Video game:PlayStation 2 Kingdom Hearts II

Since its founding in 1923, The Walt Disney Company has become the largest media conglomerate in the world. The company gave birth to countless films, musicals, television shows, and theme parks. Many of Disney?s characters, introduced through animation or film, have found new life in tie-in video games that give fans the opportunity to interact with beloved worlds and story lines.

Disney Interactive released one of its most successful video games in 2002 for the PlayStation 2. Entitled "Kingdom Hearts," this action role-playing game has sold more than 4.5 million copies and spawned a series including many sequels. It combines the world of Disney with characters created by the Japanese company Square for the "Final Fantasy" video games. Gamers play as Sora, a 14-year old boy who must battle the Heartless and protect Kingdom Hearts. Donald Duck and Goofy join him on his journey, and the trio encounters many other Disney personas, including Mickey, Maleficent, Snow White, Belle, and Aladdin on its quest. Many of the actors who voiced characters from the original Disney films lent their talents for this video game. Players progress through different levels, or worlds, which programmers designed to resemble the Disney movies from which they came.

In 2006, two years after Disney released the direct sequel to "Kingdom Hearts," they released "Kingdom Hearts II." Its gameplay is similar to that of the original and it features many of the same characters. Developers made some changes to the game, including the method of transportation between worlds, and battle sequences. Many members of the original voice cast returned to provide their talents for this game.

Critics and players alike enjoyed "Kingdom Hearts II." It sold one million copies within its first month of release and became the third best-selling game of 2006. Jeff Haynes of IGN wrote that the game has "a beautiful title with a great story and fantastic presentation." It won the Satellite Award in 2006 for "Outstanding Game Based on Existing Medium," and IGN ranked it as the number one game for the 2006 "Reader?s Choice" for PlayStation 2 games.

Because of "Kindom Hearts II?" success, Square and Disney released merchandise ranging from toys to clothing and books, as well as remastered versions of the game. Its follow-up came out in 2010, and the game series remains popular more than a decade after the release of the first game.