Kingdom Hearts II

David Ogden Stiers, an actor known to Disney fans as the voice of several notable characters such as Cogsworth and Jumba, two roles he reprised in the Kingdom Hearts series (as well as playing the role of Doc on 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'), has sadly passed away after battling bladder cancer at the age of 75 in his home in Newport, Oregon. Surely, his death will hit those of his who've heard his voice over the years pretty hard. And it is sad to know that should his characters (whether they be returning, like Cogsworth and Jumba, or new ones like Governor Ratcliffe or Fenton Q. Harcourt) appear in the Kingdom Hearts series in the future, he won't be the one voicing them.

Rest In Peace David Ogden Stiers

Source: TMZ

To celebrate Utada Hikaru's new album scheduled for release in 2018, as well as doing a live tour across Japan in the same year (which she hasn't done since 2006), it has been announced that all of Utada Hikaru's songs from "Automatic" (released in 1998) to her 6th album, "Fantôme" (released in 2016), are now available in music subscription services in various major platforms (such as Apple Music). Spotify, however, will get the songs on January 8th. Included among the songs available are the two main 'Kingdom Hearts' themes, "Hikari/Simple & Clean" and "Passion/Sanctuary".

EDIT:

It appears that North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) won't be getting the songs on Spotify.

It is with great sadness we have to report the death of a voice actor involved with the 'Kingdom Hearts' series. Robert Guillaume, better known to Disney fans as the voice of Rafiki from 'The Lion KIng', a role he reprised in Kingdom Hearts II, has died in his home in Los Angeles today at the age of 89 after battling prostate cancer. Our thoughts are with his friends and family who are mourning his loss.

Source: The Sun

Hey folks, got a massive update for you today! We're now hosting all the cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix!

That's 13+ hours of cinematics, including a few rare cutscenes you may have missed, which can be found in the "Extra + Alternate Scenes" file. This also marks the first time we've offered the Final Mix-exclusive scenes in English, and I'm happy we could deliver them in such high quality. Captured from the PS4 version, this game is looking sharper than ever. While the PS4 version has some occasional stuttering during cutscenes, I've taken care to edit that out anywhere I noticed it.

And as a little bonus, you can also download a handful of KH2FM's Boss Battles.

Our Cutscene Archive is almost complete. Thanks to @libregkd for keeping all that Data Org'd (get it?). KH1 Final Mix on PS4 is nearing completion, so you should see it very soon. Until then, peace.

The cover artwork of the upcoming light novel, 'Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 1' (set for release on June 20th), has been revealed, and can be viewed below:

'Kingdom Hearts II: The Novel Volume 1' can be pre-ordered from the following links:

• Amazon
• RightStuf
• Book Depository
• Barnes & Noble

In other related news, the second volume of the aforementioned light novel has been confirmed to be released on December 12 (and can be pre-ordered on Amazon and Barnes & Noble).