Onward is a suburban fantasy adventure, the latest from storied animation studio Pixar. The film stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, both alumni from Marvel Studios, as elven brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot who inherit a magic staff from their deceased father on Ian’s 16th birthday. The staff is part of a visitation spell that allows their father to come back to life for one day, but the gem that powers the spell is used up, leaving only their father’s lower half of his body. The brothers have until sundown to complete the spell and embark on a quest for another gem. The cast also includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus as their mother Laurel, Octavia Spencer as Corey, a manticore that owns a local tavern, and Mel Rodriguez as centaur officer Colt Bronco. Ali Wong and Lena Waithe also join the voice cast. Pixar veteran Dan Scanlon directs from a script co-written by himself, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.
The world of Onward is a very high concept, taking a medieval fantasy realm into an age of industrialization and technology much like our own. As such, the film spends a good deal of time and energy in world-building, to the detriment of its main characters. Holland and Pratt are both charismatic performers who have risen to fame in recent years, and yet their voice acting comes off as generic and bland in the first act. It’s not until the midst of the quest (and film) that the duo can use higher emotions to their advantage and make the brothers come alive as engaging and compelling protagonists.
It’s surprising that Onward comes off as predictable and contrived as it does in the first half of the film. Its blend of Dungeons and Dragons meets urban life results in one too many easy gags, though the device of a world slowly rediscovering its magical roots through the brothers’ misadventures is a novel touch. As the film progresses, the emotional nuance that Pixar is known for reveals itself, allowing the Lightfoot brothers not only to have more fun, but to ultimately be as resonant as the signature characters of the studio’s best.
Pixar’s reputation precedes them as the top-tier animation studio in the industry, making big hits and transcendent narratives, one after another. Since 1995’s Toy Story, Pixar has had to meet its own high standards as storytellers, continually raising the bar throughout the years and maintaining their signature blend of whimsy and pathos. But as the studio continually releases new stories, they’ve had to compete with the likes of Blue Sky Studios (now absorbed by Disney in the Fox merger aftermath) and Universal’s Illumination. Onward feels more like a film from the latter studios than a Pixar release, that is until the film commits to dealing with the impact of familial grief (through the lens of urban fantasy, no less).
The classic run of Pixar’s mid-90s to the late aughts is unparalleled and inimitable. It’s also possibly the biggest threat to Pixar’s future as that kind of legacy is hard to live up to. By balancing weighty topics like loss and grief with humor and insight, the studio has etched a treasured position in the hearts and minds of moviegoers all over the globe. Perhaps, Onward represents the new Pixar, where not every single release has to be transcendent and revelatory.
What begins as a pat sitcom premise leads to a lovely third act that even made this cold-hearted reviewer verklempt (curse you, Pixar!). The voice cast and the filmmakers step up to the task of being a Pixar film, relying less on the conceit of their worldbuilding and more on the coming together of these two brothers. This makes Onward one of the few major motion pictures that get better as it goes along, and tremendously so. As long as the artisans at Pixar can continue crafting innovative and emotionally honest tales, there’s no reason to count them out.
Rating: 4 / 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ABOUT DISNEY • PIXAR’S “ONWARD”
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae—the team behind “Monsters University.” “Onward” releases in theaters on March 6, 2020.
Directed by Dan Scanlon
Produced by Kori Rae, p.g.a.
Screenplay by Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin
Executive Producer Pete Docter
Starring Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Hashtag: #PixarOnward
Website: https://movies.disney.com/onward
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