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Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts (Japanese: キングダムハーツ Kingudamu Hātsu) is a hybrid action/RPG that was released in 2002, which is notable for being the result of a collaboration between the video game developer and publisher Square and Disney. The game combines characters and settings from Disney's animated features and films with those from Square's Final Fantasy RPG series. Although the game's primary plotlines follow characters who were created specifically for Kingdom Hearts, characters from both companies play major roles in the game and its storyline. The game features real-time rendered backgrounds and scenery.

Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kingdom Hearts begins on the lush, tropical islands called "Destiny Islands", home to the main characters Sora, Riku, and Kairi. The three children wish to leave the island that they have been confined to all their life, so they build a raft to escape. The night before the voyage, a storm sweeps through the island, and evil shadow-creatures called the Heartless appear. The three friends are separated. When Sora finds Riku surrounded by darkness, Riku disappears and Sora has to fight the Heartless, who are being used to tear down the walls between worlds. After the battle, Sora receives his weapon, the mystical Keyblade, and sets out to defeat the Heartless and be reunited with his friends.

From the Destiny Islands, Sora lands in Traverse Town, where he joins Goofy and Donald Duck in their quest to find King Mickey Mouse and defeat the Heartless. In their adventure, the trio explore many Disney-themed worlds, including Aladdin's Agrabah and The Little Mermaid's Atlantica. Along their way, they lock "keyholes" to the heart of those worlds, preventing the Heartless from consuming their worlds. Standing in their way, however, is a cabal of Disney villains, with Maleficent as their leader and Riku as her apprentice. Seeing Sora as apathetic towards Kairi's fate, Riku has taken reponsibility into his hands and struck a deal with Maleficent, in order to help Kairi regain her sense of self. The goal of Maleficent and her group is to collect seven maidens of the purest heart, the "Princesses of Heart", in order to open the pathway to Kingdom Hearts, which is supposedly a repository of power and knowledge Maleficent intends to use in her plan to rule all worlds.

Finally reaching Hollow Bastion, Maleficent's headquarters, Sora confronts Riku directly, ending with the revelation that Riku is also a Keyblade master and with the loss of Sora's own Keyblade. Unfettered by the loss of his weapon, Sora puts his faith into his friends and wins back the Keyblade, sending Riku to run off and lick his wounds. It is during this time that a mysterious being offers him greater power with which he could use to defeat Sora. Riku impulsively accepts. Sora and his teammates face and defeat Maleficent, allowing a strangely-behaved Riku to strike her with a unique type of Keyblade, one that opened hearts. This transformed Maleficent into a dragon that reflected the darkness in her heart. Sora's party meets and exceeds the challenge, destroying Maleficent.

Sora confronts Riku again. Only, this time, it is not truly Riku; it is actually Ansem, the scientist who was researching Heartless, occupying Riku's body. Ansem desires to become part of what he believes to be the primordial phase of existence, the darkness that he believes to compose Kingdom Hearts. Kairi is revealed to be a Princess of Heart, and her heart was trapped in Sora's body ever since they got separated. Sora and Ansem battle, with Sora as the victor. In order to free Kairi's heart, Sora impales himself on Ansem's Keyblade, losing his own heart while restoring Kairi and freeing the other Princesses' hearts, as the Keyblade was composed of their hearts. However, the pathway to Kingdom Hearts was opened.

Now a Heartless, Sora scampered to Kairi's protection. Knowing that it was truly Sora, Kairi's light pulled him from the infinite darkness and restores Sora. They flee Hollow Bastion in face of the immense number of Heartless pouring through the pathway to Kingdom Hearts. They return to lock the keyhole and later travel to Kingdom Hearts itself, facing Ansem in a climactic final battle.

Though the light of Kingdom Hearts defeated Ansem, the door threatens to unleash millions upon millions of Heartless onto the universe. Sora, Donald and Goofy attempt to close the door, but their strength is not enough. Riku, who has regained his body, helps the others close the door on the other side, along with King Mickey Mouse. Using his own Keyblade, Mickey locks Kingdom Hearts from the inside, but this forces himself and Riku to stay inside. Before the door is locked, Riku tells Sora to take care of Kairi. Sora and Kairi's reunion is cut extremely short as they are pulled apart by the reforming Destiny Islands. Sora promises to return to Kairi once he finds a way to bring Riku out of Kingdom Hearts.

Changes in different versions

English version

The English version of Kingdom Hearts had new features that were not found in the original version of Kingdom Hearts in Japan. Besides English localization, three additional optional bosses were added, notably Sephiroth. Yoko Shimomura's arrangement of Night on Bald Mountain was set as the background music for the Chernabog boss fight, whereas the original Japanese version uses generic boss music.

Final Mix

Cloud and Sephiroth's new cutscene. Neoshadows in Final Mix.

Kingdom Hearts was re-released in Japan as Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, this version had several events and a number of gameplay tweaks that were not in the American, European and Australian releases. Spoken dialogue was in English, with Japanese subtitles.

New scenes, clarifying certain plot points, such as Riku's journey and foreshadowing of Kingdom Hearts II, were included. A gameplay tweak allows the player to skip cutscenes after seeing them once. The optional bosses first included in the English version were introduced to Japanese players for the first time, along with the "Engimatic Man", in an attempt to raise interest for the sequel. In another attempt at foreshadowing, a video called Another Side, Another Story: Deep Dive will play along with Another Side, Another Story if the player accomplishes certain tasks.

New music was incorporated; the tracks are Disappeared and Another Side. The Night on the Bald Mountain track from the English version has been included as well.

Other changes include new abilities, new weapons, new items, additional and recolored enemies; and gameplay tweaks to make the game easier for the player, along with two new difficulty levels.

Worlds

The many worlds in which the game takes place include various Disney settings (nearly all of which are part of the Disney animated features canon), as well as some original ones.

