Kingdom Hearts at the Team Parks...

Alright if you are not familiar with any of the Kindgom Hearts Game Series let me fill you in real quick.

Kingdom Hearts is one of the World's most successfull video game series around. The first game was released around 2001, soon after a Game Boy Game came out called 'Chain of Memories' (KH 1 1/2), and then Kingdom Hearts 2 which was a highly anticipated and recordbreaking release inside the gaming industry. And a 3rd game is on the way in the distant future.

What does this have to do with Disney you ask ?? (If you call yourself a true Disney Fan you should know this.). Kingdom Hearts throws the World's best RPG (Role playing Game) series called Final Fantasy together with everything that is Disney in a truly EPIC and mindblowing way.

Here are some links so you can see for yourself what it is all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGwOlQNO8to&feature=related (watch this First:sohappy
http://na.square-enix.com/games/kingdomhearts/ (Official Site)

Now Disney has been doing a lousy job in the past to promote the game inside the parks. All they ever done is a small promotional thing during their 'Mickey's Not So Very Scary Halloween' event where they demo'd the Chain of memories game before it's release with a special 'meet-and-greet' with Sora (the main character) Donald and Goofy in their special KH outfits.

NOW!!!!!:
Since Disney Lost the bid against Universal Studios Orlando with the Harry Potter themed area. The bar has been raised inside the theme park industry that mere new attractions are not sufficient any longer to keep the guests coming back.
Huge new themed areas with multiple attractions is now becoming the level of competition and to keep up with Universal Studios Orlando's Harry Potter Project Disney will be transforming a large are inside one of their parks (Probably the Magic Kingdom itself) into a full blown Kingdom Hearts themed area with at least 2 attractions from the gaming series and other venues that are still being kept tighty under wraps!!!!

Unfortunately no other information is available since this broad information has leaked out from inside their closed door meetings. Thank you whoever blabbed and moreso, thank you to the team that came up with this project idea... it was long overdue!!!!!:sohappy:

We hope to hear more details soon, until then... play the game, then ride the rides.

I could see this in Tokyo but it seems like a very odd fit here in the states.

SleepingMonk said:

I could see this in Tokyo but it seems like a very odd fit here in the states.

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Agreed, also I'd love to see a Final Fantasy VII or X themed area!!!

I think a 3-D show at DHS could work pretty well. I know there's the muppets there also, but Universal has two 3-D shows at their park with Shrek and Terminator. I think it could work.

I would love for this to happen! But honestly I think this "leak" was more of brainstroming session or just an idea. Not many people recognize the characters in the states. I think they would throw Pixar character in a area before KH. I do believe the end of the year or begining of next, 3 KH games are being released. Maybe if the games sell through the roof we can see an attraction probably not a land sadly...

Harry Potter is pretty much an international household name. The franchise has books, movies and games to it's credit. It was a great choice for a themed "land" in Universal. Even if people have never read the books or been to the movies they still know the brand.

On the other hand I'm fairly certain you could poll a thousand US families and less than one percent would know what Kingdom Hearts was. The whole idea of Disney committing huge resources to a Kingdom Hearts project just seems bizarre.

To quote Arrested Development, comparing Harry Potter to Kingdom Hearts "would be like comparing apples to some fruit nobody's ever heard of." :shrug:

I'm not saying they won't add something kind of KH thing to the parks (but don't you think they would've done it by now?) but it isn't anywhere worthy of a "comparison" or "answer" to Uni's HP land. Not saying it isn't a good game, but it gets nowhere near the attention or fan base. Sorry, just not buying that.

i'm not sure to believe this...of course I am one of the biggest KH fans and would love to see it happen, especially with the 3rd game in the works but when I spoke to one of my friends who works in creative at WDI, glendale he said there is no market really for it here in the states, but it has been brought up on some occasions. The statement dumbfounded me because it is one of the best selling games anyway I do know that last year at ImagiNations (WDI's design contest) a team made it to finals with their KH attraction for Epcot. You can see part of their presentation on the ImagiNations home page. I hope this has some merit cuz I would love to feel the power of the keyblade!!!

A KH dark ride would be cool, but I do not think theming a section would be very smart and I doubt Disney would ever do it. Not enough parents and little kids know about the games, it's not enough of a sell point for them to do such a thing.

The games are huge in the gaming industry, but not enough to the outside world.

Until KH becomes available on the Nintendo platforms, there is not enough appeal for this.

I've wanted to play the game for a long time, but we only have Nintendo systems. So I have no idea if it's as great as everyone says it is, even though I would like to.

Big Fan

I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to actually see Kingdom Hearts (I stumbled upon it while looking for a bathroom in one of Square's testing facilities in Japan...long story), so I have a soft spot in my heart for anything related to the franchise.

The legal wrangling and approval process that it took for each game was tremendous and probably took as much time as the dev cycle itself.

With 3 games presently out and 2-3 more (for DS, PSP and PS3 confirmed-and rumors of a 360 version), I'd say that there is definitely a market. KH is a top-selling franchise, appealing to a huge cross-section of the gaming market.

