shows more than three seasons and there is a graveyard of series over the years with only one season behind them. Disney isn't about to give an outside company a better deal than their own internal projects.

To expect Kingdom Hearts to succeed where these other shows failed is foolish and putting ourselves up for disappointment. KH can be adapted in so many ways without being an adaption of the games directly. Also limiting SE to one season might be better creatively anyways. It would mean it would have to introduce and answer the majority of their questions in the show instead of trying to create sequel-bait.

In regards to the Netflix Marvel stuff, we do sort of already know that Feige might bring them into the MCU (spoiler rumor for SM3: apparently Daredevil will be in Spider-Man 3). I doubt he's going to revive their shows as we knew them, though lol. Feige appreciated what those shows did but he's more interested in the characters and how to implement them into his plans, not the shows themselves. I could see a revival of them waaaaaay down the line after Phase 4, which we won't be out of until 2024 at the earliest. And this would also be long after he's introduced these characters in some way in Phase 4 shows and films.

 

[Face My Fears]

That isn't what I'm saying.

Most of their existing original content is slated to be standalone series or only have a handful of seasons, and 90% of what they announced during their Investor Day were also standalone or limited series. Only a handful of their tentpole projects will get a bunch of seasons or tie-ins (i.e. The Mandalorian with the Book of Boba Fett, Loki is getting a second season, Percy Jackson if things go well) and unless it is a blowout success, everything else will likely stay the course set right now.

They aren't trying to make long-running series right now. They are trying to build their catalogue as quickly as possible. They will adapt as they go and give big hits more seasons (if it fits their plans), and eventually they will start to automatically release non-SW and Marvel shows with multiple seasons already planned, but you're expecting too much from Disney.

Disney still doesn't even really have a grip on D+ yet despite the good sub numbers. They've been struggling behind the scenes to lock in the right executive team to help them navigate the streaming service market, and much of what they announced during the Investor Day was a big gamble of theirs to make sure they proved they had the content to back the service properly. We'll be waiting a long time for those projects to release (or waiting to see if some of them get canned which is almost assured to happen).

Kingdom Hearts, while being a great opportunity for them, is not going to get a multi-season deal off the bat. It'll have to earn it like everything else that is new and untested in the TV market, and since it is being developed internally at SE according to insiders, it'll have any even harder time proving itself.

Again, Disney can't even give their best and most popular animated shows more than three seasons and there is a graveyard of series over the years with only one season behind them. Disney isn't about to give an outside company a better deal than their own internal projects.

To expect Kingdom Hearts to succeed where these other shows failed is foolish and putting ourselves up for disappointment. KH can be adapted in so many ways without being an adaption of the games directly. Also limiting SE to one season might be better creatively anyways. It would mean it would have to introduce and answer the majority of their questions in the show instead of trying to create sequel-bait.

In regards to the Netflix Marvel stuff, we do sort of already know that Feige might bring them into the MCU (spoiler rumor for SM3: apparently Daredevil will be in Spider-Man 3). I doubt he's going to revive their shows as we knew them, though lol. Feige appreciated what those shows did but he's more interested in the characters and how to implement them into his plans, not the shows themselves. I could see a revival of them waaaaaay down the line after Phase 4, which we won't be out of until 2024 at the earliest. And this would also be long after he's introduced these characters in some way in Phase 4 shows and films.

I'm pretty sure that all the stuff that they announced, they do believe are for one season. But when they see the reaction to them, they will be open to more seasons. It's not like they're locked into one season only for them, except for things like Boba Fett and WandaVision that are seemingly being designed that way.

Kingdom Hearts will succeed because of what it is. I don't think it will get a multi-season deal right off the bat, but when the first season does amazingly well, then Disney will milk it. Actually, I feel like Kingdom Hearts: The Series can be the breakout star of Disney+. It will bring in so many different fans and introduce others to the game series. It will be just like when KH3's trailer broke the internet and then Disney started to care about the franchise.

I don't know which shows are being cancelled after 3 seasons, but I feel like those shows are on The Disney Channel rather than exclusively on Disney+. If that is the case, then I remember vaguely that The Disney Channel had a rule about 3 seasons maximum per show (something to do with contracts having to be revised and actors having to be paid more after 3 seasons). When Kingdom Hearts: The Series is a major hit, I'm sure Disney will have no problem paying Haley, David, and Hayden extra for more than 3 seasons.

 

[Chaser]

While I'm not as doom-and-gloom as Master Spockanort is about the potential longevity of a Kingdom Hearts series, the streaming wars have proven to be a bit of a hellish endeavour. We've seen that Netflix prioritises quantity which is why they are constantly cancelling shows, because to them the appeal is to have a variety of content for people to watch and it's expensive having all of those plates spinning at one time.

Disney+ hasn't found its proper footing and we don't know the shelflife of their TV shows. The Mandalorian is heading towards its third season with a spin-off, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is filming their second season (I'm assuming Diary of a Future President was also renewed?) but we don't know how well things will go for future shows. Yes, Loki gained a second season renewal months before the first season launched but that's no doubt due to the history and legacy of Tom Hiddleston and the character itself. If that was a fresh show then they probably wouldn't have been that forthcoming with a renewal.

We don't know how well Monsters At Work, The Proud Family, Tiana, Moana, Zootopia+, Baymax, or any other Disney/Pixar specific shows, will do. They've cancelled Big Hero 6: The Series without there being a proper ending after three seasons and Ducktales and Tangled: The Series both ended their main storyline after three seasons, and I believe the Spider-Man show with Robbie Daymond also finished up after its third season, but you are right, Face My Fears, as those series were on Disney Channel and its sister channels. As a side-note, I think the rule you were thinking of was the 65 episode rule which plagued Disney shows in the early 2000's.

I'm not going to let my biases blind me and proclaim that a Kingdom Hearts series would be the breakout hit for Disney+. There's so many chances for this show to fail, from critiquing the visual style (people called KH3 characters clay and plastic, even after release) to the story falling apart. The story, actually, is the biggest factor into the show failing as so many people have poisonous hate towards the story within the games, so much so they take to any opportunity to bash the game (e.g. I was linked a thread on ResetERA asking whether FFXIV's Endwalker ending would be better than KH3's ending and the entire thread is people dunking on the writing of KH). That's why I suggested earlier that they should market the princesses and Disney aspect over the original story / characters, as being on a Disney service I feel that would be something that would grab a person's attention over anything else but we'll see.

And as for that video, I'm not watching it due to my stance against watching any KH YouTuber, but "what happened to the Disney+ show" is clearly obvious. It was leaked from insiders very early on in the game when there was only a rough pilot made (probably not even the proper length of an episode and no doubt having temporary VFX, SFX, and voice work). It was never officially announced, we were never supposed to know about it, and it could easily be cancelled without us knowing. We just have to trust in the process and wait and see if it'll actually happen.