The Disney-based worlds:

  • Wonderland, from Alice in Wonderland. This is a surreal level in which the player is shrunk down to a miniscule size. This is the first level that can be closed to the Heartless. It features the Cheshire Cat, the Doorknob, Alice, The Queen of Hearts, and several cards as well as the White Rabbit.
  • Olympus Coliseum, from Hercules. This includes Hades, Hercules, Philoctetes (a.k.a. Phil), Cerberus, and Cloud Strife.
  • Deep Jungle, from Tarzan. This is a slightly longer world than the first, and includes Tarzan, as the first character that can be added to your party, Jane, Clayton and Several gorillas.
  • 100 Acre Wood, from Winnie the Pooh. This world is unlike the others; there are no Heartless here and it takes place in the pages of a book. A variety of mini games open up as you proceed through the game.
  • Agrabah, from Aladdin. This world includes Agrabah and the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin, Abu, Jasmine, Jafar, Iago and Genie are introduced here, with Aladdin being a possible party member.
  • Monstro, from Pinocchio. This world brings the player through the bowels of a whale. The infamous little wooden puppet Pinocchio and his maker Gepetto can be found here. Monstro is not a true world by Kingdom Hearts' definition, and thus does not contain a keyhole to be sealed.
  • Atlantica, from The Little Mermaid. This was a distinctive underwater level that consists of Ursula's cave, several grottos, and the city of Atlantica. Ariel, King Triton, Ursula, Sebastian, Flounder, Flotsam and Jetsam appear in this world, with Ariel being the only female character in the game to join your party. This level has often been criticized by fans as a difficult level to play because the controls vary underwater.
  • Halloween Town, from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The movie's cast make their video game debut in the level. This world includes the town square, Oogie Boogie's Manor, Moonlit Hill and a graveyard. It features Jack Skellington, Sally, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Doctor Finklestein, Zero, the two-faced Mayor and Oogie Boogie, with Jack able to join your party.
  • Neverland, from Peter Pan. The world's name is somewhat a misnomer because the action takes place on Captain Hook's ship and a minor bit in London; as such, the actual Neverland is not actually visited. Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy, Smee and Tinkerbell call this world home, with Peter Pan able to join your party. It is also one of the more important Disney-based worlds in the game, storyline-wise

The original worlds:

  • Destiny Islands. This is where the Sora starts his journey, and although only accessible near the beginning and end of the game, the islands and the events in them are critical to the entire game's storyline. This world is home not only to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but also Final Fantasy characters, Selphie Tilmitt, Tidus, and Wakka.
  • Traverse Town. A sort of "resting place" to come back to in between worlds, Traverse Town is where Sora first meets Donald and Goofy and truly starts his quest. Several Final Fantasy and Disney characters reside here, including Aerith Gainsborough, Gepetto from Pinnochio, Yuffie Kisaragi, Squall Leonheart, Cid Highwind, The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, and Merlin from The Sword in the Stone.
  • Hollow Bastion. This is the world that has been created for the Square characters as well as a sort of stand-in for the movie Beauty and the Beast as the Beast is a playable character there. This is also Maleficent's headquarters.
  • End of the World. A large, dark world created from the assimilation of various worlds consumed in darkness. It is where many Heartless and evil beings reside. Kingdom Hearts is near the center of this world. The final battles with Ansem are fought here. The World Terminus is located here, providing access to small areas of other worlds.
  • Disney Castle (non-playable, not to be confused with Sleeping Beauty Castle). The homeland of Mickey, Donald and Goofy.

Music

The music is composed by Yoko Shimomura, the ending credits theme and opening orchestration is by Kaoru Wada, and the main vocal theme is "Hikari" (Light) known as "Simple and Clean" in Western releases. Both versions of the song were composed and performed by Utada Hikaru.

While there are many original themes written specifically for the game by Shimomura, most of the soundtrack is comprised of popular melodies derived from classic disney films. For instance, when in Atlantica (The world from The Little Mermaid), the background music is a non-lyrical reinterpretation of the song 'Under the Sea'. Examples such as this convey a stronger sense of nostalgia when paired with characters, settings and voice clips from popular Disney films.

Characters

A typical battle in Kingdom Hearts (North American version).

The main characters are Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Sora's stats are more customizable; the player can select what attribute to excel in and which attribute to be lacking in, such as defense, magic or strength, at the beginning of the game. Several traits can also be altered further by permanent boost items or equipped item effects.

Sora is the only character directly controlled by the player; other members in the party are computer controlled. The computer controlled characters can have their behavior altered by the player, changing their item usages from "frequently" to "occasionally" for example. Goofy and Donald are the only computer-controlled characters that are usable on every world. Most worlds have a unique computer-controlled party member who can be chosen to replace Goofy or Donald in the party. For instance, Jack Skellington joins the player's party in the Nightmare Before Christmas world, but will not accompany the player elsewhere.

In addition, various Disney characters can be temporarily summoned during battle. These characters replace Sora's two companions for the duration of the summon. The player can summon Simba from The Lion King, the Genie from Aladdin, Bambi, Dumbo, Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, and Mushu from Mulan. Only the Genie and Tinkerbell summons are automatically obtained; the others must be gained by obtaining unique gems and giving them to the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella.

The title roles of One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp have cameo appearances in the game, too. One of the less important quests of the game is to find the 99 lost dalmatian puppies from all over the game, while there is a statue of Lady and the Tramp in the Third District of Traverse Town.

Final Fantasy cameos

It is in these cameos that gamers base arguments on the inclusion of this game in the Final Fantasy series. On Destiny Islands, the player meets younger versions of Tidus, Wakka (both from Final Fantasy X), and Selphie (from Final Fantasy VIII). In Traverse Town, the player encounters Squall (under the alias of "Leon") from Final Fantasy VIII, as well as Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII. Rikku from Final Fantasy X and Irvine Kinneas from Final Fantasy VIII were both originally set to make cameo appearances, but were replaced by Yuffie and Wakka respectively. Cloud and Sephiroth make appearances, including a cutscene fight between both in Final Mix.

The game also uses other Final Fantasy icons. Moogles make an appearance and help the player obtain the ultimate weapon (the aptly named Ultima Weapon). This and several other weapons, such as Lionheart and Save the Queen, share names with other weapons from previous entries in the Final Fantasy series. The Final Fantasy magic naming system (ie. Cure, Cura, Curaga, etc.) is also in place. The names of various spells are the names of Gummi blocks, and various summons, weapons, bosses, and monsters are the names of Gummi ships blueprints.

