Onward - Movie Review

We're just beginning March, which means we need our first contender for Best Animated Feature. Luckily, Pixar has delivered an entertaining movie full of elves, wizards, gnomes, centaurs, and a manticore!

FAST FACTS

REPORTED BUDGET: Between $100 - $200 million
OPENING DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: $39 million
OPENING WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $67 million
ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS / AUDIENCE SCORE: 86% / 96%
CINEMA SCORE: A-
END CREDIT: No, but there is a bonus animated short before the movie!

NON-SPOILER REVIEW!

Directed by Dan Scanlon, this film delivers on what you'd expect from a Pixar movie: fantastic animation of a story that appeals to kids as well as a deeper emotional tone that connects with adults. This movie is based on Scanlon's own experiences. He and his brother lost their father without having many memories of him. If you left Joker feeling bogged down by the weight of all the depressing bits of humanity, then you'll leave Onward feeling positive about the wonderful aspects of family and personal growth.

The film certainly has a lot of recognizable names doing voice work. Tom Holland (main character, Ian Lightfoot), Chris Pratt (brother, Barley Lightfoot), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (mother, Laurel Lightfoot), and Octavia Spencer (The Manticore) all lend their voices to this coming of age flick. I left the movie desperately wanting a Holland and Pratt live action movie as soon as possible!

Make sure to get to the theater early since there is an animated short just prior to the feature. It showcases the youngest member of a famous TV family.


OVERALL RECOMMENDATION

I found the story entertaining as well as emotionally stirring. Pixar once again finds ways for animated characters to convey complex emotions and themes.


My Rating: A

This movie is definitely worth a watch whether you have kids or not. Be prepared to see this as a major player come awards season!

SPOILER REVIEW!

First, the animated short prior to our feature presentation: Playdate with Destiny. Maggie Simpson finds love at the playground in this Simpsons animated short. Nice to see the Simpsons back on the big screen again. The last time was for The Longest Daycare (a short also featuring Maggie) back in 2012! In this short, Marge takes Maggie to a safe and nurturing playground where Maggie meets Hudson. You are then taken to scenes of romantic dates around the world, which are actually taking place in the playground (nothing beats the imagination of a child). Through the rest of the short, Maggie attempts to meet him again, but Homer ruins the next rendezvous opportunity. The missed day leaves Maggie emotionally stressed until the pair are finally reunited by the end of the short. 

While I love the Simpsons and thoroughly enjoyed this short with all of the adult humor you'd expect from the cartoon family, I couldn't help but think this was a blatant reminder by Disney that the Simpsons are their property and can be conveniently found on Disney+. It'll be interesting to see if this animated short brings the Oscar attention that these types of shorts usually do. Overall, I'd probably give it a B+.

In Onward, we follow the story of Ian Lightfoot, an awkward elf teen trying to find his place in the fantasy world full of minotaurs, trolls, unicorns, cyclops, and all of the previously mentioned creatures. While it's a magical land, these creatures all seem to lack, well, magic. Modern conveniences have pushed the old ways to near extinction. 

Ian's father died before he was born from an illness, leaving his mother, Laurel, and older brother, Barley, to watch over him. Ian struggles with the fact that he never met his father, but a surprise gift from his father on his sixteenth birthday gives Ian hope of meeting him soon. The gift includes a wizard staff, spell, and extremely rare phoenix gem that is required to complete the spell for bring their father back for one day.

After several failed attempts from Barley to bring their father back, despair sets in and Barley gives up. Later, while reading the spell, Ian discovers he has magical abilities that nearly bring back their father. The uncompleted spell leaves only the legs of their father oddly stumbling around Ian's bedroom. With the precious gem destroyed, Ian and Barley take off on an adventure to obtain another phoenix gem that will enable them to complete the spell before the end of the day. Their journey takes them through some perilous paths, meeting all sorts of mythical creatures.

My favorite scenes from the movie are when Ian reflects on what experiences he'd like to have with his dad. These are where the emotional aspects of the movie shine through. Throughout the movie, there are also tensions that arise between Ian and Barley, which illustrate the stresses and triumphs that families can have.

The movie also does a great job of building Ian's magical abilities throughout the film. Barley uses Quests of Yore (the movie's version of Dungeons & Dragons) to help find the gem and train Ian. In the movie, their game is based on actual historical accounts of an age that has long since passed.

Ultimately, the movie commences with Ian coming to two incredibly mature realizations: Barley has been a father figure for him his entire life, and Barley needs to have a moment with their father even more than himself. This is a deeply emotional sequence of events that hits the mark for me in every way!

I couldn't help leaving the theater with positive vibes, which I think a lot of us could use right now. I would highly suggest people see this movie!