Pixar’s latest movie Toy Story 4 in 2019, Pixar treated viewers to a new, original story with Onward, set in a suburban fantasy world with all types of mythical creatures.
Onward introduced audiences to the Lightfoot brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt), two elves with very different personalities. On Ian’s sixteenth birthday, their mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gave them a magical staff with a rare gem that belonged to their father, along with a letter with a “visitation spell”, which would resurrect their father for one day. The spell couldn’t be completed, and so only the lower half of their father could be brought back. Ian and Barley then went on a journey to discover if there was some magic left out there that could allow them to spend a couple of hours with their father.
coronavirus pandemic, which forced Disney to release the movie digitally only two weeks after its theatrical release. On the bright side, viewers can now appreciate the movie’s little details more carefully, including all those references to other Disney movies hidden all over the movie.
Zootopia
Onward begins with a brief journey through the history of the world and ancient magic. In the scene where a wizard of old is showing his magic skills, you will find some of Zootopia’s Night Howler flowers, those with highly potent psychological effects on mammals that caused them to become highly aggressive.
Toy Story series
Pizza Planet Easter egg, though this time it’s called Pizza Realm, and there are many signs shown in the background, with the truck finally appearing in the queue for the toll booth.
Frozen
Back to the scene at the beginning of the movie with the good old wizard, among the crowd you will find a group of rock trolls, just like the ones from Frozen. After all, both movies have mythical creatures.
Brave
Onward has two references to the 2012 movie Brave: one in Ian’s room, with a calendar with a picture of the woods from that movie, and the other can be seen in Barley’s map, which shows the location of Brave Wilderness.
Inside Out
Inside Out also got a subtle reference in Onward, though it might be one that Riley’s emotions would like to forget: Triple-Dent gum, the one with the catchy yet annoying theme song. This brand can be found a couple of times through the movie, most notably in Ian’s room and at the gas station where the brothers come across with the Pixie Dusters.
Ratatouille
Remy is not only an exceptional chef in the human world but also in other realms, as he’s seen working at the Manticore’s Tavern, though in a much bigger size than a regular rat.
Fantasia
Of course, Fantasia. Once more at the Manticore’s Tavern, the employees’ hats are those of the Sorcerer Apprentice, and when Ian is reading the book of magic, looking for growth spells, there’s a photo of a wizard that looks like Yen Sid, Mickey’s mentor.