The emphasis on characters from later Final Fantasy installments disappointed fans; the refusal to use earlier characters stems from character designer Tetsuya Nomura's hesitation to use characters he did not design.

Criticism

Kingdom Hearts has been criticized by some Final Fantasy fans for making poor use of the Final Fantasy characters placed in it. For example, several prominent characters are made much younger and do not play a major role in the story. Some fans also disapproved of the casting of the voice actors for the more popular Final Fantasy characters: in particular, the casting of pop music singers Mandy Moore as Aerith Gainsborough and Lance Bass as Sephiroth.

Some also felt that, while original, the combination of Square and Disney did not work as well as it could have, with aspects of both the story and gameplay swinging between 'Disney-style' and 'Square-style', without reaching an acceptable middle ground for most of the game. Some Final Fantasy fans were critical of the combination of the Final Fantasy mythos and the role-playing genre with Disney characters and other elements that they considered to be for children. Elements of the combat system were also criticized, particularly the use of menu-based items and magic in what was a frequently hectic real-time battle scenario, and the awkward camera angles that could occur during battle.

Another criticism levelled by reviewers and players alike revolves around the Gummi ship missions, with the main complaint being that they are not up to the same standard of play as the rest of game. The developers seem to have taken these comments onboard as the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, features an overhaul of this aspect of the series by making the ship missions much more fast paced then in the original Kingdom Hearts.

Shinji Mikami, creator of Capcom's Resident Evil series, criticized Kingdom Hearts on Japanese radio in 2002. He expressed disappointment because Kingdom Hearts outsold his GameCube remake of Resident Evil in Japan, believing that his game was the superior product. Although he apologized to Square (not yet merged with Enix at that point) in the radio interview, he firmly believed that the game did not deserve its Japanese sales or its (then) 6800 Yen price tag.

Manga

There is a manga based off of the video game written and illustrated by Shiro Amano.

The manga is published in English in the United States by TOKYOPOP (ISBN 1598162179) and in English in Singapore by Chuang Yi.

Currently, two volumes of the English version of the manga are available.

It is unknown how many of them have been made in Japan.

Sequels

Characters of Kingdom Hearts II.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, the Game Boy Advance sequel to the original game, takes place directly after the plot of Kingdom Hearts, and provides the link between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. In the beginning, Sora, Donald and Goofy meet a mysterious man who leads them to Castle Oblivion, a strange castle where even memories cannot be trusted. There, the group visits replicas of the worlds in the original game, created by Sora's memories. At the same time, Riku escapes from Kingdom Hearts and finds his own way to Castle Oblivion, where he must contend with the lingering darkness of Xehanort in his heart. As both Sora and Riku fight their ways through the castle, piecing together what is real and what is not, they are unaware that they are being targeted by a mysterious organization.

The game abandoned the Kingdom Hearts battle system, focusing instead on card-based game play. These cards can be used to create new worlds, open doors, and attack Heartless. The game was released on December 7, 2004.

Kingdom Hearts II

A second sequel, Kingdom Hearts II for the PlayStation 2, was officially released in Japan on 22 December 2005 and will be released in USA on 28 March 2006. Taking place a year after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II features Sora, Donald and Goofy, as well as a new cast of characters, including King Mickey himself and familiar faces. The Heartless are still running loose and a mysterious group, Organization XIII, is plotting against Sora. There are new levels exclusive to the sequel, such as Pirates of the Caribbean's Port Royal and The Lion King's Pride Land, as well as new places to visit in old levels; those include the Underworld in the Hercules world and the palace garden in Agrabah. The sequel uses a refined camera system, and includes a Drive ability that gives Sora the ability to merge with one of his party members for a short time.


Trivia

  • Optional bosses in the game include Kurt Zisa, a Heartless; the Phantom, a Heartless; Ice Titan, from Hercules; Sephiroth, from Final Fantasy VII; and various Final Fantasy and Hercules characters in Coliseum matches. While the Phantom and Coliseum bosses are present in the original Japanese version, the rest of the optional bosses were added later in the English version. They were included in Final Mix along with another optional boss.
  • The optional boss Kurt Zisa was named after the winner of a publicity contest held by Squaresoft to promote the game.
  • In the North American release, a bonus Kingdom Hearts II teaser titled Another Side, Another Story could be unlocked by peforming certain tasks. In the Final Mix release, an additional video, Another Side, Another Story: Deep Dive, is included if the player peforms other specific tasks.

Voice cast

Note: Most of the Disney Characters are voiced by their original voice actors from the movies or their voice actors for the animated series (where applicable, e.g. Dan Castellaneta as Genie, rather than Robin Williams.)

English language version

  • Haley Joel Osment ... as Sora
  • Tony Anselmo ... as Donald Duck
  • Bill Farmer ... as Goofy
  • David Gallagher ... as Riku
  • Hayden Panettiere ... as Kairi
  • Billy Zane ... as Ansem
  • Susan Blakeslee ... as Maleficent
  • Eddie Carroll ... as Jiminy Cricket
  • David Boreanaz ... as Squall Leonhart (Leon)
  • Christy Carlson Romano ... as Yuffie Kisaragi
  • Mandy Moore ... as Aerith Gainsborough
  • Steve Burton ... as Cloud Strife
  • James Lance Bass ... as Sephiroth
  • Molly Keck ... as Selphie
  • Shaun Flemming ... as Tidus
  • Dee Bradley Baker ... as Wakka
  • Russi Taylor ... as Minnie Mouse
  • Tress MacNeille ... as Daisy Duck and Queen of Hearts
  • Kathryn Beaumont ... as Alice and Wendy Darling
  • Sean Astin ... as Hercules
  • Robert Costanzo ... as Philoctetes (Phil)
  • James Woods ... as Hades
  • Tony Goldwyn ... as Tarzan
  • Brian Blessed ... as Clayton
  • Naia Kelly ... as Jane Porter
  • Audrey Wasilewski ... as Terk
  • Kath Soucie ... as Sora's mother and Shock
  • Scott Weinger ... as Aladdin
  • Dan Castellaneta ... as Genie
  • Linda Larkin ... as Jasmine
  • Jonathan Freeman ... as Jafar
  • Gilbert Gottfried ... as Iago
  • Seth Adkins ... as Pinocchio
  • Tony Pope ... as Geppetto
  • Jodi Benson ... as Ariel
  • Eli Linnetz ... as Flounder
  • Kevin Michael Richardson ... as Sebastian
  • Ken Mars ... as King Triton
  • Pat Carroll ... as Ursula
  • Chris Sarandon ... as Jack Skellington
  • Rita Rudner ... as Sally
  • Jess Harnell ... as Dr. Finkelstein and Lock
  • Jeff Bennett ... as The Mayor, Barrel, and Mr. Smee
  • Ken Page ... as Oogie Boogie
  • Christopher Steele ... as Peter Pan
  • Corey Burton ... as Captain Hook, Doorknob, Flotsam, Jetsam, and White Rabbit
  • Jim Cummings ... as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
  • John Fiedler ... as Piglet
  • Robby Benson ... as Beast
  • Mark Moseley ... as Mushu
  • Wayne Allwine ... as Mickey Mouse

