Onward doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Dan Scanlon’s previous Pixar directed film Monsters University. There are elements that will appeal to adults and children which makes the film worthy of seeing on the big screen.
The best Pixar films like Inside Out and Toy Story 3 are able to create a story, with heart and animation that delivers across the age spectrum. Unfortunately, the humor in Onward is more likely to elicit laughs from children than adults, while the heartfelt message will resonate with adults, but won’t have the same emotional impact on children.
The aspects of the film that should connect across the age spectrum is the fantastical setting, top-notch animation and Chris Pratt’s voice over performance that brings Onward to life.
Let’s begin this journey to find where the magic is and isn’t in Pixar’s first of two films set to release this year.
Similar to Zootopia
There’s more than one similarity between Zootopia and Onward. Zootopia turns human-like a metropolis into cityscapes brimming with talking lions, giraffes, sheep and other animals. Onward takes a similar approach. The film features electricity, cars and school, but swaps out the animals for elves, unicorns, manticores and other fantastical creatures.
Zootopia as an overall work of art operates at a higher emotional and social commentary level than Onward due to its focus on racism. The beginning of Onward shows that as technology came to fruition, the magic starts fading into myth. While the film appears to hint at society dropping important cultural touchstones in lieu of the easy to access technologies of today, it never really delivers on that thematic premise, which ultimately is a wise decision.
The family story between Ian and Barley Lightfoot connects on a deeper emotional level than the social commentary message could possibly reach. Unfortunately, the end of the film tries to meet the social aspects halfway and would have been better off just dropping that subplot altogether.
Reunited for 24 Hours
When Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) turns 16-years-old, he receives a magic staff from his father who died before he was born. The staff comes with a spell that will allow the Lightfoot family to reunite with their father for 24 hours. The spell goes awry leaving only the bottom half of their father. Ian and his brother Barley (Pratt) go on a quest to complete the spell before time runs out.
The message of Onward will resonate with anyone who has grieved over losing a loved one: What would you do if you had one more day or even just one last moment with that person?
To go any further into how the movie addresses this question is doing a disservice to this film’s biggest strength. When it comes to the emotional rollercoaster elements, Onward delivers on the tear-inducing moments at the same level as Inside Out. The same can’t be said of the comedic elements. There are some clever lines, but the only characters able to elicit some laughs are The Manticore (Octavia Spencer) and Laurel Lightfoot (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Those laughs are few and far between.
The Brothers in Onward
Before the film’s 2nd act transitions into a road trip picture featuring a pair of brothers, the film’s narrative centers on Ian. Unfortunately, Ian’s character is a pretty stereotypical lonely kid, with issues that are of his own making. For instance, he clumsily talks to a group of students, but they aren’t rude and wait patiently for him to finish talking. They are even interested in learning more about Ian, until his brother shows up, which causes Ian to abruptly end the conversation.
Barley as the older brother is a far more interesting character than Ian. For unacceptable reasons, Ian views his brother as an embarrassment. The worst thing the movie shows about Barley is that he believes in magic, which makes him the laughingstock of the town and he drives a rusty VW van. He’s not a bully, in fact, Barley’s a supportive big brother who spends most of the film trying to motivate Ian.
Despite Barley being the character that has the most interest in Magic, it’s Ian that turns out to have the actual ability to use magic. Barley is completely supportive of his younger brother and does everything he can to make sure Ian succeeds.
While Holland does a great job, there are character issues that he simply can’t overcome. However, make no mistake Pratt gives the best-animated male voiceover performance since Dwayne Johnson in Moana as Barley. Pratt’s able to showcase a vast array of emotions from regret to glee and even anger. Think of a more heartfelt, smarter and less comedic Andy Dwyer from Parks & Recreation. When the film needs a light touch, it’s Barley that delivers. Likewise, when the film needs to ratchet up the emotions, it’s Pratt that bears the burden.
Pratt does such a great job in the role that you invest more in Barley reuniting with his father than for Ian to meet his Dad for the first time. If you feel the same way about Barley, you’re going to be satisfied with Onward’s climax. However, if you do manage to sympathize with Ian, then you may be underwhelmed by the film’s ending.
Final Thoughts on Onward
While Onward is one of the better films so far this year, it falls just short of the upper echelon of Pixar film. The film’s outstanding message, a terrific performance from Pratt and fantastical setting are spellbinding. Unfortunately, the comedy, character issues and an unnoticeable score keep the film from rising to Valhalla.
What are your thoughts on Pixar’s latest entry? Do you think Soul coming out later this year will surpass Onward? Let me know in the comments.
The Review
Onward Rating
PROS
- Tom Holland is great and Chris Pratt is phenomenal
- Fantastic message should resonate with any person who has battled through grief over the loss of a loved one.
- Pixar animation has crafted an immersive, magical world.
CONS
- Music is an underwhelming part of the film.
- Ian as a character simply isn't much fun and can be tough to root for at times.
- Beginning of film offers some interesting commentary on the emergence of technology at the expense of longstanding traditions, but doesn't explore the issue with any sort of depth. Makes you wonder why Dan Scanlon included that backstory.
