10 Worlds We’d Love to See in Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts III is coming and that means we will once again join Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they venture into the most beloved of intellectual property: the Disney universe. But since the last Kingdom Hearts came out in 2005, Disney has gone from a cultural giant to unstoppable behemoth. They own just about everything any of us have ever loved. That’s a little scary, but we should at least get the full benefit of this cultural ubiquity. We deserve to see our favorite anime heroes venture into wilder worlds than we have ever imagined. Here are ten worlds we would love to spot in Kingdom Hearts.
10. Wreck-It Ralph
Kingdom Hearts is a series of video games that bring together characters from our favorite games and Disney movies. Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney movie that brings together characters from our favorite games. It’s a no-brainer. We already know Ralph is in the game, but there are so many fun, original worlds that Sora, Donald, and Goofy could explore… and race through! Whether the candy-coated Sugar Rush of the first film or the deadly Slaughter Race from the second, Wreck-It Ralph opens up a plethora of gameplay possibilities. Plus, how fun would it be to have a crossover between Sora, Venelope, and the cast of Tron?
9. Mary Poppins
One of the ground-breaking things about the original Mary Poppins was how it brought together live action and cel-shaded animation. Kingdom Hearts isn’t exactly “live action,” but we’ve seen a facsimile of the style in the Pirates of the Caribbean worlds. Though the England of Mary Poppins is a peaceful place, there’s plenty of room for action (Admiral Boom’s cannon! Penguin racing!) and also plenty of ways the Heartless could get up to mischief.
8. The Sword in the Stone
Sort of a cult favorite Disney flick, the adventures of a young King Arthur seem a perfect place for Sora and company. The movie is best remembered for its various transformations. Merlin turns young Arthur (aka Wart) into a squirrel, a bird, and a fish. All would make for cool levels. This would all obviously have to culminate in an epic boss fight with Mad Madam Mim in which Sora would have to utilize all of his new shape-shifting skills.
7. Muppets
Who doesn’t want to start the music and light the lights in Kingdom Hearts tonight? Disney has fully held the rights to the Muppets since 2004, and they are among the best-loved characters in the entire Disney multiverse. There are a lot of complicated ideas that could be rad, like a redux of Muppet Treasure Island or A Muppet Christmas Carol. There could be a whole set of shenanigans involving Dr. Honeydew and Beaker. But I think the best idea is the simplest one. Kermit and company need to put on a show, but the theater is filled with Heartless! Inevitably, the trio would leave with Animal as a new summon.
6. Ivalice
Despite a good number of Final Fantasy characters, Kingdom Hearts has never journeyed to a Final Fantasy world. There are many good choices, but no one world has shown up in more games than that of Ivalice, as seen in Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII. Frankly, a crossover between those two is a great idea in and of itself, and the opportunity to ride a Chocobo and pilot an airship is just too enticing. There are probably as many people out there stoked to see Balthier or Ramza as there are clambering for a world based on Tangled.
5. Robin Hood
One of the fun aspects of world-hopping in Kingdom Hearts is seeing what strange costumes Sora, Donald, and Goofy have to put on to blend in. That can be as simple as a Halloween costume or as nutty as a full-on animal transformation in The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. But what about the most formative anthropomorphic animals of all, the foxes and bears from Disney’s Robin Hood cartoon? The story is perfect for Kingdom Hearts, and giving the vile Prince John a legion of Heartless sounds like a great opportunity for Sora to learn some brightly animated anime-style archery!