If you had asked me just a few weeks ago whether we would now see Disney double down on Kingdom Hearts as an IP, I would have said no. Then, just before D23 2026 kicked off in Anaheim, California, the company released a statement touting its billion-dollar franchises, including the Square Enix collaborative video game series. Anytime Disney brags about their IP, you can almost always expect it to be an indicator that we’ll see a lot more of it soon. I knew there would likely be more from the franchise at the big Disney media showcase. I just didn’t expect there to be a Kingdom Hearts anime announcement at D23.

According to a press release from Disney, the new anime will be developed in partnership with video game creator Tetsuya Nomura and the creative team at Square Enix. There’s no proposed launch date, nor any indication that any work has actually begun. We just know the working title is Kingdom Hearts, which seems like a safe move. The one part of this announcement that really has me curious is the fact that we’re not necessarily getting a straightforward adaptation of the games.

A Kingdom Hearts Anime Shows Disney Finally Takes this Franchise Seriously

In the press release, Disney says the series “reimagines the iconic adventure with a brand-new story that will expand on the universe of Kingdom Hearts.” Brand-new story is doing some heavy, dangerous lifting here. If you haven’t met a Kingdom Hearts fan in real life, or maybe you yourself just learned this weekend that there is a Japanese role-playing video game series that incorporates Disney characters, let me explain something. Like any fervent fandom, players of the now 20+-year-old series are passionate and protective of this melding of IP.

Now, it feels like a Kingdom Hearts deep-dive is in order, so we’ll save that for a future post. For now, let me just say this: few video game series I consider near and dear to my heart are as convoluted and confusing as this. The Disney piece of the picture isn’t even the strangest part of this franchise. Although hearing Goofy say things like “we need to stop the New World Order” is certainly enough to elicit a double-take.

Curiously Enough, the Kingdom Hearts Anime Isn’t Only Coming to Disney+

One final note: the Kingdom Hearts anime series won’t just come to Disney+ either. In fact, the announcement and its key art were careful to include Disney Channel in its reveal. There does seem to be a play here that Disney has been working on for a while now to reengage traditional TV viewers. From the return of The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC to shows like the Phineas and Ferb remake airing on Disney Channel, we might have assumed the big names in media were cord-cutting altogether a bit too soon.

We’re sure to get many more reveals and updates before the Kingdom Hearts anime arrives. For now, fan excitement and anticipation rest on Kingdom Hearts 4, which was also featured prominently at D23. The next entry in the mainline series will release in late 2027.

It’s also worth noting that all three Kingdom Hearts mainline games will be coming together in a nice, neat package this October for the Nintendo Switch 2 console. PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S players can already play catch-up on this inventive and influential series now.