Japanese language version

  • Miyu Irino ... as Sora
  • Koichi Yamadera ... as Donald Duck, Genie, Mushu, Beast, Sebastian
  • Yutaka Shimaka ... as Goofy
  • Mamoru Miyano ... as Riku
  • Risa Uchida ... as Kairi
  • Akio Otsuka ... as Ansem
  • Toshiko Sawada ... as Maleficent
  • Kaneta Kimotsuki ... as Jiminy Cricket
  • Hideo Ishikawa ... as Squall Leonhart (Leon)
  • Yumi Kakazu ... as Yuffie Kisaragi
  • Maaya Sakamoto ... as Aerith Gainsborough
  • Takahiro Sakurai ... as Cloud Strife
  • Mayuko Aoki ... as Selphie
  • Masakazu Morita ... as Tidus
  • Kazuya Nakai ... as Wakka
  • Yuko Mizutani ... as Minnie Mouse
  • Mika Doi ... as Daisy Duck and Alice
  • Shigeru Ushiyama ... as the White Rabbit
  • Sumie Ozawa ... as the Queen Of Hearts
  • Takehiro Koyama ... as the Doorknob
  • Yasunori Matsumoto ... as Hercules
  • Ichiro Nagai ... as Philoctetes (Phil)
  • Kyusaku Shimada ... as Hades
  • Juurouta Kosugi ... as Tarzan
  • Banjō Ginga ... as Clayton
  • Mayumi Suzuki ... as Jane Porter, Ariel
  • Yuko Doi ... as Terk, Sally, Shock
  • Shinichiro Miki ... as Aladdin
  • Kaori Aso ... as Jasmine
  • Akira Takarada ... as Jafar
  • Akira Kamiya ... as Iago
  • Yuki Tokiwa ... as Pinocchio, Flounder
  • Kazuo Kumakura ... as Geppetto
  • Taro Ishida ... as King Triton
  • Kujira ... as Ursula
  • Shuichiro Moriyama ... as Flotsam and Jetsam
  • Masachika Ichimura ... as Jack Skellington
  • Toru Ohira ... as the Mayor
  • Yuji Mitsuya ... as Dr. Finklestein
  • Hiroshi Hatanaka ... as Oogie Boogie
  • Shintaro Sono'oka ... as Lock
  • Shigeo Matsuzawa ... as Barrel
  • Mitsuo Iwata ... as Peter Pan
  • Chikao Ohtsuka ... as Captain Hook
  • Kazuo Kumakura ... as Mr. Smee
  • Yuriko Fuchisaki ... as Wendy
  • Shun Yashiro ... as Winnie the Pooh
  • Tesshō Genda ... as Tigger
  • Kiyoshi Komiyama ... as Piglet
  • Yakashi Aoyagi ... as Mickey Mouse



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. See also Tickle Me Elmo for information about trivia and popular culture references specific to the toy. Dan Castellaneta as Genie, rather than Robin Williams.). On South Africa's Takalani Sesame, he is renamed Neno, and his personality stays essentially the same. Note: Most of the Disney Characters are voiced by their original voice actors from the movies or their voice actors for the animated series (where applicable, e.g. Other international version actually include Elmo in Street scenes.
. His voice in Sesamstraat, the Dutch version of the show, is done by Hein Boele.

The sequel uses a refined camera system, and includes a Drive ability that gives Sora the ability to merge with one of his party members for a short time. In Portuguese children's books (in Portugal, he did not appear in the TV series), he's known as Simão (Simon). There are new levels exclusive to the sequel, such as Pirates of the Caribbean's Port Royal and The Lion King's Pride Land, as well as new places to visit in old levels; those include the Underworld in the Hercules world and the palace garden in Agrabah. Sesame Street is customized for some different international markets, and Elmo is often renamed. The Heartless are still running loose and a mysterious group, Organization XIII, is plotting against Sora. Aired as part of the Food Network's second annual "Cook With Your Kids Week", the special was produced in conjunction with Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life program. Taking place a year after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II features Sora, Donald and Goofy, as well as a new cast of characters, including King Mickey himself and familiar faces. Emeril and Elmo's Healthy Start was a special featuring Elmo and Emeril Lagasse, that aired November 4, 2005 at 8 pm.

A second sequel, Kingdom Hearts II for the PlayStation 2, was officially released in Japan on 22 December 2005 and will be released in USA on 28 March 2006. In the 3 March 2004 episode "Eppur Si Muove", Elmo receives a medical checkup from Abbey Bartlet, the First Lady, and cheekishly questions her about the validity of her medical license. The game was released on December 7, 2004. Elmo also appeared in a fifth season episode of The West Wing. These cards can be used to create new worlds, open doors, and attack Heartless. Elmo was the star of the 1999 full-length, theatrically-released motion picture Elmo in Grouchland. The game abandoned the Kingdom Hearts battle system, focusing instead on card-based game play. Elmo and a developmental expert gave babysitting tips on the 18 June 2005 episode of Teen Kids News.

