Twenty-five years into Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix hasn’t quite perfected the formula for representing Disney worlds. Some levels simply drop Sora, Donald, and Goofy into familiar stories from movies like Mulan, Tarzan, or Aladdin. Agrabah returned in Kingdom Hearts 2 for a loose adaptation of The Return of Jafar, while Kingdom Hearts 3 used the setting of San Fransokyo to create a bonafide sequel to Big Hero 6.
Dreaming of New Worlds
While traditions like a heartfelt romp through 100 Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh and friends feel mandatory, beyond those, there’s no telling where Sora might fly his Gummi Ship in Kingdom Hearts 4 — if he has a Gummi Ship at all. We already know that Kingdom Hearts 4 will send Sora into the Land of the Dead from Coco, while Mickey Mouse will explore a papercraft storybook world. A recent trailer revealed at D23 also confirms that Donald and Goofy visit Hades in the underworld looking for Sora, so it feels safe to assume that the world of Hercules, and presumably the Olympus Coliseum battle arena, is back. Those reveals still leave plenty of room for surprises. From one recent Disney blockbuster that feels practically designed for Kingdom Hearts to a long-rumored trip to a galaxy far, far away, here are six worlds we hope to see — and five destinations we sincerely hope remain lost in Darkness forever.
1. Moana
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If there’s one Disney movie that felt like a glaring omission in Kingdom Hearts 4, it’s Moana. The movie hit theaters in November 2016, and the game was released a little more than two years later in January 2019. Moana was probably omitted because it arrived so late in KH3’s development cycle — and there’s the fact that the game already featured a seafaring section by loosely adapting the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, At World’s End. Bringing Moana to KH4 could function similarly, with wayfaring mechanics aboard a different kind of boat as you explore a variety of destinations. Big monsters like Tamatoa and Te Kā already feel like Heartless bosses, so a mostly straightforward retelling of the first Moana movie feels like the way to go, especially since Moana’s cultural footprint has grown significantly between the sequel and live-action adaptation. There’s only room for one ocean voyage in this game, however, so please let’s leave Jack Sparrow out of this one.
2. Encanto
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Encanto might seem like an odd fit at first glance. There isn’t a traditional villain, the conflict remains almost entirely within one family, and most of the movie takes place in and around a single house. But Casita contains everything Square Enix needs to turn that apparent limitation into one of the series’ most imaginative worlds. Every member of the Madrigal family has their own bedroom that functions like a liminal space that reflects their powers. Encanto only took us inside the rooms of Antonio and Isabela (we don’t talk about Bruno). What about the storms in Pepa’s room? The shapeshifting walls of Camilo’s? The endless physical challenges in Luisa’s?
The story of Encanto is also one that focuses on doubt, fear, jealousy, insecurity — all emotions that the Heartless feed upon. If ever there was a modern Disney story that resonates really well with the themes of Kingdom Hearts, Encanto is the one.
3. Frozen 2
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Arendelle was one of Kingdom Hearts 3’s most divisive worlds. Sora climbed a mountain, fell off it, climbed it again, and spent most of the movie’s story watching Elsa from a distance. Even “Let It Go” unfolded as an elaborate cutscene that left Sora with little to contribute. A follow-up can redeem Arendelle.
Frozen 2 offers a much more traditional adventure in which Elsa travels rather than running away. There’s an enchanted forest, corrupted elemental spirits, and buried memories, all while a voice calls her to Ahtohallan. Send Sora and co. on that journey with her! All KH4 really needs to do is say it’s the Darkness making the violent water horse, howling wind spirit, and angry fire lizard act out of character.
4. Zootopia
This may be selfish and unlikely, since we know that KH4 already features the realistic-looking city of Quadratum. But San Fransokyo presented one of KH3’s most interesting worlds. At times it felt like a lighter riff on Marvel’s Spider-Man, in the same way that the Caribbean felt like a smaller, less robust version of games like Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. Does KH4 have room for more than one cityscape? If it does, then Zootopia seems like a great choice. After all, Zootopia 2 is Disney’s highest-grossing animated feature ever.
The big draw here: when Sora and friends enter increasingly unrealistic worlds, their bodies morph to fit in. When entering the Pride Lands of The Lion King, he became a lion. What happens when he enters Zootopia? A bipedal golden retriever to match his personality? More importantly, what happens to Donald and Goofy? Do they both stay the same, do they change ever so slightly in uncanny ways? This one is also one of those rare instances where I want to see a unique adventure rather than have it follow the story of either movie. It could be as simple as working with Nick and Judy to track down outbreaks of Heartless throughout the city.
