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How Square Enix Convinced Disney to Make Kingdom Hearts


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GhostD



Joined: 07 May 2016
Posts: 998
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 1:13 pm Reply with quote
Having seen some videos that leaked content of the game on youtube in addition to trailers and the rumor mills I hear theres going to be little to no Final Fantasy characters in KH3. Really hoping we get to see some characters and maybe see some kind of their interactions with one another.
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Gyt Kaliba



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 712
Location: Arkansas
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 1:33 pm Reply with quote
This was a really good read, and a nice dive through the history of the franchise through a production point of view. I'm currently in the process of re-watching all of the cut scenes for the previous games (I already played them recently-ish and don't have enough time to do so again before III, so yeah) in preparation for III - I'm currently on the re:Coded stuff - so this came along at a perfect time for me.

Quote:
One of the other things Tetsuya Nomura wanted was permission to create a world based on a live action film. He'd already decided on using Tron after seeing a Disney Interactive Studios staffer working on a Tron game (likely Tron 2.0) on his PC, but Nomura wanted to show a more detailed live action world using Square Enix's latest realistic capture technology. He compiled a list of films he'd be interested in adapting, and although his first choice was rejected, Disney was happy to see a Kingdom Hearts version of Pirates of the Caribbean.


This is the first I've ever heard of this. Do we have any idea what the other live action property that he wanted to include but got rejected was?

GhostD wrote:
Having seen some videos that leaked content of the game on youtube in addition to trailers and the rumor mills I hear theres going to be little to no Final Fantasy characters in KH3. Really hoping we get to see some characters and maybe see some kind of their interactions with one another.


I've been avoiding leaked content as much as I can, but yeah, I'm disappointed to hear that we seem to be getting next to no FF involvement this time. I believe Nomura's been quoted as saying that there's less point because 1) they have all of their own original characters to work with now, and 2) FF crossovers are less impressive now than they were when KH started (due to things like Dissidia and World of FF). Both of these reasons make sense, but...it's still disappointing. At the very least, we deserve better closure for the ones that have already appeared in the other mainline titles, namely Cloud, Sora, Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid.
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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 857
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:21 pm Reply with quote
I'm really hoping to see Disney and Square Enix try to do a Kingdom Hearts anime at some point in time. I don't know what studio they'd want to tackle it though.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:37 pm Reply with quote
Gyt Kaliba wrote:
At the very least, we deserve better closure for the ones that have already appeared in the other mainline titles, namely Cloud, Sora, Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid.


Agreed. Radiant Garden got mixed up in everything since Birth by Sleep, and while KHII showed us everything is more or less stable with the place now, we have no idea if anything else could happen to the FF cast. And let's not forget Cloud versus Sephiroth ended on an incomplete note.
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Break Xerxes



Joined: 16 Dec 2014
Posts: 222
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 2:38 pm Reply with quote
CastMember1991 wrote:
I'm really hoping to see Disney and Square Enix try to do a Kingdom Hearts anime at some point in time. I don't know what studio they'd want to tackle it though.

I've wanted a Kingdom Hearts anime since I was a kid and would love it if they made one.
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myskaros



Joined: 13 Jun 2011
Posts: 598
Location: J-Novel Club
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 3:13 pm Reply with quote
This was a really neat article! Thanks for compiling all the information!
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Takizawa-Shinzou



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 102
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 6:51 pm Reply with quote
Very interesting read. However, like Chikai and Don't Think Twice, all the Kingdom Heart songs are technically different songs. Referring to this : "(which she wrote and performed in both English and Japanese)." A piece is music with no lyrics. A song is a piece of music with lyrics. The lyrics are different even when translated so they are different songs
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Shinigami-Seishou



Joined: 09 Jun 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Traveling
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:13 pm Reply with quote
Wow, I learn new stuff everyday! Thanks so much for an awesome read! This was great insight into how the game was thrown around to finally jumble up what KH3 will be. Tetsuya, idk how you got your way, he must be a persuasive guy! I'm glad regardless, no matter how chaotic the story is, we just accept it because Nomura.
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Gemnist



Joined: 10 Feb 2016
Posts: 1754
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:43 pm Reply with quote
I won’t spoil anything for obvious reasons, but having seen the leaked incomplete ending (due to the epilogue not being released until a day after the game comes out), I’m pretty much going insane wanting to know what’s next (spoiler[or what the heck even happened for that matter]).

