★★★
Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there in order to spend one last day with their father
Classification: U
For a film about a land that used to be filled with magical wonder being rediscovered by two brothers on a quest to be reunited with their deceased father, it's a shame that Pixar is unable to bring to reignite their old creative fires. Onward is a competent, entertaining adventure but lacks the poignant, imaginative wizardry that defined the studio's initial releases. The Pixar streak of 1995 to 2010 was nothing short of legendary, a collection of genre-defining classics perfectly ingrained into pop culture lexicon, one hit after the other not only commercially but stories of visual and emotional beauty which explored powerful human themes in fantastical worlds. Where toys, monsters, robots and all manner of creatures were just as real as the audience in their quest to make sense of their life's purpose but as time went by the Pixar magic has begun to fade. Except for Cars 2 nothing has been an outright disaster but the last decade has seen Pixar lose something where only brief glimpses of the old magic could be felt in their new releases. Films such as Inside Out, Coco or Toy Story 4 being more rarities against more conventional sequel output and underwhelming originals. Pixar hasn't gone bad though but like main characters Ian and Barley there is always the urge to go back to the time when everything was perfect, to let the memories of childhood and family erase away the pain of today.
Onward's strength is in the connection between Ian and Barley as brothers and how their quest has them face their insecurities within themselves and with each other. Ian, an anxiety-ridden elf with poor social skills and desperate to have one real memory with his father and Barley an immature man-child, who spends his days dreaming of magic and quests through his intricate passion for magical history and role-playing board games. On his 16th birthday, Ian is in given a wizard staff left to him by his father and a specific spell and a phoenix gem needed to cast a resurrection spell, after several failed attempts by Barley, Ian is only able to bring back the bottom half of his father at the cost of the gem. With 24 hours until the spell wears off Ian, Barley and their father's sentient pair of legs get in the iconic "Guinevere", Barley's beat-up van (so iconic in fact it is the subject of a copyright lawsuit), with a classic '80s adventure style Pegasus decal emblazoned on the side. With their mighty steed, the boys and their literally topless father set off to find another gem to complete the spell before time runs out. Essentially for its most critical themes, Onward is an effective exploration of brotherhood, family and love that still delivers plenty of laughs with its fantastical setups. Ian and Barley's peculiar interactions with their father's legs are terrific, communicating with one another through tapping feet and dragging him around with a dragon leash but the film is more about the connection between the two brothers, the absence of their father and how it shaped them growing up. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt have a fun brotherly dynamic with both actors playing to their typecast strengths, Holland the shy heroic nerd and Pratt the boisterous loveable oaf. It is basically an animated imagining of what if Peter Parker and Andy Dwyer were brothers and Pixar leans into the actor's forte as Pratt especially brings the laughs and emotion when Onward goes for its big moments.
Per usual, Ian and Barley's adventure is bookmarked by encounters with peculiar characters and how the magical fantastical world has been tamed along with their efforts inadvertently awakening pieces of it. The world of Onward while lively and beautiful, again due to the sorcery of Pixar's rendering teams but it doesn't feel wholly original. Its modernisation of fantasy elements having similarities to worldbuilding in Monsters Inc., Zootopia and even Bright. Unicorns as trash eating pests, pixies terrorising the roads as a Mad Max biker gang, a legendary tavern of epic tales transformed into a novelty casual restaurant for families, the intrepid spirit of every creature has been pacified by complacency and comfort. Allegories on how the luxuries of technology have negative effects on society are obvious as no one is willing to work or believe in the magic when a machine can do it for them. The comedy and creativity still entertain but it just feels too obvious when imagining a fantastical world turned modernized when considering Pixar's former creativity for iconic worlds. It's a civilisation that has forgotten its origins but Onward puts more focus on how the journey affects the main characters than the world around them. The fantasy inspirations are easy to originate as well with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings reminiscent in props and historical architecture as Ian's wizard staff bears resemblance to Gandalf the Grey's. Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games influencing the story as well as Barley's knowledge and passion of his "historically accurate" boardgame becomes their first clue in their quest for the gem but also influencing how their quest unfolds. There is no predetermined path to a role-playing quest, it is filled with surprises, unforeseen obstacles and forces heroes to improvise and make sacrifices revealing their courage and fortitude and that the '80s infused D&D spirit can be felt in the latter half of the film when Ian and Barley venture beyond the safety of following the direct path.
Ian and Barley are both characters subtly traumatised by their father's death and the script from director Dan Scanlon and co-writers Jason Headley and Keith Bunin finds inventive and familiar ways for the film to explore their grief. These are the moments where the Pixar magic does come back as the third act does deliver tear-inducing moments with the brother's reunion with their father being executed in a surprising manner that doesn't submit to melodramatic formula. Though some of Onward can feel painfully generic with side plots concerning their mother Laurel voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus chasing after them with a newly liberated Manticore (Octavia Spencer) along with a separate pursuit by Laurel's boyfriend Colt Bronco, a centaur police officer. An attempt to add extra stakes with the Manticore named Corey speaking of an ancient curse that resides with the gem the boys seek. Scanlon seems to be following a similar road movie structure as other Pixar stories such as The Good Dinosaur or Finding Nemo, where all these encounters are building to larger ramifications for the characters and world but a lot of these threads just feel underdeveloped.
It's heartwarming, hilarious and packed with stellar moments of animated wonder but something about Onward feels limited in its potential. Ian's journey to master the magic of the world comes from a growing sense of self-confidence with every encounter and it feels similar to Scanlon's direction for the film. Playing it safe, applying traditional Pixar techniques of emotion and comedy than try and reimagine a new method to make Onward stand out. Its as if the subconscious effort to rediscover the magic has the filmmakers chasing the glory of the past than looking to the possibilities of the future, getting caught somewhere in the middle. Even with its generic choices, its still a Pixar film that prioritises character over spectacle making its emotional beats all the more wonderous than most animated outputs. It's about brotherhood, about fathers, sons, and family, how the magic of the world is always going to reside in the love we have each other and the ability it has to inspire and empower us.
Director: #DanScanlon
Screenwriter: #DanScanlon, #JasonHeadley, and #KeithBunin
Cast: #TomHolland, #ChrisPratt, #JuliaLouisDreyfus, #OctaviaSpencer, #AliWong, #LenaWaithe, #MelRodriguez
Release Date: March 6th 2020
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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