Kingdom Hearts is expanding beyond games. The Walt Disney Company says Kingdom Hearts (working title) has been greenlit as an original anime series for Disney Channel and Disney+, with Tetsuya Nomura and SQUARE ENIX involved in a new story set within the franchise’s universe.
The announcement arrived at D23 alongside a new Kingdom Hearts IV showcase trailer from Pixar. The video confirms a late 2027 launch window and introduces a Disney and Pixar’s Coco world, putting Sora in the Land of the Dead for the first time.
Sora enters the Land of the Dead
The trailer opens with Hector and Miguel before Sora appears in the Coco setting. That gives Kingdom Hearts IV a distinctly different visual direction from the game’s earlier Disney worlds. The footage shows Sora wielding a new Keyblade, fighting a Heartless and joining Hector in battle, while the series’ familiar mix of real-world emotion and supernatural adventure remains intact.
Pixar’s official video says Kingdom Hearts IV will be available to wishlist on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and the Epic Games Store. The trailer itself only gives the broad late 2027 window, so Square Enix has not announced a specific launch date or a more detailed release schedule.
The new setting also connects to the unresolved story around Sora’s disappearance. Kingdom Hearts III ended with Sora fading away after using forbidden magic to restore his friends, leaving the series with room to place him in another realm. The trailer’s glimpse of the Coco underworld offers a visual explanation for why he can be separated from Donald and Goofy while the wider search continues.
Donald and Goofy appear in the underworld from Hercules, where they ask Hades about Sora. The trailer then returns to Quadratum, the Shibuya-like world shown in Kingdom Hearts III’s secret ending. Sora calls out to Strelitzia and Sigurd there, extending the series’ links to characters from Kingdom Hearts Union χ.
A new Kingdom Hearts story for television
Disney’s separate announcement describes the TV project as an original anime series inspired by the games rather than a direct adaptation of one existing entry. The company says it will use a brand-new story to expand the Kingdom Hearts universe while keeping the characters and adventure that made the games widely known. It has not announced a release date, episode count, voice cast or production schedule.
Ayo Davis, Disney’s president of Kids & Family, said the creative team is working closely with Nomura and that the series will remain recognisably Kingdom Hearts while offering a new way to experience its world. Disney also places it among the original animated series planned for Disney+, alongside shows including Dragon Striker, Phineas and Ferb and Big City Greens.
For players following the wider console landscape, the trailer’s inclusion of Switch 2 adds another notable platform to a series that has historically spread across PlayStation, Xbox and PC. It also makes Kingdom Hearts IV one of the bigger upcoming releases to watch alongside the newer hybrid hardware, a space we have followed in our Nintendo Switch 2 versus Steam Deck guide.
Kingdom Hearts IV is now targeting late 2027, while the Disney Channel and Disney+ anime has no announced date. More details are expected as Disney, SQUARE ENIX and Nomura reveal how the two projects will develop.
