Onward is a 2020 computer-animated urban fantasy adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae and written by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin, and stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. The film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020 and was theatrically released on March 6, 2020.
Plot[]
Teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley embark on a magical quest to spend one more day with their late father. Like any good adventure, their journey is filled with cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. But when dear Mom finds out her sons are missing, she teams up with the legendary manticore to bring her beloved boys back home.
Why It's Great[]
- The idea of a world populated by mythological creatures but is also taken in a modern suburban world that had once been full of magic is very original and amazing for Pixar standards.
- The voice acting for the movie is spectacular, especially from Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the MCU and Spider-Man franchise and Walter Beckett from Spies in Disguise and Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy, Owen Grady in the Jurassic World films, and Emmet Brickowski and Rex Dangervest from The Lego Movie and its sequel), who portray brothers, Ian and Barley, perfectly.
- Much like Coco, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, the animation is spectacular and extremely beautiful and is once again Pixar at their very absolute best.
- The character designs for the mythological beings in this movie are wonderful.
- There is one scene in the beginning which is a complete subversion of the old trope of 'the popular kids reject the weirdo', as the popular kids actually seem to want to be Ian's friend.
- The setting and the background colors fit the tone of the movie very well.
- The song "Carried Me With You" by Brandi Carlile is very catchy.
- The characters are quite likable and interesting, especially the two Lightfoot brothers.
- There are many funny moments in the film, like how Ian tries to magically grow a gas tank but ends up turning Barley small instead.
- The invisible bridge scene is a blend of both hilarity and suspense once Ian's rope falls off.
- The design of Barley’s van is nothing short of awesome and had a lot of effort put into it.
- The chemistry between Ian and Barley is a nice representation of brotherly relationships. In fact, Barley is set up as the de facto father figure towards Ian pretty early on, as evidenced by how he shows pride of his brother's magic gift rather than jealousy.
- The score was great by Mychael and Jeff Danna.
- Memorial and hilarious quotes, like "Put it in “O” for Onward!".
- The Curse Dragon is a entertaining antagonist, despite not having enough screen-time.
Bad Qualities[]
- While likeable, Barley can be somewhat annoying at times.
- It was unnecessary for Ian to bring Wilden with him and Barley to the gas station, as the only reason for this was for a conflict to spark.
- Some wasted characters like Colt and Specter.
- While the concept of a fantasy world where technology has replaced magic sounds great on paper, the movie mainly focuses on Ian and Barley's quest to revive their father, so the worldbuilding isn't as fleshed out as it could've been.
- It was Pixar's second film to bomb at the box office after The Good Dinosaur, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the movie industry.
Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 337 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.
Box Office[]
Onward grossed $144.9 million on a estimated $175–200 million million budget, making it third-lowest opening for a Pixar film and only the second Pixar film to be a box-office bomb after The Good Dinosaur. It lost revenue against a budget that ranges upwards $200 million. It was also released right when COVID-19 was hitting the United States, leading to its poor box-office showing.