Onward (2020 Film) Review
Set in a suburban fantasy world, brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot receive a wizard’s staff, a prearranged gift from their late father. The staff comes attached with a spell, which enables the staff’s user to bring back a loved one for one day. The brothers try reviving their father, but when they succeed only to bring back his lower half, the two embark on a quest to bring him back entirely.
Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice Ian and Barley Lightfoot. Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices Laurel Lightfoot, Ian and Barley's widowed mother. Octavia Spencer also joins as Corey, a manticore and restaurant owner who Ian and Barley seek help from for their quest.
Dan Scanlon, the filmmaker behind Pixar's "Monsters University," directed "Onward." Kori Rae produced the film while Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin co-wrote the script. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed "Onward" through Pixar Animation Studios.
Overall Thoughts
After their string of sequels, Pixar is returning to making new original features films. Their latest is "Onward," a suburban fantasy based on a deeply personal story from director and co-writer Dan Scanlon.
As you may recall, Pixar has dabbled in mythical fantasy before in their highly underrated 2012 film, "Brave." It dealt with kooky witches and mysterious spirits, but with some moderation. "Onward" goes all-out and the opening minutes feature some truly magical scenery. This fantasy world has some character designs that are reminiscent of Pixar's "Monsters, Inc" movies, while others feel like they came from the Arthurian tales or other mythical worlds. It may be no surprise, but their animation quality once again hits a new level and that development is shown throughout the film. "Onward" is full of its own ideas. Its set-up of a magical land that quit practicing magic because there were easier and simpler ways of living is quite perfect, but then we transition to the introduction of our two main leads.
At first, "Onward" struggles in establishing its characters and story. The two brothers, Ian and Barley, start out very paint-by-numbers. Ian starts out like another run-of-the-mill Tom Holland role: socially awkward and introverted. Having already seen Tom Holland play many of those characters, you get the feeling like Ian's going to be a bland copy of those parts. Barley, though slightly more unique being a magical historian and activist, seems like the typical brash older brother who always gets in trouble. In addition, the dialogue in the first-act can be exposition-heavy. While some it can be thoughtful, overall, it seems random. Fortunately, the remainder of the film doesn't have the same issues.
After ten minutes or so, the film kicks into high gear and from then on, there is nary a dull moment. On the surface, Ian and Barley may seem like blank slates, but as they embark on their mission, we discover that there's more to them than initially introduced. As they journey to finish the spell, we learn what both brothers wish to experience with their father. The way these desires play into their characters is rather clever and emotional. The film's story unfolds through the points of view of many characters, except for one major character and this plays into that individual's arc. It's a good, less obvious way of doing character development that gives the film more detail to read into upon future viewings.
"Onward" is a movie filled with personal touches. At certain times, the sensitivity can seem so overwhelming that it can't be mistaken for anything but personal. In particular, there's one moment early on where Ian listens to an audiotape of his father and starts talking in between the gaps, creating a makeshift conversation. Knowing that Scanlon's own father passed and that he only had an audio recording to remember him by makes the scene even more powerful. This one scene helps set the tone of the rest of the movie. It is adventurous, yes, but also incredibly touching, as only Pixar does. I will be thinking about the ending for quite some time.
(Side Note: For Pixar, typically, they show one of their short films in front of a new feature. With "Onward," Pixar goes the "Coco" route and plays of an existing franchise. Instead of showing an original short, a "Simpsons" short is presented in front of the film. The short stars the youngest member of the Simpson family, Maggie, and may perhaps be fun for fans of the show. Don't worry, it's nowhere near as long as "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" was in front of "Coco." For me, I viewed it as an obvious plug for one of Disney's newly acquired brands. My hope is that, in the future, Pixar will resume releasing new shorts in front of their films. Though, considering they're releasing some to Disney+, who knows if that tradition will continue?)
As you may recall, Pixar has dabbled in mythical fantasy before in their highly underrated 2012 film, "Brave." It dealt with kooky witches and mysterious spirits, but with some moderation. "Onward" goes all-out and the opening minutes feature some truly magical scenery. This fantasy world has some character designs that are reminiscent of Pixar's "Monsters, Inc" movies, while others feel like they came from the Arthurian tales or other mythical worlds. It may be no surprise, but their animation quality once again hits a new level and that development is shown throughout the film. "Onward" is full of its own ideas. Its set-up of a magical land that quit practicing magic because there were easier and simpler ways of living is quite perfect, but then we transition to the introduction of our two main leads.At first, "Onward" struggles in establishing its characters and story. The two brothers, Ian and Barley, start out very paint-by-numbers. Ian starts out like another run-of-the-mill Tom Holland role: socially awkward and introverted. Having already seen Tom Holland play many of those characters, you get the feeling like Ian's going to be a bland copy of those parts. Barley, though slightly more unique being a magical historian and activist, seems like the typical brash older brother who always gets in trouble. In addition, the dialogue in the first-act can be exposition-heavy. While some it can be thoughtful, overall, it seems random. Fortunately, the remainder of the film doesn't have the same issues.
After ten minutes or so, the film kicks into high gear and from then on, there is nary a dull moment. On the surface, Ian and Barley may seem like blank slates, but as they embark on their mission, we discover that there's more to them than initially introduced. As they journey to finish the spell, we learn what both brothers wish to experience with their father. The way these desires play into their characters is rather clever and emotional. The film's story unfolds through the points of view of many characters, except for one major character and this plays into that individual's arc. It's a good, less obvious way of doing character development that gives the film more detail to read into upon future viewings.
"Onward" is a movie filled with personal touches. At certain times, the sensitivity can seem so overwhelming that it can't be mistaken for anything but personal. In particular, there's one moment early on where Ian listens to an audiotape of his father and starts talking in between the gaps, creating a makeshift conversation. Knowing that Scanlon's own father passed and that he only had an audio recording to remember him by makes the scene even more powerful. This one scene helps set the tone of the rest of the movie. It is adventurous, yes, but also incredibly touching, as only Pixar does. I will be thinking about the ending for quite some time.
(Side Note: For Pixar, typically, they show one of their short films in front of a new feature. With "Onward," Pixar goes the "Coco" route and plays of an existing franchise. Instead of showing an original short, a "Simpsons" short is presented in front of the film. The short stars the youngest member of the Simpson family, Maggie, and may perhaps be fun for fans of the show. Don't worry, it's nowhere near as long as "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" was in front of "Coco." For me, I viewed it as an obvious plug for one of Disney's newly acquired brands. My hope is that, in the future, Pixar will resume releasing new shorts in front of their films. Though, considering they're releasing some to Disney+, who knows if that tradition will continue?)
Rating: ★★★½
Conclusion
This has been my review of "Onward." I hope you enjoyed it. Have you seen the film? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments below. Should you feel inclined, recommend a film for me to review next. I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another review. Thank you for reading.
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