Review: Onward (2020)
Official Synopsis:
Teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley embark on a magical quest to spend one more day with their late father. Like any good adventure, their journey is filled with cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. But when dear Mom finds out her sons are missing, she teams up with the legendary manticore to bring her beloved boys back home.
Pixar's Onward is a beautiful coming of age story with a Dungeons and Dragons twist. As elf brothers, Ian and Marley, search for a way to reconnect with their late father, you're taken on a journey into a world with magical creatures that have become overly reliant on the conveniences of technology. As they slowly rediscover magic and embark on their epic quest towards finding a phoenix stone, they are confronted with many physical perils and challenges to their relationship. Despite the supernatural setting, the characters are all very relatable and there are many genuinely funny and heart-warming moments. Its a animated film that more mature audiences will find just as entertaining as younger viewers. perhaps the most admirable is the way Onward deals with death and tragedy. The scene where Marley shares a vulnerable moment in his youth with his brother Ian really shows how affected he is by the trauma of the loss of his father and why he feels the need to always overcompensate for his past regret and never show fear. Its just one of many beautiful and deeply emotional moments that make Onward a story that resonates strongly with many people. Onward is one of my favorite Pixar releases in a long time and earns its place amongst its growing library of classics.
Our Rating:
Swin: 9/10 - Onward is filled with magic and is another classic worthy of the Pixar label.
Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Starring: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for action/peril and some mild thematic elements
Runtime: 102 min