News ► Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

[Oracle Spockanort]

Since the very first Kingdom Hearts game was released in 2002 there have been many wishes made over what Disney characters and movies should make their appearance in each new installment. One such wish expressed by a great majority of fans through online communities and social media sites has been to feature Pixar films in the games. Even though Disney did not own Pixar, they did have the rights over distribution, stories, and characters. Pixar being in Kingdom Hearts was not an impossibility because of that fact, but it was the cause of major conflict between the two companies. Hopes were crushed in 2004 when Pixar and Disney entered a dispute over movie rights and a potential fallout seemed inevitable. Pixar wished to have full ownership of their movies, but after two years of turbulent negotiations Disney purchased Pixar for approximately $7 billion in May 2006. 

This merger between Disney and Pixar rekindled the hopes of Kingdom Hearts fans, and not long after the merger it seems the series got very close to having Woody and Buzz from Pixar's Toy Story featured as summons. Models of the two iconic characters were found unfinished within the coding of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix released in 2007, which created more hype among fans than ever. If Woody and Buzz had made it in the final product of the game, that would have been the very first time Disney and Pixar characters had been featured in console game together.

Such a historic honor has instead been claimed by Disney's new project, "Toy Box". In a recent interview with Disney Interactive co-presidents James Pitaro and John Pleasants by the New York Times, the upcoming project is described to be "a console game with extensive mobile and online applications in which various Pixar and Disney characters will interact with one another for the first time." This heavily-funded project is part of Disney Interactive's ongoing initiative to solidify their place in both the gaming and online world.

While "Toy Box" is making strides to combine the two properties together, the idea of Pixar characters ever being in Kingdom Hearts has rarely been brought up. Series director Tetsuya Nomura has been asked about the idea a few times in the last ten years, only giving vague answers about Pixar's inclusion. Recently, though, Nomura has given his honest opinion on the matter in an interview released in the Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Ultimania:

"I wish and wish, but I’ve wanted for a long time to have Pixar titles appear in the series. I’m already working on many ideas, but I can’t say whether they will become a reality or not."

So even though Square Enix will not be the first to have Pixar and Disney blend together, there is still the chance that fans might see Pixar movies featured in Kingdom Hearts yet. Fans want it, Nomura wants it. Maybe in Kingdom Hearts III?

Let's just wait and see.

Source: The New York Times, GameInformer

 

[Kuroi_Raion94]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

This HAS to become a reality. I would love to see Woody and Buzz interacting with Sora in KH3. Here's hoping that it actually happens *Fingers crossed*!

 

[Chaser]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

Online applications makes me think of the Browser game...

 

[Sign]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

The interview excerpt is beyond depressing to me. It sounds so genuinely disappointed.

Looking forward to seeing what this "Toy Box" will be and how they take advantage of being the first console title with Disney-Pixar interaction.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

This HAS to become a reality. I would love to see Woody and Buzz interacting with Sora in KH3. Here's hoping that it actually happens *Fingers crossed*!

Toy Story is the world Kingdom Hearts deserves...;~;

Online applications makes me think of the Browser game...

KHPC? Why did I just imagine Disney and Pixar characters in cute little avatar style in a toy box?

The interview excerpt is beyond depressing to me. It sounds so genuinely disappointed.

Looking forward to seeing what this "Toy Box" will be and how they take advantage of being the first console title with Disney-Pixar interaction.

There is so much potential for this game and I'm really hoping Disney Interactive does it right, especially since they are putting so much money in it and that NY Times article says that DI has had a huge loss in profit over the last few years because of an inability to get a proper footing in gaming and online media.

I an honestly super hyped for it, even though we know nothing xD

And yeah ;~; Nomura ;A; I feel like he's been asking for the use of Pixar for a long time and every time he gets one of those "hmm, we'll think about it" or a solid "no" ;~;

 

[CaptainMarvelQ8]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

you make it sound like its a competition on who gets to do it first.I honestly don't care when as long as it happens in the end

 

[Chaser]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

KHPC? Why did I just imagine Disney and Pixar characters in cute little avatar style?

Because you know it's adorable.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

you make it sound like its a competition on who gets to do it first.I honestly don't care when as long as it happens in the end

I wasn't trying to, exactly. xD I had to make the article interesting, didn't I?

If you want my honest opinion, I'm excited over "Toy Box" however it may turn out. I just feel bad for Nomura since he's been trying to get Pixar in KH for years now and now there is this crossover happening. This might end up being a good thing because since Disney has gotten to do this first, they might be more lenient to let Nomura use Pixar in future games.

The main purpose of this article is to inform people about "Toy Box" and to get some discussion going.

 

[TepidShark]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

Will be surprised if Kingdom Hearts original characters don't show up in Wreck It Ralph (even as a cameo), that will be a major missed opportunity on Disney's part (especially since Disney owns the rights to Kingdom Hearts original characters)

 

[Taochan]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

That Nomura quote really depresses me; Nomura clearly wants to include Pixar in KH and probably has some refreshing ideas that he could implement with Pixar worlds but he's unable to use them.

I'm not entirely excited about this "Toy Box", we'll see when more information is released... but this is definitely a missed opportunity for Square Enix. It would have been neat if they had been the first to incorporate Pixar/Disney characters in the same game.

 

[Memory Master]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I thought for sure KH3D was going to see a pixar world. Toy Story should be saved until KHIII, but I thought maybe Monsters Inc. would have made a good world for KH3D. I could have easily seen Sora and Riku grinding against the rails they use in the factory to transport the closet doors around.