As for the article itself, I’m only recently into the series. I’ve actually never played the games (aside from a brief, confused stint playing the prologue of KHII), and have only watched Let’s Play videos (except the X content) within the past year or so, but I’m already so attached to these characters it feels like it’s been since the day I saw that 358/2 Days commercial with Sanctuary playing in the background; I even have a poster of the 2.5 Mix signed by Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse). It’s crazy how a plot riddled with retcons and convolutedness can somehow draw out all the right emotions from its audience.

After this game, personally, I think Nomura should actually step down from heading the series. While his contributions to Kingdom Hearts, and Square Enix as a whole, have been invaluable, I often feel the reason why Square’s (not Enix’s) games often get delayed is because they often place all of their games on his head - and the reason why they keep re-releasing and doing collections is because they keep delaying the new games, and somehow need to make a profit. Between heading this and the Final Fantasy series, Nomura’s plate is massive, so even though we all love him, it would be nice to have some fresh blood take over one of those (or even both). I feel this one is more appropriate though, since KHIII is the conclusion of a saga.
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Nonaka Machine Gun B



Joined: 03 Feb 2009
Posts: 819
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:59 pm Reply with quote
Please tell me the rejected live-action world was Mary Poppins. Please.

re: the talk about anime; I always thought BONES would be a shoe-in due to the Square connection. Also, the Sephiroth side-mission in KHII screams "shonen anime movie with dubious connections to the ongoing series plot."
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Hagaren Viper



Joined: 28 Apr 2011
Posts: 761
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 8:48 pm Reply with quote
CastMember1991 wrote:
I'm really hoping to see Disney and Square Enix try to do a Kingdom Hearts anime at some point in time. I don't know what studio they'd want to tackle it though.


Back around when the first KH was new a Kingdom hearts cartoon was actually pitched and at least got as far as having a pilot episode storyboarded. Not only was it supposed to have both anime and Disney styled characters, but they were planning to use original background art from the source movies to make the worlds feel as true as possible. Sadly it was shelved so the show didn't overtake the game's story, Seth Kearsley, who made the original storyboards, tried to pitch the idea again fairly recently and got turned down. Seems like he's actually selling some of the storyboards now though!

I'm sure there's a few details I missed but it should be an easy Google, it's a fun little part of KH trivia.
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CastMember1991



Joined: 06 Feb 2012
Posts: 857
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:44 pm Reply with quote
Hagaren Viper wrote:
CastMember1991 wrote:
I'm really hoping to see Disney and Square Enix try to do a Kingdom Hearts anime at some point in time. I don't know what studio they'd want to tackle it though.


Back around when the first KH was new a Kingdom hearts cartoon was actually pitched and at least got as far as having a pilot episode storyboarded. Not only was it supposed to have both anime and Disney styled characters, but they were planning to use original background art from the source movies to make the worlds feel as true as possible. Sadly it was shelved so the show didn't overtake the game's story, Seth Kearsley, who made the original storyboards, tried to pitch the idea again fairly recently and got turned down. Seems like he's actually selling some of the storyboards now though!

I'm sure there's a few details I missed but it should be an easy Google, it's a fun little part of KH trivia.


Interesting... Well, it would be better off in Japanese hands anyway, at least in my opinion. Yes, I know the Stitch! anime wasn't that good, but a Kingdom Hearts anime would probably prove Japan knows a lot about Disney much like the games do.
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TheCanipaEffect



Joined: 27 Apr 2017
Posts: 52
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:34 pm Reply with quote
Nonaka Machine Gun B wrote:
Please tell me the rejected live-action world was Mary Poppins. Please.


