Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jared Bush has not ruled out a Kingdom Hearts feature film. Asked at D23 whether a movie could ever happen, his answer came with no date, no title, and no studio announcement — just an open door.
The question follows the biggest Kingdom Hearts weekend in years. Kingdom Hearts 4‘s D23 trailer showed Sora in the Land of the Dead, Coco’s world rendered in full, with calavera face paint and a keyblade styled on Héctor’s guitar. The game is due in late 2027. The same weekend, Disney announced the Kingdom Hearts anime series for Disney+, 24 years after scrapping its first attempt.
IGN’s Jeffrey Vega put the movie question to Bush directly, joking that the studio chief effectively holds the greenlight.
“Technically, you’re not wrong. I’d say, I’m always excited to hear what people are passionate about. And I’d say that we have a very bright future of new projects coming out — different ways of putting material out into the world. So I would just say, nothing is impossible.”
Jared Bush, chief creative officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Bush’s answer was reserved, but it pointed at “different ways of putting material out into the world” — which, read generously, includes a cinema near you. Disney has also started talking about the franchise in boardroom terms, describing Kingdom Hearts as one of its billion-dollar properties, per IGN.
What a Kingdom Hearts 4 movie would mean
Nothing is announced. A feature film would be the first for the series, which has spent two decades as games, manga and novels. The animated series is the franchise’s first real screen adaptation, and Bush’s phrasing suggests Disney sees the Kingdom Hearts audience as one it wants to keep talking to.
Where the franchise goes next
Sora’s next confirmed appearance, meanwhile, is on the games side: Kingdom Hearts 4 arrives in late 2027. D23’s “Deep Dive into Kingdom Hearts” panel streams on Saturday, August 15 at 4:30pm PT — 3:30am Sunday morning in the UAE — with Square Enix’s Tai Yasue and Sora voice actor Haley Joel Osment among the guests.
Who is Jared Bush?
Jared Bush is the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. He wrote or co-wrote Moana, Zootopia and Encanto, and directed Zootopia 2.
What platforms will Kingdom Hearts 4 launch on?
Kingdom Hearts 4 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Square Enix has not confirmed a firm release date beyond late 2027.
Has a Kingdom Hearts movie ever been made?
No. The franchise has spent more than two decades as games, manga and novels; a feature film has never entered production. The Disney+ anime series announced at D23 is its first screen adaptation.