As both Sora and Riku fight their ways through the castle, piecing together what is real and what is not, they are unaware that they are being targeted by a mysterious organization. He has appeared on Martha Stewart Living and Martha (13 September 2005), The Tony Danza Show (11 October 2004, 11 April 2005, 10 November 2005), Rove Live (20 March 2001, 24 September 2002, 2004). At the same time, Riku escapes from Kingdom Hearts and finds his own way to Castle Oblivion, where he must contend with the lingering darkness of Xehanort in his heart. After a becoming a regular guest on The Rosie O'Donnell Show (28 June 1996, 24 December 1997, 16 February 1998, 5 November 1998, 5 November 1998, 28 January 1999, 21 September 1999, 6 December 1999, 4 January 2001, 21 September 2001, 6 February 2002, 2 May 2002), Elmo began touring the talk-show circuit. There, the group visits replicas of the worlds in the original game, created by Sora's memories. Another version, Elmo Knows Your Name, comes with a CD that allows parents to program Elmo to say the child's name and other personalized phrases. In the beginning, Sora, Donald and Goofy meet a mysterious man who leads them to Castle Oblivion, a strange castle where even memories cannot be trusted. Other Elmo toys include Hokey Pokey Elmo ("Hokey Cokey Elmo" in the United Kingdom), Limbo Elmo and Let's Pretend Elmo.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, the Game Boy Advance sequel to the original game, takes place directly after the plot of Kingdom Hearts, and provides the link between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. A popular doll called the Tickle Me Elmo was manufactured in his likeness, and became the must-have toy during Christmas in 1996. It is unknown how many of them have been made in Japan. [1]. Currently, two volumes of the English version of the manga are available. The lesson here is never think you're unimportant because you never know what is going to happen." Should Clash be unable to perform Elmo, John Tartaglia is the current backup performer. The manga is published in English in the United States by TOKYOPOP (ISBN 1598162179) and in English in Singapore by Chuang Yi. Kevin's performance inspired the writers to develop Elmo's character.

There is a manga based off of the video game written and illustrated by Shiro Amano. Sans continues that "One day [in 1984], Kevin Clash, a talented puppeteer, raised him up and brought energy and life into Elmo and from that day forward we would all write for Elmo. Although he apologized to Square (not yet merged with Enix at that point) in the radio interview, he firmly believed that the game did not deserve its Japanese sales or its (then) 6800 Yen price tag. "There was this extra red puppet lying around and the cast would pick him up sometimes and try to create a personality, but nothing seemed to materialize." The puppet was performed by Caroll Spinney in the early-1970s, Brian Muehl from 1979-1981, and Richard Hunt from 1981-1984. He expressed disappointment because Kingdom Hearts outsold his GameCube remake of Resident Evil in Japan, believing that his game was the superior product. Sesame Street-staff writer Nancy Sans once described Elmo's origins. Shinji Mikami, creator of Capcom's Resident Evil series, criticized Kingdom Hearts on Japanese radio in 2002. He is often described as overly optimistic and annoying which became the butt of many jokes among the entertainment industry about him.

The developers seem to have taken these comments onboard as the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II, features an overhaul of this aspect of the series by making the ship missions much more fast paced then in the original Kingdom Hearts. The character is supposed to be about three and a half years old, and characteristically refers to himself in the third person. Another criticism levelled by reviewers and players alike revolves around the Gummi ship missions, with the main complaint being that they are not up to the same standard of play as the rest of game. . Elements of the combat system were also criticized, particularly the use of menu-based items and magic in what was a frequently hectic real-time battle scenario, and the awkward camera angles that could occur during battle. Noodle. Some Final Fantasy fans were critical of the combination of the Final Fantasy mythos and the role-playing genre with Disney characters and other elements that they considered to be for children. Noodle's Brother Mr.

Some also felt that, while original, the combination of Square and Disney did not work as well as it could have, with aspects of both the story and gameplay swinging between 'Disney-style' and 'Square-style', without reaching an acceptable middle ground for most of the game. Noodle and Mr. Some fans also disapproved of the casting of the voice actors for the more popular Final Fantasy characters: in particular, the casting of pop music singers Mandy Moore as Aerith Gainsborough and Lance Bass as Sephiroth. He is accompanied by his goldfish, Dorothy, and silent Charlie Chaplin–like characters named Mr. For example, several prominent characters are made much younger and do not play a major role in the story. He currently hosts the last full segment on Sesame Street, called Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. Kingdom Hearts has been criticized by some Final Fantasy fans for making poor use of the Final Fantasy characters placed in it. He is a furry red Muppet monster with googly eyes and an orange nose.

The emphasis on characters from later Final Fantasy installments disappointed fans; the refusal to use earlier characters stems from character designer Tetsuya Nomura's hesitation to use characters he did not design. Elmo is a fictional character on the children's television show Sesame Street. The names of various spells are the names of Gummi blocks, and various summons, weapons, bosses, and monsters are the names of Gummi ships blueprints. [3]. Cure, Cura, Curaga, etc.) is also in place. In January 2006, controversy surrounded the book "Potty Time With Elmo" when a mother reported that pressing the buttons caused Elmo to say "Who wants to die?" The books manufacturer said that this was not an isolated claim, and that they'd had several complaints about the book. The Final Fantasy magic naming system (ie. (Right hand operates the mouth, left hand operates the left paw, right hand is operated by a second person.).

This and several other weapons, such as Lionheart and Save the Queen, share names with other weapons from previous entries in the Final Fantasy series. This is common with muppets, due to the method of operation. Moogles make an appearance and help the player obtain the ultimate weapon (the aptly named Ultima Weapon). Elmo appears to be left-handed, because he uses that "paw" to draw with his crayon and operate his computer mouse. The game also uses other Final Fantasy icons. The song is likely not part of the Sesame Street canon. Cloud and Sephiroth make appearances, including a cutscene fight between both in Final Mix. According to the parody song "Elmo You Can Drive My Car" (based on The Beatles's "Drive My Car"), Elmo had a "maybe I love you" romance with a girl that had celebrity aspirations.

