It has long been rumored that "Kingdom Hearts 3" will involve a few new worlds from Disney cartoons and the "Final Fantasy" franchise, one of which includes the Hundred-Acre Woods and its residents Winnie the Pooh and friends. That latter rumor has now been confirmed by voice actor Jim Cummings, as reported by GameZone.
Cummings voices both Tigger Too and Winnie the Pooh on numerous "Winnie the Pooh" shows, video games and shorts. He is also responsible for the voice behind Pete, Mickey Mouse's rival, who also makes a regular appearance in the "Kingdom Hearts" titles.
His inclusion in "Kingdom Hearts 3" was confirmed during this year's Comic-Con at Albuquerque, New Mexico. During a panel, he mentioned "Yes, 'Kingdom Hearts 3' is done... At least my stuff is, and no I don't know when it's coming out."
Cummings also stated that it was more fun to do the voice work for Tigger and Pete in comparison to doing the voice work needed for Winnie the Pooh. He explained that there was also a level of difficulty since the game was made in Japan with Japanese voices in mind. This meant the lip movements of the characters did not sync well with the English lines.
A video recording Cummings's statement later spread across YouTube, proving that he did mention he was involved with "Kingdom Hearts 3."
The inclusion of the Hundred-Acre Woods is noted by fans to be a strange choice given that unlike other Disney worlds, there are no real villains in the "Winnie the Pooh" franchise. The franchise did make its appearance in the first "Kingdom Hearts" title.
"Kingdom Hearts 3" still has no official release date but "Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue" is set to release sometime this year, alongside Square-Enix's other major RPG title, "Final Fantasy XV." It is speculated "Kingdom Hearts 3" will not release until 2017.
