Kingdom Hearts is finally getting its own television series. At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, Disney announced that an original anime series based on the beloved video game franchise has been greenlit for both Disney Channel and Disney+, the company confirmed in its official announcement on August 14, 2026. The series — currently carrying Kingdom Hearts as a working title — is being developed with the franchise's creator Tetsuya Nomura and the creative team at Square Enix.
An original story, not a game adaptation
Rather than retelling the plot of a specific game, the show will tell a brand-new story that expands the Kingdom Hearts universe while bringing back characters fans already know. "Kingdom Hearts has captivated gamers everywhere with its unique blend of adventure and imagination," said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, adding that the series will give audiences "a completely new way" to experience the world of the games.
That framing matters for the franchise. Kingdom Hearts is an unusual property: a role-playing game series born from a collaboration between Disney and Square Enix, mixing Disney and Pixar characters with the anime-style heroes and storytelling of Square Enix titles such as Final Fantasy. The games have sold more than 38 million units worldwide since the first title debuted on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, and the announcement lands as the franchise approaches its 25th anniversary.
What Disney has not revealed yet
The announcement was light on production detail. Disney has not named:
- The animation studio producing the series
- The showrunner or creative leads on the Disney side
- Any voice cast
- An episode count or release window
This is the franchise's first move from games into a full series format, and it slots into a broader Disney strategy of turning game and fan-favorite properties into streaming originals — a push that comes as Disney's streaming business has turned solidly profitable. Gaming franchises crossing into film and streaming have been reliable audience draws lately, with even Rockstar's GTA VI marketing premiering on Netflix rather than on traditional channels.
The dual Disney Channel and Disney+ commissioning is also worth noting: it signals Disney sees the show working both as a kids-and-family broadcast property and as a streaming draw for the adult fans who grew up with the games — two audiences the franchise has always straddled.
What it means for Filipino fans
Disney+ is available in the Philippines, so the series will have a straightforward local home when it eventually premieres — unlike some Disney Channel content, since the linear channel has wound down in many markets. No premiere date exists yet, and given that Disney has not even named an animation studio, a wait of at least a couple of years is realistic. Kingdom Hearts has a devoted following among Filipino players who grew up with the PS2 originals, and an anime series that does not require playing through the games' famously tangled timeline could be the easiest entry point the franchise has ever offered.
The safest takeaway for now: the project is real, Nomura and Square Enix are directly involved, and it is being built as an expansion of the universe rather than a quick licensed spin-off. Everything else — story, look, cast, and date — is still behind the curtain. Given the franchise's anniversary timing, expect Disney to drip-feed details at its next major fan events, with the animation studio reveal likely to be the first concrete production news.
