History Main / MapAllAlong

[[folder:Films - Animated]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull'', Indy is trying to talk to Oxley in the Soviet camp in the Amazon jungle about how he got a hold of the crystal skull, [[DrivenToMadness which made him insane and talking in riddles]]. When he keeps moving his hand and saying "[[MadnessMantra To lay their just hands on that Golden Key... That ope's the Palace of Eternity. Through eyes that last I saw in tears... here in death?s dream kingdom... eyes! That last I saw in- tears-?]] Indy tries to reason with him, when he notices Oxly's hand movements, and when he's given a pen and paper, Oxley draws a series of symbols that Indy can decipher as directions to the skull's origin.

** In "Some Buried Bones", the carvings in an absinthe spoon found embedded in a victim's skull turn out to be a map of how to exit the hedge maze in which he died.

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': Jolly's picture of a screwdriver, a nut, and a screw in ''Great War in the Bizarre World''. It's passed off by him as a map, and it's implied that Jolly just handed the goats and wolves a photo and is claiming that it's a map thanks to his [[KnowNothingKnowItAll non-existent knowledge]], with the wolves rightfully questioning his logic when they use it, but it later turns out to be a really good approximation of where everything is in the Bizarre World - the river is shaped like a screwdriver, a nut-shaped castle wall is located close to it on the right, and a mushroom-like growth with a screw shape is to the left.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorge2006'', the Man with the Yellow Hat sets out an expedition to Africa to find a legendary idol said to be gigantic for his failing museum. Unfortunately, when he reaches the idol's last known location, all he finds is a dingy little version of it, making him think the legends exaggerated a bit. In the end, after he and George reconcile, they discover that when light filters through the stone, it projects a map, which the Man realizes leads to the ''actual'' idol, which they find.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CuriousGeorgeTheMovie'', the Man with the Yellow Hat sets out an expedition to Africa to find a legendary idol said to be gigantic for his failing museum. Unfortunately, when he reaches the idol's last known location, all he finds is a dingy little version of it, making him think the legends exaggerated a bit. In the end, after he and George reconcile, they discover that when light filters through the stone, it projects a map, which the Man realizes leads to the ''actual'' idol, which they find.

* ''Film/EscapeToWitchMountain'': When [[TheBully Truck]] snatches Tia's case, Winkie knocks it off his hand. The fall makes the pannel with two stars at the top of the case get partially losen of its tackles, revealing a map underneath. Tia and Tony use it as a guide after they escape from Mr. Bolt's mansion ([[spoiler: The map marks the place where their people, an alien race, is living isolated from humans.]])

* In season two of ''Series/StrangerThings'', Will's obsessive drawings that turn the entire house into a RoomFullOfCrazy stump the family, until Bob realizes that [[spoiler:it's a map of the tunnels under Hawkins and its immediate surroundings]].

* ''VideoGame/ThereIsNoGameWrongDimension'' has an inversion of the trope at the end of Chapter 4, where you can go around the world to fill out a map. After the map is fully filled out and completed, the shape formed by the paths of the map becomes something you need to finish the chapter: A key.

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* In ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', a map is disguised as dancing steps.

What's '''not''' this trope: an ''obvious'' map merely contained in an item, or somehow hidden. If the map is just suddenly found in something, it's probably FramedClue. If the map simply shows under specific circumstances, it's InvisibleWriting. If the map is a device that is finally activated, it's ChanceActivation.

* In ''The Cheyne Mystery'' by Creator/FreemanWillsCrofts, one of the clues is a mysterious diagram drawn on a piece of linen, covered with irregularly-placed circles containing numbers, letters and wavy lines, and the phrase "England expects every man to do his duty". French and his officers eventually realise that it should be superimposed on a map of England, with the wavy lines matching the coastline; then the numbered circles indicate particular towns.

* ''WesternAnimation/TitanAE'': Cale's tattoo turns out to be a holographic map leading to the location of the ''Titan'', which is humanity's last hope to create a new home for itself.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', Quasimodo studies the talisman which Esmeralda has given him and realizes that it's a map of Paris. He recognizes the pattern of streets and buildings as seen from above (which is the only way he's ever seen them), and understands that the talisman shows the way through the city to the Court of Miracles.

* ''Film/EscapeToWitchMountain'': When [[TheBully Truck]] snatches Tia's case, Winkie knocks it off his hand. The fall makes the pannel with two stars at the top of the case get partially losen of its tackles, revealing a map underneath. Tia and Tony use it as a guide after they escape from Mr. Bolt's mansion ([[spoiler: The map marks the place where her people, an alien race, is living isolated from humans.]])

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

* Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena: In the first chapter of the manga, Utena has been receiving anon postcards. When they are joined together, they form a photo of the Ohtori Academy. She believes that it was her prince who sent her the postcards and that he is waiting her there.

[[folder: Films - Animated]]

[[folder: Films - Live-Action]]

[[folder: Literature]]

* ''Literature/{{Erebos}}'': The world of the eponymous, fictional video game contains elements that the protagonist finds out are meant to be the map of London Underground, with objects in the colours that lines ared drawn on the tube map and certain objects being named after stations.

[[folder: Live-Action TV]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]

[[folder: Toys]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

* [[VideoGame/ThereIsNoGameWrongDimension There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension]] has an inversion of the trope at the end of Chapter 4, where you can go around the world to fill out a map. After the map is fully filled out and completed, the shape formed by the paths of the map becomes something you need to finish the chapter: A key.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

[[folder: Anime]]

[[folder: Manga]]

* One ''Manga/AndYetTheTownMoves'' chapter follows Hotori and friends investigating the mystery of a treasure hidden in a small town out in the countryside. Their only clues are what the townsfolk themselves say and a small inkbrush painting of a blossoming cherry tree, which had a riddle relevant to the mystery. Hotori eventually figures out that the painting is, in fact, a map of all the bodies of water surrounding the town, and the only branch with a blossom is where the treasure resides.

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