If Disney/Square-Enix were smart, they'd release an OAV (Original Animation Video-essentially an animated movie with high production values) in all regions. If they stay true to the original game's plotlines, I'd think that you'd definitely have a winning attempt to break into the public conscience.

After that-an attraction or 2 would be perfect. Actually having a Heartless hidden in every Fantasyland ride (really well hidden) and having a scavenger hunt-type promotion would also be really cool.

BTW- I'll never forget the first E3 where Kingdom Hearts was shown off-outside the presentation theater there was a Disney booth with all sorts of lifesize props and pieces of game pre-lim artwork.

BTTW- I still have my keyblade that my contact at Square gave me

This so needs to be done, its a fantastic way to cross advertise, promote the game to no fans and create awareness, and promote the parks to non park fans who love the game.

It could even go seasonal, with say Pooh being featured more at easter, Nightmare before Christmas at halloween and Christmas, Lion King over summer etc, giving them a new and exciting highlight character each season.

I could so see this in a little corner of DHS, using a system like Spiderman, taking you on an action packed tour of the KH world.

Or a Gummi Ship themed coaster, kinda mid thrill, nothing over the top, but not a kiddy coaster.

3D Show could also work, maybe with some sort of interactive element, even if it was just a themed street and playground, the style of KH can be adapted to almost anything, its even possible because of the narrative style to have a whole theme park based on KH. With each land being a different KH world, with King Mickey's castle at the centre, twilight town mocking Main street. Tron world, Atlantis, oh I'm going too far now.....

So I am a little late to the KH party, recently picked up 1 and 2 for cheap. I have been sucked into the story and love the games, can't wait for number 3 to surface.

But I might have to agree with some of the others, I don't think there is enough backing and following for them to dedicate part of a park to. Yeah it would be cool, and I would make plans just to go see it, but unlikely it will happen.

BaTWING_2000 said:

Disney will be transforming a large are inside one of their parks (Probably the Magic Kingdom itself) into a full blown Kingdom Hearts themed area with at least 2 attractions from the gaming series and other venues that are still being kept tighty under wraps!!!!

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Sorry but no.

1. Kingdom Hearts is not Disney's answer to Harry Potter.
2. Disney management is not currently in the mode of replacing and retheming attractions in favor of a massive theme takeover.
3. Kingdom Hearts has a limited audience in comparison to that of the parks, and its influence within the parks would be minimal compared to that of a franchise as well known as Toy Story, The Little Mermaid or any of the other classic Disney films.

The only area within the Magic Kingdom (or any other park in Walt Disney World for that matter) to be receiving a more major theme overhaul will be Tomorrowland, and that will have a connection to another newly popular franchisable character/movie.

BaTWING_2000 said:

Huge new themed areas with multiple attractions is now becoming the level of competition and to keep up with Universal Studios Orlando's Harry Potter Project Disney will be transforming a large are inside one of their parks (Probably the Magic Kingdom itself) into a full blown Kingdom Hearts themed area with at least 2 attractions from the gaming series and other venues that are still being kept tighty under wraps!!!!

Unfortunately no other information is available since this broad information has leaked out from inside their closed door meetings. Thank you whoever blabbed and moreso, thank you to the team that came up with this project idea... it was long overdue!!!!!:sohappy:

We hope to hear more details soon, until then... play the game, then ride the rides.

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Sorry.... Not going to happen. But I hear Jim Hill may be looking for a writing partner to spin his words of fiction.. Feel free to visit his site: http://www.jimhillmedia.com :wave::wave:

Meanwhile, yes Kingdom Hearts is successful (OOOOH!!! I must be a REAL disney fan!!!! I Know what it is!!!) but no where NEAR the level of Harry Potter.. Please they'd sooner retheme to wizard of waverly place (no, I'm not starting that rumor) then Kingdom Hearts...

Sorry..

DivineMadness7 said:

To quote Arrested Development, comparing Harry Potter to Kingdom Hearts "would be like comparing apples to some fruit nobody's ever heard of." :shrug:

I'm not saying they won't add something kind of KH thing to the parks (but don't you think they would've done it by now?) but it isn't anywhere worthy of a "comparison" or "answer" to Uni's HP land. Not saying it isn't a good game, but it gets nowhere near the attention or fan base. Sorry, just not buying that.

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God i miss that show but you're correct. While very fun games i don't see it ever being such a huge project.

jedimaster1227 said:

the only area within the magic kingdom (or any other park in walt disney world for that matter) to be receiving a more major theme overhaul will be tomorrowland, and that will have a connection to another newly popular franchisable character/movie.

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wall-e?

I call Shenanigans!!!

While I love love love Kingdom hearts I can't really see a whole land dedicated to it. What I could see is an awesome Dark Ride that has you in the Gummi ship visiting each world.

I'm still hoping to run into the Sora sometime.

I don't know how rides and lands dedicated to Kingdom Hearts could take off. The thing about Kingdom Hearts is that you experience the worlds of previously established Disney franchises. You might as well just build rides based on those movies anyway.