Disney has announced an original animated series based on Kingdom Hearts, set to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney+. The news, revealed at D23 in Anaheim, arrives alongside a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV and a late 2027 release window, marking the franchise's first major expansion into television after 25 years.

At its D23 expo in California, Disney confirmed that a Kingdom Hearts animated series is in development for Disney Channel and Disney+. The show, described as an original anime series, will adapt the beloved crossover franchise that blends Disney and Pixar worlds with original characters from developer Square Enix. No release date, cast, or plot details have been shared yet, but the announcement positions the series as a key part of Disney's push to leverage its gaming properties across media.

The series news came alongside a fresh trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV, which IGN reported carries a late 2027 release window. The trailer, shown during the D23 panel, offered glimpses of new worlds and gameplay, though concrete details remain scarce. Disney also declared that Kingdom Hearts has become a billion-dollar franchise at retail, joining a list of nine Disney gaming properties to cross that threshold, as noted by GameSpot. The company framed the series and the sequel as pillars of its 'next chapter' in interactive entertainment, per Destructoid.

Kingdom Hearts IV has been in development since at least 2022, when it was first teased with a brief trailer. The new footage and release window suggest the project is progressing, though the 2027 target leaves years of waiting for fans. The anime series, meanwhile, represents a rare move into television for a franchise that has previously only appeared in games and a brief manga adaptation. Polygon, in a later report, argued that the show is exactly what the series needs after a quarter-century of increasingly convoluted storytelling, offering a chance to streamline the narrative for a broader audience.

Coverage of the announcements was largely uniform, with most outlets focusing on the dual reveals. The most notable divergence came from Kotaku, whose initial headline—'I Think Kingdom Hearts Is Going To Change The World'—struck a more whimsical tone before later reporting the concrete news, reflecting the franchise's polarising reputation for emotional earnestness.

• Disney announced an original Kingdom Hearts animated series for Disney Channel and Disney+ at D23.
• Kingdom Hearts IV received a new trailer and a late 2027 release window.
• Disney declared Kingdom Hearts a billion-dollar franchise at retail, one of nine such gaming properties.

This synthesis was derived and curated on the fly by TDGN’s newsroom from 26 outlets’ breaking reports, and updates automatically as coverage develops. It may contain errors — the outlets’ original reporting is linked below.