Kingdom Hearts. Our favorite simple, clean, ordinary franchise. While it has long blossomed into a sprawling series of light, darkness, friendship, and keyblades, back in the early ’00s it was a quaint single game with a (comparatively) straightforward plot. And, as you might expect from a Disney property around that time period, the company was looking for ways to adapt it — including, it turns out, a pitch for an animated series.
Who knows an easy way to import VHS to digital?#KingdomHearts pic.twitter.com/shYvBg12WG
— Seth Kearsley (@SethKearsley) September 28, 2022
Enter Seth Kearsley. A veteran animator (he directed Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, several Looney Tunes Show eps, and much, much more), he was going to head a Kingdom Hearts animated series adaptation back in 2003. He’s been going through old files and finding a treasure trove of content: old scripts, boards, and other production notes.
Just came across this.#KingdomHearts pic.twitter.com/AUEdKqICGf
— Seth Kearsley (@SethKearsley) September 27, 2022
Cast list#kingdomhearts pic.twitter.com/cH65erpDJG
— Seth Kearsley (@SethKearsley) September 28, 2022
Evil. I know. But someone asked if I got to work with some of the actors and I realized maybe not everyone knows this exists. #kingdomhearts pic.twitter.com/9HhdNd3djf
— Seth Kearsley (@SethKearsley) September 7, 2018
Kearsley has expressed fondness and thanks to KH fans for taking notice and buying some of the storyboard art (which helped him out of a financial jam). It’s a heartwarming footnote to some really fascinating stuff, and we’re excited to see the animated pilot pop up sometime soon. We’ll be sure to let you know when it happens!
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
