Onward was a Spectacle to Behold
By George Robbins
[usr 4.7]
First off, to go on record, I would like to just simply put it out there that I loved this movie and don’t have many negative things to say about it. Even though I say that there are negative things, the movie builds a unique and well-spoken narrative and those things don’t mean much. ‘Onward’ tells a story about family bonding, but with a twist. After all, it isn’t often in movies that casts are full of characters made up of magical beings or creatures. Pixar movies usually consist of those things, but this is kind of new, even for them. The only issues I had with the film revolve around the fact that the plot seems a bit similar to other Pixar movie plots. This might just be because I am old enough to see a lot of consistent tropes in films, especially Pixar films.
‘Onward’ was, of course, going to be a film that was respected solely based off the talent that was brought in for the voice acting. With Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer appearing together in the film, it was bound to do well. The credit for the movie’s success goes to everyone who worked on it as well, of course including director Dan Scanlon who joined Pixar in 2001 and most recently directed ‘Monsters University.’ The art and animation team working on the film are the ones who made it all possible and regardless of what anyone thinks of the plot, the movie itself is animated beautifully.
There is not a single shadow of a doubt that the film wouldn’t be an artistic beauty of a film, because Pixar always improves upon their previous films. Either that or they keep up their standard that keeps them at the top of their game. The character design lends to the world around them, and that world is simply designed with its own atmosphere. A magical world where technology is the main way that people live their lives instead of actual magic is an interesting concept. With character design in mind, I think the casting was nailed down perfectly. The main duo of the film play off one another so well because their voice actors, Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, played so well off one another. Their brotherly dynamic feels like it is real and feels like it comes off the screen.
The dynamic between the two main characters ends up taking the film in a direction many may not have expected. I feel like this next bit will be a massive spoiler, so it is safe to bail now. While many may have expected the film to be about a journey for two brothers to find a way to see their deceased father one last time, it is actually a story about two brothers bonding on a journey they never would have expected to be on. Main character Ian, played by Holland, discovers that the people you have always known are more important than the ones you may want to know. This film is one that made me appreciate the story it told and the messages it was trying to convey. It will definitely go down as one of my favorite films from Pixar because it just felt like a good- heartwarming film by the end.