Oh well. I'm sure Toy Story will make it into KHIII.

 

[Jojo]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

With this update do you guys think this enhances or hiders the likelihood of Kingdom hearts making an appearance in the upcoming Pixar movie Wreck it Ralph?

 

[Sign]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

Disney generally doesn't acknowledge KH's existence at all. We're still hopeful after catching sight of that "Aerith Lives" grafitti, but I don't think it'll surprise anyone otherwise.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

With this update do you guys think this enhances or hiders the likelihood of Kingdom hearts making an appearance in the upcoming Pixar movie Wreck it Ralph?

Like Sign said, Disney likes to act as if Kingdom Hearts doesn't really exist. We have a FF reference in the film, but the chance of seeing somebody like Sora just kicking it in Game Central Station with his keyblade or even graffiti on the wall saying "Kingdom Hearts is light" or whatever anybody imagines is very slim.

The hilarious thing is Disney owns any original Kingdom Hearts characters made for the series, so you'd really think they'd utilize that fact. :|

Like, keep your eyes open while watching the film on November 2nd, but don't expect anything xD

 

[Shamdeo]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I wouldn't expect a cameo.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I thought for sure KH3D was going to see a pixar world. Toy Story should be saved until KHIII, but I thought maybe Monsters Inc. would have made a good world for KH3D. I could have easily seen Sora and Riku grinding against the rails they use in the factory to transport the closet doors around.

Oh well. I'm sure Toy Story will make it into KHIII.

Well I don't think we've seen the last of flowmotion in Kingdom Hearts. That was definitely a step forward in what Nomura has wanted to accomplish for years: high speed action gameplay with no limits to interaction with the environment and enemies. Advent Children was when he toyed with the idea and Dissidia was the first attempt at that concept of doing unimaginable movements with no constraints. KH3D was another step forward in that style of gaming, so I can easily see KH3 being the culmination of all of these efforts.

So don't count flowmotion out yet, or a Monsters Inc. world were they can grind on the door rails.

That Nomura quote really depresses me; Nomura clearly wants to include Pixar in KH and probably has some refreshing ideas that he could implement with Pixar worlds but he's unable to use them.

I'm not entirely excited about this "Toy Box", we'll see when more information is released... but this is definitely a missed opportunity for Square Enix. It would have been neat if they had been the first to incorporate Pixar/Disney characters in the same game.

I have this feeling that besides Disney being protective of Pixar in general, Pixar is also very hesitant of letting people use their characters without them having most or full control over how the story goes. This why "Toy Box" seems interesting. If Pixar and Disney are able to ease up on their protective behavior with their properties, maybe Nomura will have more of a chance?

Will be surprised if Kingdom Hearts original characters don't show up in Wreck It Ralph (even as a cameo), that will be a major missed opportunity on Disney's part (especially since Disney owns the rights to Kingdom Hearts original characters)

A lot of us in the Wreck-It-Ralph thread have resigned ourselves to the fact we probably won't have a KH cameo. Wreck-It-Ralph is pushing a lot of iconic cameos, and even in the ten years KH has existed it has hardly reach the kind of acknowledgement that games like Mortal Kombat, Sonic, and (bleh) Halo and Call of Duty have.

Because you know it's adorable.

Too adorable, at that.

 

[ajmrowland]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I disagree. Pixar was spun off from Lucasfilm and didnt start as a Disney company. Sure, the parks have lots of Pixar stuff, but they also have Star Wars and Indiana Jones(not quite as much, mind you). Pixar is not so much Disney, but what Disney should've aspired to be. Would I really mind if Pixar got in? not really, but there's no real reason to include Pixar if there's around 40 other Disney animated films that havent been included.

Also, Pixar-namely john lasseter- has a certain amount of freedom as to whether or not their films appear in something where they themselves are not involved, which right now is nothing as Lasseter and ed catmull heads both animation studios with Lasseter having creative control in the parks. Disney tried making DTV sequels of Pixar films without Pixar, and Pixar had to slap their wrist, resulting in Toy Story 2 and 3. Admittedly, Monsters' Inc 2 looked interesting(Mike and Sulley get stuck in the Human World in that one, but I lost the link to the site that had that art it's been so long).

Unrelated Note: "Toy Box" is the first time Pixar and Disney characters interact, but Toy Story joined Lion King and Tarzan in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure game from Activision.

Edit: Monsters' Inc more than Toy Story wouldnt be quite justified in 3D, as locations like the Door Vault wouldnt be possible with all those doors, and in the movie, it was measured to fit the empire state building quite comfortably. Also, the graphics would be much more removed from the movie than what made it into the game.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I disagree. Pixar was spun off from Lucasfilm and didnt start as a Disney company. Sure, the parks have lots of Pixar stuff, but they also have Star Wars and Indiana Jones(not quite as much, mind you). Pixar is not so much Disney, but what Disney should've aspired to be. Would I really mind if Pixar got in? not really, but there's no real reason to include Pixar if there's around 40 other Disney animated films that havent been included.

Sure it started from Lucasfilm until they split off as their own company for many years...until Disney did an all-stock buyout of them. They are a part of Disney now, no matter how you spin it.

There is a difference in having enough animated films and having films that fans want and will work in Kingdom Hearts. If people want it, if Nomura wants it, then there is certainly enough reason for it to be in the games.

 

[Lnds500]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

I'm actually more interested in knowing if this game is the mystery game slated for spring (?) 2013 we kept hearing about.

 

[Chaser]

Re: Disney's "Toy Box" & Square Enix's Missed Opportunity

you mean the 2nd large game project Disney is excited about?