It’s common knowledge that Disney-Pixar has consistently pulled on the heartstrings of cinephiles for two-plus decades. From Toy Story to Inside Out to Up, when a Pixar film arrives, it’s always wise to prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster. Their latest entry, Onward, is no different. A film that not only captures the sadness of the loss of a loved one but the importance of appreciating the sacrifices and actions of an elder figure in your life.
Onward tells the story about a teenage elf named Ian Lightfoot and his older brother Barley, voiced by two Marvel Cinematic Universe alums, Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. They live with their mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who shows the strength of a single mom. The boys miss their dad, who died of illness around the time Ian was born. Despite never meeting his father, Ian is given one last opportunity on his 16th birthday, where he learns that his father has left them a magical staff that will allow him to return for precisely 24 hours. However, when the spell is cast, they only conjured the bottom half of his body. This ultimately leads them to an adventure of trying to put him together before time is up and a journey of self-discovery.
On the surface, Onward can be classified as just another road trip movie. However, writer-director Dan Scanlon finds new ways to make the premise seem fresh and exciting. In most cases, brothers who are opposites in terms of personality and likes fail to have a strong bond or care for each other at the film’s opening. However, Onward changes that trope as both Ian and Barley, despite their dissimilarities, care deeply for each other and are committed to helping each other throughout their journey. Credit goes to Scanlon for these choices.
The majority of praise should be handed to our leading men. The performances of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, who bring their undeniable chemistry seen in Avengers: Infinity War to the animated world of Pixar, aid in rooting for the boys to achieve closure and complete their adventure. If this is the start of Holland and Pratt working with each other on a more consistent basis, sign me up!
While Disney-Pixar films have used the single parent arc before, very few times has the parent taken charge and attempted to find their children on their journey, Onward changes that. The inclusion of Ian and Barley’s mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hitting the road to find her boys and ultimately teaming up with a manticore (Octavia Spencer) works quite well in terms of adding stakes and giving drive to other characters outside of our main protagonists.
Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna’s score continues Pixar’s streak of excellent scores as their work in the film challenge both the magic and emotion of the film. Along with the score, like every Pixar film, its animation is stunning and continues to proves why Pixar is one if not, the best studio in the animation industry.
While Onward is not top tier Pixar, it still brings to light the ideas of self-sacrifice, family, and loss in what may wind up as a contender next year in the animated film race. This film is full of heart, magic, and whimsy that Ian and Barley would love the audience to embody in their everyday lives.
