THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
I remember wanting to take my sister to see Onward but that opportunity was taken away when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the theaters. Thankfully, Disney+ gave us and the rest of the world the opportunity to see it deservingly.
PLOT
This Pixar Animation Studios film follows a world where fantasy creatures abandoned magic as technology advanced throughout centuries. Two elf brothers, Ian and Bradley Lightfoot, are given an opportunity to have that magic. They are given a magic staff by their mother Laurel that belonged to their deceased father. They use it to cast a spell that would bring him back for one day only. However, the Pheonix Gem used is destroyed midway through the spell and only the lower half of his body is recovered. When discovering a map from The Manticore 'Corey', whose tavern had become a family restaurant, they travel to the destined location to find another Pheonix gem named 'Raven's Point'. Laurel and Corey however must catch up to the brothers as they might summon a curse if they take the gem. Ian and Barley go through various events before getting where they need to be. In an attempt to enlarge a gasoline keg after running low, Ian accidentally shrinks Bradley. When finding a gas station, they get chased away by a biker gang of fairies after accidentally knocking over their motorcycles. As they move forward, they pulled over for speeding by officers Gore (Ali Wong) and Specter (Lena Waithe). Ian is able to trick by having a disguise spell where he makes them believe he is Laurel's boyfriend Colt Bronco (Mel Rodriguez). Once they cross a bridge dubbed the 'Path of Peril', they are pursued by officers led by Colt, who caught up after finding the van's license bumper. Bradley buys themselves time by sacrificing his van 'Guinevere' to keep moving forward. They find their way to cave, which included various traps they are able to avoid. They make it to Raven's Point, but it leads them back to Ian's school. As Ian leaves thinking it's too late, Bradley finds the gem in the fountain across the school, but the curse commences when he takes it. The curse summons a dragon made out of the school and attacks, but thankfully Laurel and Corey fight it off with the Curse Crusher, a sword designed to break curses. Ian finishes the spell when he returns, but gives Bradley the chance to speak to their dad, as Ian may have never met him, Bradley never said goodbye. Once the curse was gone and Bradley said his goodbye, he makes amends with his brother. The film ends some time later, whereas Ian continues to use magic and Corey re opens her tavern, which she originally destroyed, but brings back its spirit.
THOUGHT
At first glance, I knew this would be a new kind of adventure but I didn't think it would be just as entertaining as Pixar's other hits. The movie brings back the fresh air Pixar was missing, due to its multiple sequels throughout the 2010s, and is able to be just as joyful and heartwarming as the past films. What makes this story great is that we all have those thoughts where we all want to see our deceased loved ones for one more day and this movie gives us that exact scenario. It knew how to be charming with the pixie chase and intense with the cave full of traps or the ‘bridge crossing’ scene. The animation in this movie is just as good as the past animated films from Pixar. This film is pretty entertaining and this is meant for kids, but there were some flaws that I can’t help call out. The weirdest thing was in the opening how Laurel gets the birthday food but forgets daily groceries. I find it odd for someone to forget something like that. I know that it’s a surprise that Ian is one with the magic but he isn’t holding the staff when first saying it, which is a problem because compared to other fantasy films, you gotta carry the wand/staff when summoning spells. The adventure both brothers have is cool but if they wanted to buy more time, Ian should’ve stepped in and tried the spell then during Barley’s attempts. If they really needed the map to the Phoenix gem, they could’ve taken a picture of it before Corey lost it and wouldn’t rely on a children’s menu that’s conveniently identical. The dumbest thing done by Corey is that she discusses the Curse Crusher’s importance before finalizing the sale at the pawn shop, which increases the price. If she hadn’t done that, she’d get it in a blink of an eye with whatever the price was originally charging. The last thing that I itch my head about is that if construction is getting rid of historical destinations, how come know one discovered the underground river with booby traps? I understand that stuff like this is treated as a myth but it feels like someone could’ve fell in and discovered something like that during construction work. Ignore all of these flaws, this is still fun to watch. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland bring all the energy needed for the voice roles of Ian and Bradley. While it was hard to accept that Ian couldn't have his only moment with his dad but we have to respect that he gave Bradley a moment to say goodbye. He chose to do it because he realized that his brother was a father figure to him after all this time. That moment where we see their dad from a distance and Bradley revealing how it went is a tearjerker because again, it's the kind of moment we would want to cherish. It was pretty great to see Julia Louis Dreyfus return to do another role in Pixar. The role of Laurel is the mother figure that many would admire. The best thing about her is how she wants her boys to overcome their insecurities, which they do by the end. The situation of her dating Colt and the brothers are unwelcome to him is relatable because we all want our parents to be happy but when they start dating other people, it is hard to accept their new happiness. The Manticore is a very entertaining and Octavia Spencer ensures it. What makes her arc that way is that she goes through a mid life crisis and didn't even know it. To close up, Dan Scanlon succeeds in making another joyful adventure with Pixar. If you want a movie that is full of heartwarming moments, Onward will be a good choice.
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