Kingdom Hearts Anime Is Officially in Production, Confirms Creator Tetsuya Nomura
Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura has directly addressed the newly announced Kingdom Hearts anime for the first time, confirming the series is officially in production. In a message posted to X and translated from Japanese, Nomura said he has been working closely with the anime's scenario team and, where needed, its art team — creating new character designs specifically for the project (Eurogamer).
The anime was first revealed on stage at the D23 Entertainment Showcase, Disney's biennial fan event, by actor Benjamin Bratt — who is also voicing Ernesto de la Cruz in Kingdom Hearts 4's Coco-inspired world. Alongside the announcement came a single piece of key art and a "coming soon" tag for Disney+. No plot, cast or release window has been announced.
Nomura told fans that the one image released so far serves as a hint and asked them to "let your imagination run wild" while awaiting further updates (IGN). Disney Kids & Family president Ayo Davis confirmed the series is being developed in close collaboration with Nomura's team, though details remain under wraps (Eurogamer).
The series is set to air on Disney Channel and stream on Disney+, according to reporting from ABC News and Crunchyroll (ABC News; Crunchyroll). Square Enix's official North American press release describes the project as "Kingdom Hearts" (working title), an original anime series in development in collaboration with Nomura (Square Enix).
Kingdom Hearts, for those unfamiliar, is a long-running video game franchise that blends Disney characters and worlds with original role-playing game storytelling — the series celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dedicated panel at D23. That same Deep Dive panel revealed an extended Coco trailer confirming that Donald, Goofy and King Mickey will be playable for the first time in a mainline Kingdom Hearts game.
The anime was not the only headline from the showcase. Kingdom Hearts 4, the next main entry in the series, received a late 2027 release window. Nomura and co-director Tai Yasue reassured fans that the date is "a 100% thing" with no delay currently planned (Eurogamer).
For fans of the franchise, Nomura's direct involvement is the key detail. The Kingdom Hearts games are known for their layered, crossover-heavy storytelling, and having the original creator shaping new character designs for an anime adaptation suggests the series will not simply retell existing game plots. What shape it takes — and when it arrives — remains unannounced.
The announcement lands at a moment of broader expansion for Kingdom Hearts, with a major new game, a Coco-themed world, fresh playable characters and now an anime all moving forward in parallel. Square Enix and Disney have not yet confirmed a release date or additional cast for the anime.
