A "Smash Bros."-like crossover fighting game featuring a wide array of Disney characters was conceptualized and even reached a prototype stage at Disney Interactive, according to former concept artist Ken Christiansen. The project, tentatively titled "Disney's Action Figure Face Off," drew inspiration from the unexpected success of the Kingdom Hearts series.
Christiansen, who worked at Disney Interactive, shared concept art in 2013 that hinted at such a game, depicting various Disney characters in combat scenarios. He recently confirmed the existence of this project in an interview with Time Extension, detailing the internal challenges Disney faced in approving cross-property collaborations.
"One of the reasons Kingdom Hearts was so difficult to get started was because Disney was so reluctant to have that possibility of crossing over The Lion King into The Little Mermaid world," Christiansen explained. "That was the main hangup for Disney America. They couldn't get over that."
However, after Kingdom Hearts demonstrated the appeal of such crossovers, a new concept emerged. "Since Kingdom Hearts already kind of broke that mold, producers would say, 'Hey, what if we say they're action figures, and we kind of take the same conceit as Toy Story, but have them fight each other instead?'" Christiansen stated. This idea aimed to leverage Disney's vast library of characters, treating them as action figures for a fighting game akin to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros.
The concept art showcased potential matchups such as Captain Hook versus Beast, Sheriff of Nottingham versus King Louie, Ursula versus John Silver, and Queen of Hearts versus the Horned King. The selection included some lesser-seen characters, sparking imagination about a modern roster.
Despite the creative enthusiasm, "Disney's Action Figure Face Off" ultimately did not move beyond the prototype phase. Time Extension reported that Disney shifted focus to movie and TV tie-in games instead. Christiansen noted that many concepts he worked on during his four years at Disney never materialized, though projects tied to films or shows like Treasure Planet, Atlantis, or Pixar's Buzz Lightyear and Monsters, Inc. did see release.
This unreleased fighting game concept adds to the long history of ambitious game ideas that never reached players. Meanwhile, development continues on Kingdom Hearts IV, with Square Enix aiming for a late 2027 release window, as indicated by director Tetsuya Nomura.