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Onward Movie Review

Onward is a 2020 animated fantasy film directed by Dan Scanlon and starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. It’s one of Pixar’s better efforts.

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“Put it in O, for onward!“

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Yes, after a couple of really lackluster movies, I am happy to report that Pixar is finally back. This is a genuinely emotional instead of manipulative movie that is also a truly new, original story that came as a breath of fresh air after all the sequels that we had to endure in recent years. It’s easily the best Pixar film since ‘Inside Out’.

It follows two elf brothers who go on a quest to bring their father back from the dead for one single day. The movie represents an interesting case of originality springing from unoriginality. All of its bits and pieces are taken from many other famous fantasy movies, sometimes it even directly references or parodies those works (especially ‘Lord of the Rings’), but the end product is ultimately very authentic as the mix of these familiar ideas is very original and highly intriguing.

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The film works as such a wonderful, highly engaging and irresistibly fun adventure as they go on this very well thought out, highly appealing quest. The fantastical elements are uniformly fantastic, especially the use of magic. The spells are excellently utilized, the idea that you can only cast spells properly if you truly believe in them is nothing new, but it’s executed stupendously with a lot of genuine power to those scenes.

And I simply found the world building amazing. The elves, the manticore, the unicorns, the centaurs and so on and so forth. They are all here, and they all serve their purpose. The idea that these magical creatures still exist and that magic still exists, but is lost and contained in favor of technology and proper behavior is an excellent metaphor on how the society limits each and every individual’s full artistic and/or physical expression.

The entire film is incredibly sophisticated actually, and that I did not expect at all. Yes, Pixar movies are all very mature and adult, but this one might be the most mature from them yet, and that says a lot. Just like ‘Inside Out’, it deals with emotions beautifully and it doesn’t talk down to its audiences at all. It can teach kids and remind the older audience members of just how important a healthy psyche and outlook on life truly are.

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The two boys bring their father back from the dead, but the spell goes wrong and they only bring the lower half of their dad’s body. However, the film does not end at all like you would expect, quite the contrary. Whereas many other movies would give the protagonist at least a scene with their father, this one opted not to do that, and the results are all the more powerful for it.

Let’s analyze that amazing, immensely affecting reunion sequence. The boys manage to bring their dad back for a couple of moments. However, in order to do that, Ian chooses to contain a monster threatening their goal, and Barley is the one that gets to see and talk to their father. By doing that, the film becomes instantly more memorable and simply bolder. That moment when he watches his dad from the distance though the rocks is so meaningful.

The dad is portrayed from the distance, which creates this very strange, cold feeling that he is not supposed to be there in the first place. It was a beautiful visual choice that reminds us how the dead can never be brought back, even in a fantasy world, and how ultimately we should think about those who are still living by loving them and spending more time with them. Thus, the film becomes incredibly important as it portrays the loss of a loved one as it is – tragic and scarring – but it still reminds us that we should go on with our lives and focus on those who still live. It’s a powerful sentiment that I did not expect, and is such a healthy outlook on life.

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Preceding that sequence is the moment when Ian suddenly realizes that all the activities that he wanted to share with his father already happened with his brother. It’s a scene that is very emotionally manipulative as Pixar usually does, but it’s so effective at portraying its message of appreciating more what you already got and it emphasizes on the importance of brotherly love so well that it becomes overwhelmingly emotional. It’s so genuinely affecting in fact that I was almost moved to tears.

Ian and Barley are instantly iconic Pixar characters in my opinion. Their dynamic is so unique and unlike any I’ve seen before in a Hollywood movie. The younger brother is the more rational one while the older brother is the more childish one, but still he cares for Ian and genuinely wants to help him. The two develop such a beautiful bond through very natural, smoothly progressive means that I found their brotherhood one of the better ones in film history. Yes, I loved both of them to pieces.

Tom Holland is excellent, but Chris Pratt is the one who really killed it here. He reminded me here just how funny and downright hilarious he can be. His delivery is pitch-perfect and his fantasy-obsessed geek character got so many unforgettable, hysterical lines of dialogue. The dialogue and humor are both excellent in what truly is the funniest Pixar film of all time.

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But I also respected the other characters. Their mom is wonderful and actually quite proactive in helping their sons, which was so nice and different to see. Corey the manticore is so amusing herself and Colt is also a very fun character. I also really liked those funny, silly pixies. The film is populated with so many rich supporting characters while still mostly focusing on the main duo, and that was an excellent choice.

Dan Scanlon did a very good, underrated job on ‘Monsters University’, and here he proved himself once again as one of Pixar’s brighter new talents. The first act is very standard and typical, but the rest is all excellent. The action is surprisingly superbly executed and genuinely entertaining throughout, some scenes are charmingly adventurous and the score is also very strong. The pacing is pretty good too and the animation is per usual for Pixar fantastic with great character designs, a colorful palette to it and a terrific mix of realistic and magical elements in this crazy world.

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Thanks to gorgeous, colorful animation, an excellent score, stupendously executed action sequences and impressive world building, Onward manages to become a very original mix of many unoriginal ideas and concepts taken from many other fantasy films. The supporting characters are fun and colorful while the main duo ranks among the greatest, instantly iconic Pixar characters, both so well played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. Pratt is particularly hilarious here, and the entire film is very humorous, being easily the funniest Pixar film ever. The adventurous and fantastical elements worked splendidly, but the genuine, instead of the usually manipulative, emotion is the standout aspect to it. Onward is simply a powerful, immensely moving tale of brotherhood that emphasizes just how futile lifelong mourning for the lost ones is, instead you’re better off focusing your attention on those who are still living and important to you. It also explores just how crucial it is to unleash your full, hidden potential as an individual. Thematically rich, hilarious, adventurous, affecting and profound, Onward truly signals the true return to form for Pixar after a couple of quite lame sequels.