Nearly all of the celebrity voice performers from Big Hero 6 will reprise their roles in the Disney-Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts 3. Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, and Khary Payton are all returning from the Big Hero 6 animated film and television show.
Pulling in voice talent from the Disney films for Kingdom Hearts isn’t unusual, with the previous games in the series having voice performers from classic films like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and even films as old as Alice in Wonderland reprising their memorable roles. For this third main installment in the action RPG series, voice performers from popular modern Disney films like Tangled and Frozen, including Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Zachary Levi will lend their voices to their Disney characters.
Expect to see the same degree of talent in the Big Hero 6-themed world of Kingdom Hearts 3. Per a tweet from the official Kingdom Hearts Twitter account, Ryan Potter will return as protagonist Hiro Yamada, along with Scott Adsit as his trusty robot friend Baymax, Jamie Chung as Yo-Yo Tomago, Genesis Rodriguez as Honey Lemon, and Khary Payton as Wasabi No-Ginger. The last character in that line-up was initially voiced by Damon Wayans Jr. in the film, with Payton, best known for voicing Cyborg in Teen Titans and portraying Ezekiel in The Walking Dead, replacing Wayans in the Big Hero 6 Disney Channel film.
Not mentioned by Square Enix is the character of Fred, who is voiced by T.J. Miller in the film and Brooks Wheelan from SNL in the television show. While Fred appears in the image provided by Square Enix, a voice actor is not listed for the character. Miller shouldn’t be expected to appear, both because of his higher star status and his multiple controversies, including sexual assault allegations and charges against the actor after calling in fake bomb threats. If Wheelan was brought into the project, Square Enix has not made that clear.
The news should be comforting to any fans of the popular movie. Having the original voice cast in a video game that regularly visits the worlds of multiple classic Disney movies adds an extra layer of authenticity, making players feel as if they are inhabiting those worlds. With technology in graphics and sound having advanced greatly since the second main game’s release in 2006, these Disney worlds should feel more realistic and tangible than ever in the upcoming, large-scale Kingdom Hearts 3.
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Kingdom Hearts III releases January 25, 2019 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Source: Square Enix/Twitter
