Pixar has spoiled us with a high-quality collection of films, Onward‘s the newest addition to the list and our pick of the week (thanks to our newest collaborator, Rosa Parra).
It follows a family, two brothers (Ian and Barley), who are dealing with the loss of their father. Years go by, and these boys are now in their late teens. Ian (Tom Holland) is the youngest who’s a shy and timid guy that, for the entirety of his life has been missing his father after all his father passed away before he was born.
On the other hand, we have Barley (Chris Pratt), who is the absolute opposite of Ian. It’s Ian’s birthday when he receives a special gift from his father, a staff containing a spell that will bring him back for 24 hrs. After something goes wrong where their dad is only half back (from the waist down), now these brothers must go on a quest to obtain the missing piece to bring him back ultimately.
As somebody who’s still mourning the loss of her mother, I thought I’d be moved and touched by this film. I thought the premise was a bright one with the potential to be memorable and perhaps a classic top tier Pixar film.
Sadly I didn’t love this film (as I initially thought); it didn’t have any significant impact on me. Pixar’s generally known for being experts in activating tear ducts, yet I didn’t shed tears (perhaps some eye-watering did occur).
Onward tries to build a world with building blocks from existing films and franchises. Unlike previous films, Onward seems to be missing the Pixar magic. Not even all the magic in this movie nor any amount of pixie dust would suffice to make this film a gem—the animation’s excellent, along with the voice acting.
The adventure’s fun also, at times funny, but sadly I wasn’t entirely sure what the worldbuilding’s meant to be. A world inhabited with magical creatures who have evolved to no longer use magic due to the inclusion of new technology and such. Of course, there are a few creatures who study (or are obsessed) with the magical history of this world and others, unknowingly, can perform magic.
This movie is sure to leave an impact on audiences who relate to the story. The ending, I admit, was unexpected as well as some tense filled scenes during the third act.
Overall, Onward‘s a fun, energetic family adventure film that falls short from top tier Pixar due to its lack of creativity.
