Pixar has spent the last 27 years creating some of the most vibrant, striking worlds in cinematic history, and using them as the backdrop to tell approachable yet complex, heartfelt stories that appeal to audiences of all ages. FromCoco’s bright take on the afterlife, toInside Out’s creative interpretation of the mind, Pixar’s worlds are always fleshed-out and memorable, making some of them a perfect fit for theKingdom Heartsseries. WithKingdom Hearts 4well on the way, it’s likely that fans will get to explore a new collection of Disney and Pixar worlds alongside Sora, Goofy, Donald, and the rest of the crew, and Pixar’sOnwardmay offer the perfect setting.
Released right before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world in early 2020,Onwardwas a bit of box office disappointment for Disney and Pixar. With the state of the world at the time, Disney thoughtOnwardwould do better if it was released on streaming, and thusOnwardcame toDisney Plusin April 2020, just a few weeks after its theatrical debut. Following the story of two young elf brothers who attempt to magically resurrect their father,Onward’s themes are surprisingly heavy, but its world remains as light and vibrant as Pixar fans would expect, making it a great setting for aKingdom Hearts 4world.
RELATED:Final Fantasy Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Has One More Obvious DLC Soundtrack
Onward Would Make a Great Kingdom Hearts 4 World
Onwardtakes the fantasy genre and puts a unique, modern spin on the formula and settings fans might be expecting. Set in a world where magic has been overtaken by science,Onwardsees mythical creatures live a modern, suburban lifestyle; elves, centaurs, and cyclopses go to high school together, a manticore runs a local fast-food restaurant, and unicorns dig through trash. Though fantasy and magic used to be present inOnward’s world, it’s become a long-forgotten myth, andOnward’s plot partially revolves around bringing that magic back to society.
The overarching plot ofOnward, and where the movie leaves its world after its ending, makes it the ideal setting for aKingdom Hearts 4world. TheKingdom Heartsfranchise is constantly dabbling in themes of hope and magic, and restoring society to what it once was.Kingdom Hearts 4could take players toOnward’s world, and task players with re-introducing magic to society, and therefore restoring hope to a cynical world, which is all very fitting with the previous games in the series. And withOnward’s world already being steeped in fantasy elements, it just makes sense for it to be included inKingdom Hearts 4. After all, it’s harder to shoe-horn inToy StoryandTronthan a movie already containing the usual aspects of theKingdom Heartsfranchise.
Additionally,Onward’s overall visual design would also translate toKingdom Hearts 4pretty seamlessly.Onward’s world features a lot of bright blue and purple colors, with vibrant night skies and sunsets being prominent features of the movie. Along with Pixar’s distinct character animation style,Onward’s visual design would need little work to be used inKingdom Hearts 4.
UsingOnwardinKingdom Hearts 4could also increase the game’s star power quite a bit, as if Square Enix wanted to shell out the big bucks, then bothTom Hollandand Chris Pratt could return to voice their characters from the movie. TheKingdom Heartsfranchise has occasionally used characters' original voice actors before, but with Chris Pratt and Tom Holland being so well known, investing in these two actors would be a particularly big commitment from Square Enix.