Rikku from Final Fantasy X and Irvine Kinneas from Final Fantasy VIII were both originally set to make cameo appearances, but were replaced by Yuffie and Wakka respectively. Despite her extremely close relationship to Elmo, the sister has never been mentioned before or again. In Traverse Town, the player encounters Squall (under the alias of "Leon") from Final Fantasy VIII, as well as Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie from Final Fantasy VII. According to one Sesame Street picture book, Elmo also has at least one set of grandparents, and a sister. On Destiny Islands, the player meets younger versions of Tidus, Wakka (both from Final Fantasy X), and Selphie (from Final Fantasy VIII). These are also the names of puppeteer Kevin Clash's parents [2]. It is in these cameos that gamers base arguments on the inclusion of this game in the Final Fantasy series. His parents, according to the Birthday segment of Elmo's World, are named George and Gladys.

One of the less important quests of the game is to find the 99 lost dalmatian puppies from all over the game, while there is a statue of Lady and the Tramp in the Third District of Traverse Town. A parody of Tickle Me Elmo was included in the Jhonen Vasquez comic, Squee titled Tickle Me Hellmo. The title roles of One Hundred and One Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp have cameo appearances in the game, too. Moe then tickles him, as Elmo slaps him and says "'No' means 'No' for Elmo!". Only the Genie and Tinkerbell summons are automatically obtained; the others must be gained by obtaining unique gems and giving them to the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. In another episode of The Simpsons, a Tickle Me Elmo doll appears in Maggie's nursery. The player can summon Simba from The Lion King, the Genie from Aladdin, Bambi, Dumbo, Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, and Mushu from Mulan. Bush, he said, "Elmo go to wrong fundraiser.".

These characters replace Sora's two companions for the duration of the summon. In another episode of The Simpsons a parody of post-9/11 America, Elmo appeared in a political prison after supporting opponents of George W. In addition, various Disney characters can be temporarily summoned during battle. He reminded Homer, who didn't want to pay for a pledge he made to a PBS phone-a-thon, that "Elmo knows where you live.". For instance, Jack Skellington joins the player's party in the Nightmare Before Christmas world, but will not accompany the player elsewhere. Elmo briefly appeared as a vengeful cartoon character in a Simpsons episode. Most worlds have a unique computer-controlled party member who can be chosen to replace Goofy or Donald in the party.

Goofy and Donald are the only computer-controlled characters that are usable on every world. The computer controlled characters can have their behavior altered by the player, changing their item usages from "frequently" to "occasionally" for example. Sora is the only character directly controlled by the player; other members in the party are computer controlled. Several traits can also be altered further by permanent boost items or equipped item effects.

Sora's stats are more customizable; the player can select what attribute to excel in and which attribute to be lacking in, such as defense, magic or strength, at the beginning of the game. The main characters are Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Examples such as this convey a stronger sense of nostalgia when paired with characters, settings and voice clips from popular Disney films. For instance, when in Atlantica (The world from The Little Mermaid), the background music is a non-lyrical reinterpretation of the song 'Under the Sea'.

While there are many original themes written specifically for the game by Shimomura, most of the soundtrack is comprised of popular melodies derived from classic disney films. Both versions of the song were composed and performed by Utada Hikaru. The music is composed by Yoko Shimomura, the ending credits theme and opening orchestration is by Kaoru Wada, and the main vocal theme is "Hikari" (Light) known as "Simple and Clean" in Western releases. The original worlds:.

The Disney-based worlds:. The many worlds in which the game takes place include various Disney settings (nearly all of which are part of the Disney animated features canon), as well as some original ones. Other changes include new abilities, new weapons, new items, additional and recolored enemies; and gameplay tweaks to make the game easier for the player, along with two new difficulty levels. The Night on the Bald Mountain track from the English version has been included as well.

New music was incorporated; the tracks are Disappeared and Another Side. In another attempt at foreshadowing, a video called Another Side, Another Story: Deep Dive will play along with Another Side, Another Story if the player accomplishes certain tasks. The optional bosses first included in the English version were introduced to Japanese players for the first time, along with the "Engimatic Man", in an attempt to raise interest for the sequel. A gameplay tweak allows the player to skip cutscenes after seeing them once.

New scenes, clarifying certain plot points, such as Riku's journey and foreshadowing of Kingdom Hearts II, were included. Spoken dialogue was in English, with Japanese subtitles. Kingdom Hearts was re-released in Japan as Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, this version had several events and a number of gameplay tweaks that were not in the American, European and Australian releases. Yoko Shimomura's arrangement of Night on Bald Mountain was set as the background music for the Chernabog boss fight, whereas the original Japanese version uses generic boss music.

Besides English localization, three additional optional bosses were added, notably Sephiroth. The English version of Kingdom Hearts had new features that were not found in the original version of Kingdom Hearts in Japan. Sora promises to return to Kairi once he finds a way to bring Riku out of Kingdom Hearts. Sora and Kairi's reunion is cut extremely short as they are pulled apart by the reforming Destiny Islands.

Before the door is locked, Riku tells Sora to take care of Kairi. Using his own Keyblade, Mickey locks Kingdom Hearts from the inside, but this forces himself and Riku to stay inside. Riku, who has regained his body, helps the others close the door on the other side, along with King Mickey Mouse. Sora, Donald and Goofy attempt to close the door, but their strength is not enough.

Though the light of Kingdom Hearts defeated Ansem, the door threatens to unleash millions upon millions of Heartless onto the universe. They return to lock the keyhole and later travel to Kingdom Hearts itself, facing Ansem in a climactic final battle. They flee Hollow Bastion in face of the immense number of Heartless pouring through the pathway to Kingdom Hearts. Knowing that it was truly Sora, Kairi's light pulled him from the infinite darkness and restores Sora.

Now a Heartless, Sora scampered to Kairi's protection. However, the pathway to Kingdom Hearts was opened. In order to free Kairi's heart, Sora impales himself on Ansem's Keyblade, losing his own heart while restoring Kairi and freeing the other Princesses' hearts, as the Keyblade was composed of their hearts. Sora and Ansem battle, with Sora as the victor.

