The United Realms is the universal setting in the 2020 Disney/Pixar animated feature film, Onward. It is set in a fantasy world, one where all the inhabitants are mythical creatures where they all live in a world without humans.
Background[]
In ancient times, the country was known as the Fractured Realms. A male cyclops famously declared "Apart, our realms would crumble and fall. We must once and forever become a united realm". Eventually, the different realms of the country joined together and became the collective United Realms.
In ancient times, the United Realms was full of wonder and magic. Wilden Lightfoot watched over the land of mythical creatures as a wizard and the magic helped all the inhabitants in need. However, magic was difficult for most people to master. As a result, those without magic developed easier ways to help themselves and each other through technology; one such female satyr invented the light bulb. As technology evolved across the United Realms, magic was used less and less, until even casual and inherent traces of it in different species faded away and the existence of magic was forgotten and thought of as fiction.
Through Ian and Barley's plan to revive their late father, magic and other historic traits and practices are spread back into the world through the recognition of magic, fairies reusing their ability to fly, centaurs running, and Corey the Manticore telling stories of her adventures.
Inhabitants[]
This realm is inhabited by a variety of creatures, both sapient and non-sapient.
Sapient Races (People)[]
- Bog Beasts[1]
- Centaurs
- Cyclopes
- Elves
- The Lightfoots
- Sadalia Brushthorn
- Avel
- Gloom Elves: A subset of elves that, contrary to normal elves' varying tones of blue skin and hair, have brown skin and hair instead.[2]
- Fae (Fairies, Sprites, Pixies)
- Gnomes
- Goblins
- Gremlins
- Manticores
- Merpeople
- Minotaurs[3]
- Satyrs
- Sirens[4]
- Talking Trees
- Trolls
Creatures[]
- Centicores
- Dragons
- Gelatinous Cubes
- Giant Spiders[3]
- Griffins
- Krakens
- Pegasi/Winged Horses
- Unicorns/Alicorns/Horned Pegasi/Winged Unicorns
- Phoenixes
Points of Interests[]
Locations[]
- The Brave Wilderness - A large, vast forest. Next to the Brave Wilderness area is the Loch Lake. Seen only on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- Brook of Time - A river extending from a forest near the Path of Peril into the mountainous forest near the Untold Caverns to the East. Seen on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- Loch Lake - A lake named after Loch Ness. It is located in the Brave Wilderness area. Seen only on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- New Mushroomton - A city where all the households houses have mushroom tops on them. It is the place where the Lightfoot family lives. Its borders consist of Knolling Hills and Path of Peril.[5][6]
- Knolling Hills - A faraway area accessed after leaving New Mushroomton. Seen only on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- Harpshire - Seen only on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- Untold Caverns - Seen only on the United Realms map.[5][6]
- Raven's Point - An area near the Path of Peril. Most of the objects seen here are raven statues.[5][6]
- Stonemeade - An area a short distance East from New Mushroomton, located among mountains. Seen only on the real world full version of the United Realms map.[6]
- Viking Village - A village mentioned on Ian's cork board. Though unconfirmed, it may be on the campus of Willowdale College, or the place Willowdale is located in. Its location is unknown. While whether it is located in the Western Realm is unclear, it is likely.
- Willowdale College - A college where Ian and Barley's father, Wilden Lightfoot, attended. Its school colors are blue and yellow, and its mascot is the griffin. While whether it is located in the Western Realm is unclear, it is likely.
Roads[]
- Expressways - Three expressways (3, 7, and 16) are seen, drawn in red.[5][6]
- Path of Peril - A large, suburban location accessed after leaving New Mushroomton. Far from the Path of Peril is Raven's Point where numerous raven statues inhabit the area.[5][6]
- Road of Ruin - A dangerous area only mentioned by Barley Lightfoot. Stated, but not seen on the map.
- Southborough Road - A road leading to the mountains near Stonemeade extending from the road numbered 77. Seen only on the real world full version of the map.[6]
- Wanderon Road - A road extending from Expressway 16 through the Brave Wilderness. Seen on the map, its name is blurry but presumed.[5][6]
Trivia[]
- The United Realms' name is a parody of the United States of America.
- Maybe is not mentioned explicitly, United Realms is governed by a monarchy.
- References to Scotland include:
- The Brave Wilderness is named after the 2012 Disney/Pixar film Brave. The film takes place in medieval Scotland where the protagonist Merida refuses to marry a prince and decides to enjoy freedom.
- One of the locations in the film is named "Loch Lake". "Loch" is the Scottish word for "lake"; interestingly, Loch Ness is the most famous lake in the world where the Loch Ness Monster is rumored to be.
- Based on an illegible picture seen in Ian's Geography class, the United Realms seems to be located on a large island, divided up into roughly seven biomes. The name of this island continent is largely illegible, but may be (or a parody of) Lemuria, a proposed sunken continent that became legendary in fiction and occultism similar to Atlantis.
- Based on the real map in the Manticore's Tavern, New Mushroomton and the surrounding locations seen on the children's menu map is located specifically in the continent's Western Realm.
- There are several inconsistencies regarding these maps. The tavern map is depicted with the western coastline having a clear down-rightward diagonal slope, while the road map depicts it more vertically. The tavern map's slope does match with a small portion of the continent's large bay to its south that bridges both a grassy plain biome and what may be a barren desert biome (corresponding to the cities and the dessert where Raven's Point is located, respectively), except for the specifics of where each biome starts and ends.
- Based on the real map in the Manticore's Tavern, New Mushroomton and the surrounding locations seen on the children's menu map is located specifically in the continent's Western Realm.
- The world the United Realms takes place in:
- Has two moons, one smaller than the other. They share their phases, which can be seen on a diagram in Ian's bedroom.
- Has its own names for the months of the year,[7] which do still correspond to real world months.
- Does use conventional compass directions,[6] and the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west.
References[]
- ↑ Onward: The Search for the Phoenix Gem: An In-Questigation (by Steve Behling)
- ↑ Onward: The Story of the Movie in Comics ("Game Night")
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Disney*Pixar Storybook Collection (Mighty Mom, by Courtney Carbone)
- ↑ Deleted Scene: "Sirens"
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 File:United Realms.jpg
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 https://twitter.com/AweMagic/status/1246045647582593024
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MrDanScanlon/status/1539405713365012480
