KH1 Why the Disney Worlds matter

[Dave 5,715]

Something I loved about the KH1 is how all of the Disney worlds you visit tie in with the themes present in the game.

 

Alice In Wonderland: Sora's falling down the rabbit hole throughout his entire journey. The world he knows and lives in has long been left behind, and all before him is a series of whimsical, frightening, and altogether surreal experiences. Yet, much like Alice, he accepts everything that happens with limited surprise or shock, because in the context of the dream world of Wonderland, it all makes sense in a strange way.

 

Olympus Coliseum: As it is revealed later in the game (and by much commentary in later games), Sora really isn't supposed to be the hero. Phil says as much here, and he's right: if this were an average JRPG, Riku would be the hero. He's stronger, he's faster, and he's more mature, and according to Phil, that's what matters the most. But, much like Hercules, Sora has things that Riku doesn't: he has compassion, bravery, self-sacrifice, and love. And in the end, that's what makes Sora the hero of the story.

 

Deep Jungle: "Strangers like me" is the best way to put it. Sora sets off on his journey with a set expectation of who is friends are, and what they mean to him. But as he goes on, he meets new people, and is forced to question his place: which matters more, his past or his present? Who are his friends, those he used to be with, or those who he is with now? Tarzan has much the same problem as Sora: he has known only one way for his entire life, only to discover that there are people more like him, and now he doesn't know which group he associates with more. This creates hard decisions for both, and they wonder whether they can really have it both ways.

 

Agrabah: This one is similar to the themes in Olympus Coliseum, focusing on the "diamond in the rough" aspect of Aladdin. The way Jafar views Al is much the way Riku later views Sora: the idea is that our heroes are simply not worthy, for one reason or another, and both antagonists believe themselves to be a cut above the rest. But what really matters is how far Al and Sora are willing to go for a friend or significant other, whether it be braving the Cave of Wonders or going to the end of the world.

 

Atlantica: This was probably my favorite world to go to, just because Ariel and Sora have so much in common. They both feel isolated and trapped within the confines of their respective worlds, ironically both being surrounded by water. But while Sora gets his chance to go world hopping, Ariel is still trapped in one place, and she sees in him a symbol of everything that she wants out of life. The futility of this wish is what leads her to Ursala and Darkness, much like how the same emotion leads Riku to Ansem and Darkness. Yet, while Riku goes all the way in submitting to his desires, Ariel is able to stop herself in time, and though she doesn't get what she wants, she still is able to find joy in existing, much like Sora.

 

Halloweentown: What is a heart? No one knows. And in Halloweentown, they try to create one, but they can only make it based on limited knowledge: the Heart is only what they think it might be. Jack thinks only in fear related terms, much like how Ansem sees the heart only in terms of Darkness. But in the end, both of them are wrong: Jack can't create a heart with just fear, and Ansem can't get to the heart of all worlds with just Darkness.

 

Neverland: This was another one of my favorites: Peter Pan is all about the children's world of make-believe, which is very much what Kingdom Hearts can be said to be like. And like Wendy, John, and Michael, Sora gets to go to a fantastical world where they can encounter all the things they might have dreamt about or read in books, and a great time is had in their adventure. But, at the end of the day, they are both reminded about the things which really matter: either their mother, or Kairi, and though they never really lose that sense of childhood magic, they each stay grounded in reality by their feelings of those who matter the most to them.

 

So, yeah. Next time someone asks what the heck the Disney worlds are doing in this game, you can tell them that they're there because they mean something.

[Weiss 8,279]

I always felt kh1 did the disney worlds best storywise. They seem most important there and overall great.

Edited February 20, 2013 by Keysofblades

[Deadshot 666]

Yes, kh1 made them matter but doesn't mean other games did well at it.

[Xaldin III 80]

This is an amazing look at it. I always looked at the worlds and their differences as a way to make Sora feel amazed at first, but during the overall journey feel that he misses the home he once desperately sought to escape.

Like in the Wizard of Oz.

[WakelessDream 2,283]

You forgot Monstro and Hundred Acre Wood

 

Well put though Dave, that's a really cool way to look at the disney worlds, and it reminds me that they shouldn't be underrated. Overall I agree (:

[Dracozombie 4,554]

Sadly, there will still be people who will continue to hate the Disney side of KH for being stupid, kiddy, and uncool.

[Zola 3,038]

Leave it to Dave to make the most annoying things poetic and beautiful.

I almost can't dislike Olympus Colosseum anymore.

[Shulk 8,623]

I was thinking more to make the game longer than 5-10 hours long, but symbolism works too!

I never thought of all this before, great find!

[Roxas Illini 49]

Can you do one for 358/2 days?  I would like see how you say how the Disney worlds so Roxas the meaning of having a heart.

[Dave 5,715]

You forgot Monstro and Hundred Acre Wood

 

Well put though Dave, that's a really cool way to look at the disney worlds, and it reminds me that they shouldn't be underrated. Overall I agree (:

You're right! >_< I feel a bit silly, especially because Hundred Acre Wood was one of the reasons I had this idea in the first place.

 

Hundred Acre Wood: The fact that Hundred Acre Wood isn't a necessary level speaks to its importance: this is the place where Christopher Robin, Sora, and ourselves go to relax our minds and escape the trials and tribulations of the real world. You aren't forced to go to it, just liked you aren't forced to read any book, but if you do, you can find ideas and places you hadn't thought of before. There are no Heartless or other dangers here, just friends who don't even question who you are or what you're doing there, but welcome you in to help live and experience their lives. It's almost meta of the game to include an escapist fantasy in an escapist fantasy, and also important that Sora's fantasy revolves around taking it easy with friends.

 

Monstro: There is a theme in Pinocchio of the dangers of children giving in to their base desires and losing their conscience: every time Pinocchio wanders off without thinking and indulges, something bad happens to him, from being kidnapped by terrifying showmen to being kidnapped by terrifying coach men to be being eaten by terrifying whales (seriously. This movie horrified me as a kid). When we meet Pinocchio in the game, he has very literally been separated from his conscience, as Jiminy is now following Sora, but has found a new word of wisdom to live by: that of Riku, who is rapidly losing his old sense of morality. The relationship of our two protagonists here symbolize the moral quandary Pinocchio goes through. Riku gives in to his indulgences, stops listening to morals, and though he gains power for some time, he eventually loses it and ends up worse than before. Sora, meanwhile, tries to follow his conscience and walk the straight and narrow, and though his path is more tumultuous and hard, his acts of kindness and goodness pay off in the long run.

 

 

I can believe I missed this:

 

Nightmare Before Christmas sees Jack discover a mysterious door, and going through it leads to a new world, offering him so many of the things that he's wanted:something joyful and exciting and new. And with this new found knowledge, he tries to fully embrace the world that he has discovered, but can only create a sort of twisted version of it, and in the end, nearly leads to the destruction of of himself. Then, at the very end of things, he discovers that perhaps it was better to remain who he is, and leave this other world and all its powers alone.

 

This ties in so well to Riku and Ansem. Both want to find something out there that fills a void in their hearts, and when they go through the door, they indeed get just that: power, exploration, and knowledge are theirs. But, because they don't fully understand what it is they have discovered, they corrupt and abuse this power until it winds up turning on them and leaving them in ruin. Though Ansem is doomed to fade, Riku sees at last what really matters, and tries to rediscover himself as he was before.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Mystics Apprentice