Pixar’s latest feature film, Onward (2020), is a creative, funny, and entertaining addition to their long list of successes. Originally theatrically released in early March, the film was sent straight to digital on March 20 and released on Disney+ on April 3 since theaters nationwide have been closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. While this means it did not get the box office success that Disney and Pixar were hoping for, it is still a huge success. According to “Farewell Box Office,” an article on IndieWire, it was the second most-watched film on the iTunes store the week it was released.
Onward is an extremely original and extremely weird film. Set in a modern fantasy world populated by elves, fairies, and other magical creatures who have lost touch with their magic, it follows two teen elf brothers, Ian and Barley, as they attempt to bring their deceased father back to life for 24 hours. Their plan almost immediately faces a hitch when they are only able to bring back the bottom half of his body. They spend the rest of the film on a quest to complete the spell so they can meet their father. Everything about the film, from its wacky plot to its creative worldbuilding, feels creative and original. I can safely say I have never seen any other film with a plot like this one. To some viewers, this was off-putting—some critics and viewers have suggested that Onward does not live up to the standards set by other Pixar films. Critics from The New York Times, RogerEbert.com, and The Guardian have all said that while they enjoyed the film, it felt second-tier compared to Pixar’s usual fare. Ben Kenigsberg of the New York Times wrote that the film felt “disappointingly routine,” and similarly, Wendy Ide of The Guardian considered it “derivative.”
On the surface, Onward feels very different from other Pixar films. Pixar is known for their films that add magic to the ordinary. All of their previous films appear to take place in a fantastical version of the real world, and the foundations of their ideas are grounded in real things—toys, animals, cars, and kids afraid of the monster under their bed—and they build a magical world from those foundations. Onward is the first Pixar film to overtly take place in a completely fabricated universe. At first glance, it seems like Onward has more in common with Zootopia than Monsters, Inc. But with a closer look, you will see it actually has all of the hallmarks of a Pixar film: The two protagonists are complete opposites who have to go on a journey while coping with the loss of a loved one, coming of age, and coming to terms with impermanence and change.
Onward does not fail to live up to the emotional storylines Pixar fans have come to expect. The studio, known for being unafraid to explore heavy or dark emotions, has always respected the emotional intelligence of children and presented complex emotional storylines in a kid-friendly way. In Onward, the story begins when the two protagonists learn their deceased father left them a spell so they could bring him back to life for one day only. The inciting incident occurs when they attempt to use the spell and only bring back the bottom half of his body. With 24 hours until he disappears forever, they spend the rest of the film on a quest to complete the spell. Throughout their journey, they overcome their differences and have to fully process the loss of their father, who neither of them really knew. If handled incorrectly, this subject matter could feel too heavy or dark, but as always, Pixar perfectly balances the film’s tone and embraces the difficult emotions its characters face without letting them weigh down the plot or distract from the adventure.
The film has a star-studded cast, which includes Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer, all of whom perform well (with the exception of Pratt, who sounds like he’s attempting to do a gentle Seth Rogen impression). The film, thankfully, does not attempt to make any references to Pratt and Holland’s famous collaborations in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and instead gracefully remains grounded and sincere.
With a lot of heart, humor, and originality, Onward successfully continues Pixar’s legacy of great animated films. With its early digital release, it’s a great choice for people of any age looking to watch a sweet and emotionally affecting film.