5. Toy Story
Kingdom Hearts 3’s Toy Box was one of its best worlds because it understood that simply replaying Toy Story would be less interesting than letting Sora genuinely befriend Woody and Buzz. Its story takes place after Toy Story 2 and separates a small group of the toys from Andy, leaving Sora to help them navigate a copy of their world created by Young Xehanort. The result felt like an authentic missing adventure rather than a tour through familiar scenes — especially when Woody gives Young Zehanort an epic verbal beatdown.
A follow-up in KH4 should also feature a similarly original tale, but with five Toy Story movies now, there’s plenty of settings that might be explored. Woody and Sora already have one of the series’ most convincing Disney friendships, and Toy Box ended without fully restoring the world or reuniting every missing toy.
6. Star Wars
The original KH4 announcement trailer includes a clip less than 10 seconds long that shows a lush forest unlike anything the series has featured before. Midway through, there’s a metallic dome-like object that many sharp-eyed fans have identified as the foot of an AT-ST from Star Wars. That makes for convincing evidence that KH4 might take Sora to the Moon of Endor as depicted in the events of 1983’s Star Wars: Episode 6 – Return of the Jedi. Bringing Kingdom Hearts to the galaxy far, far away has been the dream ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm back in 2012, if only so we can give Sora a Keyblade-lightsaber hybrid weapon. And if the game series successfully explores worlds like that of Star Wars, then Marvel begins to look like a much stronger possibility.
Worlds That Should Remain in Darkness
While we’re excited about the possibilities, some worlds are best left untouched:
1. The Little Mermaid
Atlantica has already given us an awkward underwater action level and a rhythm game in which Sora the merboy, Donald the octopus, and Goofy the sea turtle sing about marine life. No Disney world needs a third chance after covering that much ground, especially one that isn’t particularly fun to play. The first Kingdom Hearts restricted Sora’s movement while asking players to fight in three dimensions, so combat became much more cumbersome. That’s probably why KK2 replaced those battles with musical mini-games and delivered one of the strangest levels in the franchise.
If you simply must give us a marine world, then do Finding Nemo. Or just double down on Moana with an extensive sequence in Lalotai, the land of beasts where Tamatoa resides. Leave Atlantica under the sea.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
The Caribbean deserves a respectful retirement. Its first appearance in KH2 dipped way too far into the uncanny valley with photorealistic actors, undead pirates, and cartoon heroes. KH3 returned with a remarkably ambitious adaptation of At World’s End and delivered a legitimately satisfying pirate adventure.
Sora captained a ship, sank enemy vessels, explored islands, dove beneath the ocean, and fought a towering sea monster. There isn’s much left for another visit to prove, particularly when the remaining Jack Sparrow sequels are hardly crying out for adaptation. Let Moana inherit and improve those sailing mechanics. Also, we have no interest in seeing Johnny Depp talking to Disney characters again.
3. Aladdin
No Disney world has dragged us back to the same exact world more than this one. Agrabah adapted Aladdin in the original game, returned for a loose version of The Return of Jafar in KH2, and appeared throughout the handheld games. Sora has fought Jafar repeatedly, escaped the Cave of Wonders, flown on the Magic Carpet, and heard Genie explain friendship enough times to understand the concept.
That technically leaves Aladdin and the King of Thieves, but the prospect of meeting Aladdin’s father doesn’t justify squeezing through Agrabah’s familiar streets again. Genie will always be welcome in Kingdom Hearts as a summon or something like that. But there is no need to retread old ground. Give us something new instead.
4. Tron
Disney may have revived Tron, but Kingdom Hearts doesn’t need to follow it back onto the Grid. The series has already adapted both of the franchise’s previous movies: KH2 reconstructed the original Tron as Space Paranoids, and Dream Drop Distance sent Sora and Riku into the world of Tron: Legacy. The digital premise should suit Kingdom Hearts, a series filled with artificial worlds, replicated people, and hearts emerging where no one expected them. In practice, its sterile environments and severe characters have always felt cold beside the warmer Disney worlds surrounding them. And, in this medium, the Grid is frankly not that fun to look at. Two trips through the computer were enough. Unplug it. And if we need a new digital space, then have Wreck-It Ralph fill that void.
Source: Polygon
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