20s Movie Review - Onward

Director: Dan Scanlon
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Fantasy/ Adventure
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, Lena Waithe, Ali Wong, Tracey Ullman, Wilmer Valderrama, John Ratzenberger

Description: Two elven brothers (Chris Pratt, Tom Holland) embarks on a quest to bring their father back one day.

Review: Modern means of communication and technology have not only alienated us from each other, but also drive away magic. Where you used to be able to save yourself from dire situations with a spell or simply turn on a light, the modern generations no longer have any use for this. Why learn difficult spells by heart when you can simple switch on the light with a button? The Lightfoot brothers are very different. The youngest, Ian, goes along with his time, but the older tough Barley longs for old times with wizards, dragons and an ancient struggle for life and death.
It's been a while, since “Coco”, since Pixar released an original animated film that wasn’t a sequel. The world of “Onward” is a mishmash of folklore, legends and mythical creatures, but brought back to the suburban life we all know. The Lightfoots live with mother Laurel in a giant mushroom house, but the once gracious unicorns are the scum of the earth looting the trash cans. As it turns out, the once mysterious lion-like warrior Manticore doesn’t run a dangerous ominous pub at all, but is part of a commercial chain and has proclaimed herself as a brand.
“Onward” comes from the makers of “Monsters Inc.” (my favorite Pixar film) and its sequel. The comparisons between bizarre looking monsters and fabled creatures such as unicorns, elves, centaurs, trolls, dragons, cyclops and wizards are therefore obvious. Unlike series like “Shrek” that go all out to get as much as possible out of the extreme looks and characteristics of the characters, director Dan Scanlon keeps it remarkably modest. His screenplay relies much more on subtleties, such as the policeman with whom mother Lauren is dating and who smashes half the furniture with his big centaur but. It emphasizes the humanity of the characters and reduces the freak content.
Therefore, as with many Pixar productions, the world in which “Onward” is set is not its main asset, but merely a backdrop within which the story unfolds. Central to the story are the family ties. Ian and Barley lost their father at a young age and Ian in particular wants to know where he came from. When they accidentally discover a magic wand that can bring their father back, it is the earthly Ian who has the gift of making spells work. Bit of a shame that the magic stone needed for this fails and the brothers have to make do with only their father’s legs.
What follows is not only a quest for the only identical stone to get their father back, but also a quest for their true selves. Stripped of all the frills of magic and weird creatures, “Onward” is essentially a matter of finding identity. Ian is trying to connect with the popular boys and girls of the school and Barley is the rough-and-tumble type. The mission that follows isn’t just about defeating dragons and shaking off enemies, but is primarily about self-exploration. The fact that the magic is still in all of us is a nice additional thought.
Scanlon shows us a magical world, in which the ordinary is the most extraordinary. And vice versa: an ordinary world, in which the magic is the special. This approach works wonders. As is almost always the case with Pixar, each plot element has a clear function and nothing is forgotten or left out. Octavia Spencer in particular excels as the aforementioned Manticore who in turn has also forgotten what she stood for and has become a victim of consymer society.  
“Onward” is not up there with the best of the best, but it’s a movie Pixar can be proud of and I really enjoyed.

Rating: 3,5/ 5