I couldn't find anyone who actually spoke about what the rejected live action world, but my guesses were Mary Poppins, Muppet Treasure Island, Honey! I Shrunk the Kids or Flubber.
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crosswithyou



Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Posts: 2892
Location: California
PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 11:18 pm Reply with quote
I don't play games so I don't know much about KH but this was a fascinating read!
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leafy sea dragon



Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 7163
Location: Another Kingdom
PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 12:49 am Reply with quote
You know, I always had the nagging thought that it was Disney that wanted Square to make Kingdom Hearts. I always had a hard time believing Disney would approve of something so insane unless it was all Disney's idea. I still have a hard time believing it.

I'm curious as to some of the Japanese expressions the Pixar people caught. It's because the games themselves have some rather Japanese tropes in them that might look weird to western observers (Sora's "I'll protect you!" declaration to Kairi, various characters having frequently-used catchphrases like Axel's "Got it memorized?," shyness about confessing love).

Gemnist wrote:
As for the article itself, I’m only recently into the series. I’ve actually never played the games (aside from a brief, confused stint playing the prologue of KHII), and have only watched Let’s Play videos (except the X content) within the past year or so, but I’m already so attached to these characters it feels like it’s been since the day I saw that 358/2 Days commercial with Sanctuary playing in the background; I even have a poster of the 2.5 Mix signed by Bret Iwan (Mickey Mouse). It’s crazy how a plot riddled with retcons and convolutedness can somehow draw out all the right emotions from its audience.


Going through Extra Play (the spinoff of Extra Credits), the cited reason there, they argue, is that while the overarching story is a rather convoluted mess, Nomura and the other writers are very good at individual character interactions and can make them feel genuine. In other words, the reason seems to be that while they're bad at the big stuff, they truly shine at the small stuff. (Unsurprisingly, the host, Dan Floyd, cites 358/2 Days as his favorite in the series, story-wise.)

Gemnist wrote:
After this game, personally, I think Nomura should actually step down from heading the series. While his contributions to Kingdom Hearts, and Square Enix as a whole, have been invaluable, I often feel the reason why Square’s (not Enix’s) games often get delayed is because they often place all of their games on his head - and the reason why they keep re-releasing and doing collections is because they keep delaying the new games, and somehow need to make a profit. Between heading this and the Final Fantasy series, Nomura’s plate is massive, so even though we all love him, it would be nice to have some fresh blood take over one of those (or even both). I feel this one is more appropriate though, since KHIII is the conclusion of a saga.


There is something very, very Nomura about all of Kingdom Hearts, but the problem is that Nomura is the only big name left at Square, so as a result, they pile everything on him. He seems to be holding up reasonably well, but if you ask me, Kingdom Hearts wouldn't be the same without him. I think it'd be better off if he could step down from some other projects and get to focus on Kingdom Hearts (with the other franchises given to new talent to see what they can do, which is how Nintendo finds talent from within), though ideally, the choice ought to be his.

TheCanipaEffect wrote:
Nonaka Machine Gun B wrote:
Please tell me the rejected live-action world was Mary Poppins. Please.


I couldn't find anyone who actually spoke about what the rejected live action world, but my guesses were Mary Poppins, Muppet Treasure Island, Honey! I Shrunk the Kids or Flubber.


The Wonderful World of Disney! Though really, it would have been neat to see the franchise's take on the theme parks. But I guess that's territory already covered by the Epic Mickey games.

Speaking of which, anybody know if there are a bunch of Soras running around the Disney Theme Parks lately? I forgot to visit Disneyland recently to find out. I might actually do so this coming weekend, as I live nearby. I remember when they really DID have Sora featured as a character roaming the parks when the first game came out. For that occasion, Goofy and Donald would be dressed up with their Nomura-designed clothes too.
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