How the Success of the Square Enix Game Changed Disney's Attitude Towards Crossovers
The Kingdom Hearts series, which combined the unique Disney universes and Final Fantasy characters, raised many doubts among the American media giant's leadership in the early 2000s. However, the project's colossal financial success on PlayStation 2 opened the doors for the studio to new, bold experiments—in particular, an attempt to create its own platform fighter in the style of the iconic Super Smash Bros series.
Ken Christiansen, a former concept artist at Disney Interactive who worked on the first Kingdom Hearts, shared this in an interview with Time Extension. According to him, the management was initially extremely cautious and even opposed mixing characters: for example, the appearance of "The Lion King" characters in the world of "The Little Mermaid" caused numerous internal disputes.
Disney's Action Figure Face Off: An Unrealized Smash Bros Alternative
When Kingdom Hearts became one of the major bestsellers, Disney executives changed their minds and began actively searching for other formats for crossovers. Thus, the concept for the project under the working title Disney's Action Figure Face Off was born.
- Concept: Utilize the "Toy Story" idea, where action figures of iconic characters come to life and battle each other in arenas.
- Roster Lineup: The developers planned to add toy versions of heroes from animated films such as "Tarzan", "The Lion King", "Treasure Planet", and others.
- Gameplay: Fast-paced battles across diverse locations modeled after Super Smash Bros.
Why Was the Game Canceled?
Despite the interesting concept, the Action Figure Face Off project did not advance beyond the prototype stage. Company management decided to focus on less risky direct adaptations of new movie releases. However, the crossover idea itself did not disappear—Disney later brought it to life in projects like Disney Infinity, Disney Speedstorm, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.
Comments ...