Let’s talk about Pixar’s latest film, Onward. This film follows two brothers that live in a post-magic fantasy world that find a spell to bring back their deceased father for one day. The spell goes wrong and they are left with only the bottom half of their dad and limited time to fully restore him. The story continues on an “epic quest” through re-imagined fantasy story tropes. The brothers also grow closer as they face their insecurities and relationship. Reminiscent of Shrek and Toys Story with both story and character development.
The two leads are younger brother Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) and older brother Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt). Ian is a typical timid 16 year old elf who wishes he could have met his father who died before he was born. Barley is the history and fantasy geek (basically me) that is seen as a “screw up” by others. Their relationship is a highlight of the film. Ian especially grows as he realizes how important his brother is in his life. Other characters like their mother and the Manticore are comedy relief and used mostly as transitional cut-aways and a story devise for the finale. The father played a surprisingly minimal role. I expected much more focus on the half-dad based on the trailer.
This is a Pixar film but other than the heart felt moments, it actually felt more like Dreamwork with a lot of humor and references. Trying to not compare it Shrek too much. The pacing is quick keeping you entertained the whole time. And the visuals we decent, nothing revolutionary but done well. I’m going to grade this instead of a percentage. Onward is a solid B and is worth the home release purchase.
Geek Freaks 