Disney/Pixar’s Onward Review
When Disney/Pixar’s Onward was first announced to the public for the first time, I found the idea exciting. The initial synopsis shared in 2017 was “about two teenage brothers who lose their father. They travel to a fantasy world in hopes of finding him, to spend one last day with him.”
This description of an upcoming Pixar story couldn’t help but delight me; emotional connections in story form are what Pixar does best. The fact that the idea behind this was such a personal one pushed this film to the forefront of my mind for many a week.
When Marvel alumni Tom Holland and Chris Pratt were announced as the stars behind the main characters in late 2018, I began conjuring up ideas of how they would play off of each other based on what I’ve already seen from them in their films.
Over a year later, Onward was finally released on March 6th of this year. I was able to see it this past weekend and wanted to share my thoughts. With that being said, here is my review of Onward.
There were many things I enjoyed about this movie; elements that I think add to its strength, and that I think are worth talking about such as the story, it’s themes, and the character dynamics.
The story, on the surface, is pretty straightforward: Ian (the younger of the two elf brothers, played by Tom Holland) discovers he wields the power of magic on his 16th birthday, and learns of a spell that can bring his father back from the dead for one day. The spell goes awry when he tries it, and only resurrects the bottom portion of his dad’s body.
With the support of his older brother Barley (played by Chris Pratt), they undergo a quest to complete the spell so that they can have one last day together with their father.
If you look on a deeper level, though, there’s a bit more going on than just that.
All of the characters are fairy tale or mystical creatures of some kind, yet they act just like we do and live similar lives to the ones we have (going to school/work, to the laundromat, ordering fast-food through a drive-through, etc.). The characters and its world are familiar to us because it is essentially our world.
However, there is an element in the story that is key to everything that happens in the film: Magic.
In the very beginning of the story, it’s explained that magic was interwoven into everyone’s daily life: It helped keep people warm, protected them, even helped them build their homes and communities.
Over time, however, progress and inventions diminished its importance, and magic was soon seen as obsolete and absent…something out of a storybook.
Magic in the film is associated with the past and history; many of the characters have forgotten abilities or secrets that the past provided for them, in exchange for modern conveniences.
One way to look at the message of the film is that society has traded personal growth and challenges for convenience, which is an idea that I agree and share with.
But I want to focus on a deeper theme that the story presents, and that’s the idea of loss.
I touched upon the topics of grief and sadness before, when I looked back on That Dragon, Cancer, and Inside Out (another Pixar movie), both of which also incorporated very heavy themes as well.
Without giving away heavy spoilers, Onward touches upon those themes as well, although in a much more subtle manner. Let’s be honest: Loss is traumatic. It doesn’t matter if it’s the loss of a parent, a child, or parent…it’s traumatic and can be difficult to move on from.
But I think that’s the key from where the film’s title really comes to light – the brothers have to move ‘onward‘ with their lives, finding closure in the loss of their father. It’s easier said with than done; Barley was young and saw his father get sicker and sicker until he passed, while Ian never even met his father.
It’s poignant to see early in the film that Ian tries different ways to build a relationship with his father, through photos and audio recordings, even though he’s never met him. Loss still affects him, because it’s the loss of an opportunity for him to build that relationship. When he meets a college pal of his father, he becomes excited when he starts asking him questions about what his father was like, desperate to learn anything about him.
Barley, on the other hand, while still eager to meet his father, is much more subdued about the possibility of meeting him; he’s a lot more excited to be on the quest. His form of loss and grief also stems from a loss of opportunity, although it’s created a great sense of guilt in him. It’s that same guilt that shapes him into the character that we see in the film, but it still affects him in the present and in his decision-making.
Loss is a very sensitive topic for most films to tackle, much less family films. I am glad that Pixar recognized director Dan Scanlon’s personal story (who also lost his father when he was young), and encouraged him to create this story about his experience with that loss.
It won’t affect everyone the same way, as not everyone has experienced great personal loss. However, Onward does have the great capability to create empathy, closure, or just prompting questions to ask one another about these powerful concepts that do affect many people.
I really did enjoy the characters from Onward; most of the focus is on Ian and Barley, and their dynamic with each other. The brothers are as different as day and night (with Ian being the socially awkward introvert, and Barley being gung-ho and boisterous), yet they’re never jealous or at each others’ throats. Sure, they don’t always get along, but I’ve never met a pair of siblings (myself included) that never fought with one another at some point.
The boys’ mother Laurel is a good parent, supportive of how both of them are doing without being overindulging or controlling. She has a boyfriend who is sort of an obstacle to the boys at time, but never antagonistic, and yearning to build a relationship with them.
The Manticore, an ancient warrior that the brothers have to go to for guidance, is a fun character and one that I wish I could have seen more of. She, out of all the characters, best represents the idea of trading the past and her ‘glory days’ for modern convenience, and she learns something from Ian and Barley, just as much as they learn from her.
If there was one complaint I had about the characters, and really the only one that came to mind, is that I wish I could have seen more of the world building and character interaction for the audience to see. However, I understand that the mystical denizens weren’t pivotal for the overall story. That’s more of a nitpick, however, and really doesn’t impact the overall flow of the film, in my opinion.
Aside from the character dynamics, I really want to praise the lighting in the film. Pixar has done such a good job highlighting the passage of time by making subtle changes to the angle of the sun and the light it provides, just like in real life. It helps build pressure for the boys to complete their quest before it’s too late without any words being said, or panic being shown on the screen. If you haven’t seen the film yet and are planning on it, try to notice those nuances and see if they make a difference for you as you watch.
As of this writing, I’m not sure yet where Onward would rank on my Pixar movie tier, but I do know that I would see it again. I know there are things that I will notice in the future that I wish I could share with you…but as far as a review, would I recommend you to see this film?
Yes. Definitely yes.
In fact, I would recommend that you and your family (if you have loved ones) should go and see this film together. Talk about it afterwards. Loss is powerful, but it can be used as a strength and tool instead of something that can make you sink in despair.
It’s someone’s story come to life for everyone to see. It may even be your story.
I believe the more we become comfortable talking about these difficult topics, the more we’ll be able to move onward and live the lives that God designed for us to have, and to live in His glory.
It’s important to know that nowhere in the Bible does it not say it’s wrong to grieve. In fact, one of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture is when Jesus returned to Bethany after Lazarus dies. The verse, although very short, speaks volumes: “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35).
Can you picture that for a moment? Jesus Christ, the Savior without sin, wept in the face of loss. He grieved over loved ones and felt pain for them.
It is not sinful to grieve. We can take those feelings when they feel like they’re about to swallow us, and give them to Him. He understands all too well what we’re going through.
With His help, we can move onward.