Kairi is revealed to be a Princess of Heart, and her heart was trapped in Sora's body ever since they got separated. Ansem desires to become part of what he believes to be the primordial phase of existence, the darkness that he believes to compose Kingdom Hearts. Only, this time, it is not truly Riku; it is actually Ansem, the scientist who was researching Heartless, occupying Riku's body. Sora confronts Riku again.

Sora's party meets and exceeds the challenge, destroying Maleficent. This transformed Maleficent into a dragon that reflected the darkness in her heart. Sora and his teammates face and defeat Maleficent, allowing a strangely-behaved Riku to strike her with a unique type of Keyblade, one that opened hearts. Riku impulsively accepts.

It is during this time that a mysterious being offers him greater power with which he could use to defeat Sora. Unfettered by the loss of his weapon, Sora puts his faith into his friends and wins back the Keyblade, sending Riku to run off and lick his wounds. Finally reaching Hollow Bastion, Maleficent's headquarters, Sora confronts Riku directly, ending with the revelation that Riku is also a Keyblade master and with the loss of Sora's own Keyblade. The goal of Maleficent and her group is to collect seven maidens of the purest heart, the "Princesses of Heart", in order to open the pathway to Kingdom Hearts, which is supposedly a repository of power and knowledge Maleficent intends to use in her plan to rule all worlds.

Seeing Sora as apathetic towards Kairi's fate, Riku has taken reponsibility into his hands and struck a deal with Maleficent, in order to help Kairi regain her sense of self. Standing in their way, however, is a cabal of Disney villains, with Maleficent as their leader and Riku as her apprentice. Along their way, they lock "keyholes" to the heart of those worlds, preventing the Heartless from consuming their worlds. In their adventure, the trio explore many Disney-themed worlds, including Aladdin's Agrabah and The Little Mermaid's Atlantica.

From the Destiny Islands, Sora lands in Traverse Town, where he joins Goofy and Donald Duck in their quest to find King Mickey Mouse and defeat the Heartless. After the battle, Sora receives his weapon, the mystical Keyblade, and sets out to defeat the Heartless and be reunited with his friends. When Sora finds Riku surrounded by darkness, Riku disappears and Sora has to fight the Heartless, who are being used to tear down the walls between worlds. The three friends are separated.

The night before the voyage, a storm sweeps through the island, and evil shadow-creatures called the Heartless appear. The three children wish to leave the island that they have been confined to all their life, so they build a raft to escape. Kingdom Hearts begins on the lush, tropical islands called "Destiny Islands", home to the main characters Sora, Riku, and Kairi. .

The game features real-time rendered backgrounds and scenery. Although the game's primary plotlines follow characters who were created specifically for Kingdom Hearts, characters from both companies play major roles in the game and its storyline. The game combines characters and settings from Disney's animated features and films with those from Square's Final Fantasy RPG series. Kingdom Hearts (Japanese: キングダムハーツ Kingudamu Hātsu) is a hybrid action/RPG that was released in 2002, which is notable for being the result of a collaboration between the video game developer and publisher Square and Disney.

as Mickey Mouse. Yakashi Aoyagi .. as Piglet. Kiyoshi Komiyama ..

as Tigger. Tesshō Genda .. as Winnie the Pooh. Shun Yashiro ..

as Wendy. Yuriko Fuchisaki .. Smee. as Mr.

Kazuo Kumakura .. as Captain Hook. Chikao Ohtsuka .. as Peter Pan.

Mitsuo Iwata .. as Barrel. Shigeo Matsuzawa .. as Lock.

Shintaro Sono'oka .. as Oogie Boogie. Hiroshi Hatanaka .. Finklestein.

as Dr. Yuji Mitsuya .. as the Mayor. Toru Ohira ..

as Jack Skellington. Masachika Ichimura .. as Flotsam and Jetsam. Shuichiro Moriyama ..

as Ursula. Kujira .. as King Triton. Taro Ishida ..

as Geppetto. Kazuo Kumakura .. as Pinocchio, Flounder. Yuki Tokiwa ..

as Iago. Akira Kamiya .. as Jafar. Akira Takarada ..

as Jasmine. Kaori Aso .. as Aladdin. Shinichiro Miki ..

as Terk, Sally, Shock. Yuko Doi .. as Jane Porter, Ariel. Mayumi Suzuki ..

as Clayton. Banjō Ginga .. as Tarzan. Juurouta Kosugi ..

as Hades. Kyusaku Shimada .. as Philoctetes (Phil). Ichiro Nagai ..

as Hercules. Yasunori Matsumoto .. as the Doorknob. Takehiro Koyama ..

as the Queen Of Hearts. Sumie Ozawa .. as the White Rabbit. Shigeru Ushiyama ..

as Daisy Duck and Alice. Mika Doi .. as Minnie Mouse. Yuko Mizutani ..

as Wakka. Kazuya Nakai .. as Tidus. Masakazu Morita ..

as Selphie. Mayuko Aoki .. as Cloud Strife. Takahiro Sakurai ..

as Aerith Gainsborough. Maaya Sakamoto .. as Yuffie Kisaragi. Yumi Kakazu ..

as Squall Leonhart (Leon). Hideo Ishikawa .. as Jiminy Cricket. Kaneta Kimotsuki ..

as Maleficent. Toshiko Sawada .. as Ansem. Akio Otsuka ..

as Kairi. Risa Uchida .. as Riku. Mamoru Miyano ..

as Goofy. Yutaka Shimaka .. as Donald Duck, Genie, Mushu, Beast, Sebastian. Koichi Yamadera ..

as Sora. Miyu Irino .. as Mickey Mouse. Wayne Allwine ..

as Mushu. Mark Moseley .. as Beast. Robby Benson ..

as Piglet. John Fiedler .. as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Jim Cummings ..

as Captain Hook, Doorknob, Flotsam, Jetsam, and White Rabbit. Corey Burton .. as Peter Pan. Christopher Steele ..

as Oogie Boogie. Ken Page .. Smee. as The Mayor, Barrel, and Mr.

