Onward: a brother adventure in a magical land

Onward is the newest Pixar film directed by Dan Scanlon, written by Scanlon with Jason Headley and Keith Bunn. The film stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers who set out on a quest to find a rare artifact that well bring back their deceased father for one day. Released on March 6, 2020 in the US, the film received generally positive reviews and grossed $104 million worldwide before the coronavirus pandemic shut down theaters. It was released on Disney+ and other screaming services on April 3.

In a world of mythical creatures, magic was once commonplace. After technological advances over the years, magic became obsolete and was largely discarded. It is now modern day, Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland), an elf socially awkward high schooler who lacks self-confidence. His older brother, Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt), is a history and role-playing game fanatic. They live with their widowed mother, Laurel (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in New Mushroomton. Their father, Wilden Lightfoot, died shortly before Ian born. As the story opens, it is Ian’s 16^th birthday and Laurel gives the brothers a gift from Wilden: a magical staff, a rare gem, and a letter describing a visitation spell so the boys can resurrect their father for one day. When Ian accidently only resurrects their father’s lower half, the brothers are now in a race against time to fully resurrect their father. 

Onward is a funny and heartwarming adventure that audiences have come to expect from Pixar. Although, a few reviewers have pointed out that it has become a bit too cliched. For me, it was an emotional as it deals with death, loss and trying to capture experiences one never had a chance to have as Ian never had the memories of his father that Barley did. I also liked the musical score. I especially liked the song that Barley played plays in his van. It suggests Vikings and great battles. The end credit song, “Carried Me With You,” performed by Brandi Carlile, is an emotionally charged song about not taking love for granted and accepting love even when you don’t feel its deserved. One of my favorite lyrics is “To the darkness of the blue/I was just too blind to see/Like a lighthouse in a storm/You were always guiding me.” I like the lesson Ian learns along way as he gains confidence in himself, although it is a theme used quite often.

As no movie is without faults, there are a few things about the film I did not like. While I did enjoy the film, it felt like a Frozen II film for boys. A sibling adventure story for brothers rather than sisters. Also, the use of mythical creatures didn’t really add to the story. The filmmakers could have used human characters and the movie would have been just as good. It is also a film that I wasn’t overly excited to watch for the story concept didn’t grab my attention. I only watched it because my eight-year-old daughter wanted to when it was released on Disney+. She thoroughly enjoyed it and watched again the next day and watched it a third time with her dad. The animation is as expected from Pixar; however, it does not have the stunning beauty of Coco or the heart of Toy Story or Finding Nemo.

Overall, Onward is a good movie with magic, mythical creatures and a theme that we all could relate to. It may be hard to watch for individuals have lost a parent, especially early in life, as it may be too relatable. However, I wouldn’t say it was a reason not to see this film. While it had a few flaws and may be the adventure story we’ve all seen before, it is still an entertaining movie that I think families will enjoy. I recommend watching Onward as the heartwarming and funny adventure story that is expected from Disney and Pixar.