Wilden Lightfoot is an elf in the 2020 Disney/Pixar animated feature film, Onward. He is the father of Ian and Barley Lightfoot and the husband of Laurel Lightfoot. Though he died before Ian was born and when Barley was a toddler, he left his sons a staff and a spell he wrote to bring him back for a day when Ian turns 16 years old so that he can see what they have become.
Role in the film
Prior to the mythical world having a modern society setting, Wilden ruled over the land of mythical creatures as a wizard until magic became extremely uncommon with rising technology. In the time where Ian and Barley are in a modern society format, they find out that their father has passed away from a severe illness as they continuously grieve about their father's death multiple times and Ian learns that the sweatshirt he is wearing once belonged to his father before he passed away.
On Ian's sixteenth birthday, Laurel gives him the clues to bring magic back to New Mushroomton, which is Wilden's staff, a rare Phoenix Gem, and a visitation spell that can resurrect Wilden for only one day. Ian uses the spell to resurrect his deceased father but due to Barley's accidental interruption, only the lower half of Wilden's body is physically restored before the Phoenix Gem disintegrates. In order to completely restore Wilden's full body, Ian has to find another Phoenix Gem before sunset in 24 hours before he disintegrates forever. Throughout the journey, Ian, Barley, and their father go on a quest to find another Phoenix Gem by going to the Manticore to find clues for the two, in which the Phoenix Gem found at Raven's Point serves as another clue for them after the only remaining clue from the tavern caught on fire is the kid's menu.
Arriving at Raven's Point, Ian, Barley, and their father later arrive where they deal with Colt Bronco's police squadron in which Barley sacrifices Guinevere in order to avoid getting arrested by Colt. After surviving a very deadly gauntlet in Raven's Point, Ian realizes the top of the hill where the Phoenix Gem would be at is by the high school Ian went to before he went on a quest with Barley. Thinking the two failed, Ian becomes very upset and decides to spend his last moments with his father before he passes away again. However, Barley finds out the Phoenix Gem was hiding in the same fountain the whole time after using a flower-shaped piece from one of the raven statues in which Barley finds a Phoenix Gem required for Ian to restore his late father back. However, after Barley obtains the gem, it unleashes a curse and causes an enormous dragon sculpture to appear and prepares to kill the elf brothers. While Ian tries to fend off the dragon sculpture, his staff gets knocked from his grip as the staff falls into the ocean, causing him to lose the staff required to restore his late father. Ian later restore the staff by receiving a splinter he got just as Corey, Laurel, and Barley continue fighting the dragon sculpture which later weakens. With the dragon weakened, Ian continues using his father's wizard staff to finally restore his late father before sunset which finally fully restores his body and finally reviving him. Wilden and Ian have a brief talk about bringing magic back to the world before he died just as Wilden fades away and dies once again.
After Ian completes his quest, Barley praises Ian that he is proud of him for restoring his late father before he fades away, bringing magic back to the world once again.
Trivia
- Wilden is the sixth deceased Pixar father after Auguste Gusteau, Poppa Henry, Héctor Rivera, Papá Julio, and Mr. Deavor.
- According to Barley, his beard was scratchy and he had a goofy laugh.
- His sons describe their father to be a terrible dancer.
- He went to Willowdale College with Gaxton.
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