“We could have had it all…”
Former Disney Interactive concept artist Ken Christiansen has shed light on a fascinating piece of gaming history: a proposed crossover fighting game that would have pitted iconic Disney characters against each other in a Smash Bros.-style brawl. While this ambitious project ultimately never materialized, the unearthed concept art and insights from Christiansen offer a tantalizing glimpse into what could have been.
The Genesis of a Crossover Dream
In 2013, Christiansen shared a collection of artworks to his online portfolio, showcasing rough sketches of various Disney characters poised for battle. This sparked speculation about a potential Disney crossover fighting game – a concept that Christiansen has now confirmed. Speaking with Time Extension in a recent interview, he revealed the surprising inspiration behind this idea: Kingdom Hearts.
“One of the reasons Kingdom Hearts was so difficult to get started was because Disney was so reluctant to have that possibility of crossing over The Lion King into The Little Mermaid world,” Christiansen explained. This reluctance stemmed from concerns about mixing established brands, a hurdle that ultimately prevented the crossover fighting game from moving forward.
However, the creative team behind the project embraced the idea of combining different Disney properties. “Since Kingdom Hearts already kind of broke that mold, producers would say, ‘Hey, what if we say they’re action figures, and we kind of take the same conceit as Toy Story, but have them fight each other instead?'” Christiansen elaborated. The proposed title for this ambitious project was “Disney’s Action Figure Face Off.”
Unfortunately, “Disney’s Action Figure Face Off” remained just that – a concept. Time Extension reports that the project only reached the prototype stage before Disney ultimately shelved it in favor of movie and TV tie-in games.
The unearthed concept art, however, continues to fuel our imagination. The artwork showcased 1v1 battles between eight different characters: Captain Hook vs Beast, the Sheriff of Nottingham vs King Louie, Ursula vs John Silver, and the Queen of Hearts vs the Horned King. These deep-cut character choices highlight the creative potential of the project, leaving us wondering who would have been chosen if such a game were to be developed today.
“Often, when we were pitching a game at Disney, what they wanted from us was these gigantic presentation boards with art all over it,” Christiansen explained. “So you would get these big, six- or eight-foot-long boards that were maybe four feet high, like one-inch-thick foam core, and then over it were all these pieces of artwork printed out with big logos.” These elaborate presentations were crucial for showcasing the game’s vision to executives.
Over his four years at Disney, Christiansen worked on numerous concepts that never saw the light of day, including games based on Treasure Planet, Atlantis, Peter Pan 2, and Kim Possible. While some projects moved forward, many remained just ideas.
Speaking of Disney and games, an extended gameplay trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV was recently unveiled at D23, showcasing the Land of the Dead from Coco and a closer look at the modern city of Quadratum. KHIV is currently slated for release in late 2027, a timeline that Square Enix remains committed to.
The unreleased “Disney’s Action Figure Face Off” serves as a reminder of the creative possibilities within Disney’s vast library of characters and stories. While it may never become a reality, the concept continues to inspire and spark our imaginations.
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
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