These are the Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds that could make Sora’s next journey even more magical, adventurous, and extraordinary.
The magic of Disney runs strong through the veins of Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts series. The mashup is one of the most unique in the business, as it brings together the mature content in Final Fantasy and blends it seamlessly with movies like The Little Mermaid and Toy Story.
We’ve experienced Disney worlds in all of the Kingdom Hearts games thusfar, with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy accompanying Sora and Riku on their quests to become Keyblade Masters and defeat Master Xehanort.
With (spoilers) Xehanort out of the way, a new threat, the Master of Masters, looms over Sora and Riku. In what is bound to be a dark plot, some levity in the Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds will be much appreciated.
From animated classics to modern Disney hits, here are the Kingdom Hearts 4 worlds that would change up what the series has to offer, while still keeping the themes of friendship and heart at the forefront.
‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ worlds wish list
‘Bambi’
Bambi is a beautifully animated movie, in part due to the hand-painted backdrops and unique rolling three-dimension foreground elements.
With the KH2 Steamboat Willy world, we saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy take on a retro look to better match the visuals of the short. In keeping the unique art style of Bambi alive in a Kingdom Hearts 4 world, it would be great to see Sora and company take on a softer, more pastel art style.
As Bambi is one of the recurring summons in the Kingdom Hearts games, Sora’s familiarity would prove a good launching point for the world’s plot. Let’s just hope we don’t have to go through the emotional turmoil of Bambi’s father’s untimely demise in the video game adaptation…
‘Dumbo’
Another summon in the Kingdom Hearts series is the flying elephant, Dumbo. With the recent live-action re-release, there are plenty of options for plot and art style to work with.
Fans likely want to see the classic Dumbo in the KH4 world, seeing as the version of Dumbo we see in the summons is the 2D animated model.
Flying around on Dumbo would be an amazing experience. We’ve flown around with Peter Pan, rode on Aladdin’s magic carpet, and now, we might just get to soar around a large overworld on the cutest flying elephant you ever did see.
‘Moana’
Moana won the hearts of many with its not-doing-this-for-romance plot and gorgeous visuals. It’s one of the more recent Disney animated films, ushering in a new age of original storytelling and thrilling adventure.
The only problem with a Moana world would be returning to open-sea exploration. Sailing the seas in the Kingdom Hearts 3 Pirates of the Carribean world wasn’t so fun, so here’s hoping Moana will take us on a different adventure.
It might be nice to make this a swimming level, akin to the Little Mermaid worlds. Hey, maybe it’s time for mermaid Sora to make a return in KH4!
‘Onward’
Buddy movie Onward is an emotional tale with thrills, magic, and adventure galore. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Kingdom Hearts series, doesn’t it?
The boss fights are already set up in the film, with the Manticore serving as a mid-level mini boss, and the cursed concrete dragon acting as the level’s final boss.
Imagine how cute Sora would look wearing a little warlock hat. Donald would sure love being in a world that focuses so much on magic!
‘Up’
The film Up is a real heartbreaker, but once you get past the heartwrenching opening 15 minutes, you’re in for a wonderful escape from reality into the world of floating houses and breathtaking vistas.
The Up world in Kingdom Hearts 4 would likely take place during the jungle adventures of Carl, Russell, Dug and Kevin. Think Tarzan, minus Clayton.
Protecting Carl so that he and his friends can make it to Paradise Falls is exactly the kind of wholesome storytelling I’m here for. Adventure is out there!
‘The Princess and the Frog’
New Orleans comes to life in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, as voodoo magic and dreams combine to give Tiana and Prince Naveen a little more adventure than they signed up for.
Instead of transforming into animals ala Tiana and Naveen, it would make sense to have Sora and co. remain human-sized. Fending off frog hunters and evil spirits can’t exactly happen on a small scale, after all.
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Facilier and his team of demonic spirits would make for an excellent boss, almost like Oogie Boogie in the Nightmare Before Christmas worlds.
Tiana has heart and light (but yeah, let’s not go back to the Princesses of Light again) to bring some warmth to Sora’s fourth main series adventure.