Jeff Bennett .. Finkelstein and Lock. as Dr. Jess Harnell ..

as Sally. Rita Rudner .. as Jack Skellington. Chris Sarandon ..

as Ursula. Pat Carroll .. as King Triton. Ken Mars ..

as Sebastian. Kevin Michael Richardson .. as Flounder. Eli Linnetz ..

as Ariel. Jodi Benson .. as Geppetto. Tony Pope ..

as Pinocchio. Seth Adkins .. as Iago. Gilbert Gottfried ..

as Jafar. Jonathan Freeman .. as Jasmine. Linda Larkin ..

as Genie. Dan Castellaneta .. as Aladdin. Scott Weinger ..

as Sora's mother and Shock. Kath Soucie .. as Terk. Audrey Wasilewski ..

as Jane Porter. Naia Kelly .. as Clayton. Brian Blessed ..

as Tarzan. Tony Goldwyn .. as Hades. James Woods ..

as Philoctetes (Phil). Robert Costanzo .. as Hercules. Sean Astin ..

as Alice and Wendy Darling. Kathryn Beaumont .. as Daisy Duck and Queen of Hearts. Tress MacNeille ..

as Minnie Mouse. Russi Taylor .. as Wakka. Dee Bradley Baker ..

as Tidus. Shaun Flemming .. as Selphie. Molly Keck ..

as Sephiroth. James Lance Bass .. as Cloud Strife. Steve Burton ..

as Aerith Gainsborough. Mandy Moore .. as Yuffie Kisaragi. Christy Carlson Romano ..

as Squall Leonhart (Leon). David Boreanaz .. as Jiminy Cricket. Eddie Carroll ..

as Maleficent. Susan Blakeslee .. as Ansem. Billy Zane ..

as Kairi. Hayden Panettiere .. as Riku. David Gallagher ..

as Goofy. Bill Farmer .. as Donald Duck. Tony Anselmo ..

as Sora. Haley Joel Osment .. In the Final Mix release, an additional video, Another Side, Another Story: Deep Dive, is included if the player peforms other specific tasks. In the North American release, a bonus Kingdom Hearts II teaser titled Another Side, Another Story could be unlocked by peforming certain tasks.

The optional boss Kurt Zisa was named after the winner of a publicity contest held by Squaresoft to promote the game. They were included in Final Mix along with another optional boss. While the Phantom and Coliseum bosses are present in the original Japanese version, the rest of the optional bosses were added later in the English version. Optional bosses in the game include Kurt Zisa, a Heartless; the Phantom, a Heartless; Ice Titan, from Hercules; Sephiroth, from Final Fantasy VII; and various Final Fantasy and Hercules characters in Coliseum matches.

The homeland of Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Disney Castle (non-playable, not to be confused with Sleeping Beauty Castle). The World Terminus is located here, providing access to small areas of other worlds. The final battles with Ansem are fought here.

Kingdom Hearts is near the center of this world. It is where many Heartless and evil beings reside. A large, dark world created from the assimilation of various worlds consumed in darkness. End of the World.

This is also Maleficent's headquarters. This is the world that has been created for the Square characters as well as a sort of stand-in for the movie Beauty and the Beast as the Beast is a playable character there. Hollow Bastion. Several Final Fantasy and Disney characters reside here, including Aerith Gainsborough, Gepetto from Pinnochio, Yuffie Kisaragi, Squall Leonheart, Cid Highwind, The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, and Merlin from The Sword in the Stone.

A sort of "resting place" to come back to in between worlds, Traverse Town is where Sora first meets Donald and Goofy and truly starts his quest. Traverse Town. This world is home not only to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but also Final Fantasy characters, Selphie Tilmitt, Tidus, and Wakka. This is where the Sora starts his journey, and although only accessible near the beginning and end of the game, the islands and the events in them are critical to the entire game's storyline.

Destiny Islands. It is also one of the more important Disney-based worlds in the game, storyline-wise. Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy, Smee and Tinkerbell call this world home, with Peter Pan able to join your party. The world's name is somewhat a misnomer because the action takes place on Captain Hook's ship and a minor bit in London; as such, the actual Neverland is not actually visited.

Neverland, from Peter Pan. It features Jack Skellington, Sally, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Doctor Finklestein, Zero, the two-faced Mayor and Oogie Boogie, with Jack able to join your party. This world includes the town square, Oogie Boogie's Manor, Moonlit Hill and a graveyard. The movie's cast make their video game debut in the level.

Halloween Town, from The Nightmare Before Christmas. This level has often been criticized by fans as a difficult level to play because the controls vary underwater. Ariel, King Triton, Ursula, Sebastian, Flounder, Flotsam and Jetsam appear in this world, with Ariel being the only female character in the game to join your party. This was a distinctive underwater level that consists of Ursula's cave, several grottos, and the city of Atlantica.

Atlantica, from The Little Mermaid. Monstro is not a true world by Kingdom Hearts' definition, and thus does not contain a keyhole to be sealed. The infamous little wooden puppet Pinocchio and his maker Gepetto can be found here. This world brings the player through the bowels of a whale.

Monstro, from Pinocchio. Aladdin, Abu, Jasmine, Jafar, Iago and Genie are introduced here, with Aladdin being a possible party member. This world includes Agrabah and the Cave of Wonders. Agrabah, from Aladdin.

A variety of mini games open up as you proceed through the game. This world is unlike the others; there are no Heartless here and it takes place in the pages of a book. 100 Acre Wood, from Winnie the Pooh. This is a slightly longer world than the first, and includes Tarzan, as the first character that can be added to your party, Jane, Clayton and Several gorillas.

Deep Jungle, from Tarzan. Phil), Cerberus, and Cloud Strife. This includes Hades, Hercules, Philoctetes (a.k.a. Olympus Coliseum, from Hercules.

It features the Cheshire Cat, the Doorknob, Alice, The Queen of Hearts, and several cards as well as the White Rabbit. This is the first level that can be closed to the Heartless. This is a surreal level in which the player is shrunk down to a miniscule size. Wonderland, from Alice in Wonderland.