Movie Reaction: Onward

Formula: Zootopia / Inside Out

Disney has a formula. So does Pixar. It's hard to say if that's a result of Disney buying Pixar or if that's just something that was going to happen regardless. We can fight the fact that there's a formula or learn to embrace it.

Take Onward. It's a story of a magical world full of trolls, unicorns, and other mythical creatures that have lost their magic after generations of opting to use more convenient technology instead. Two elf brothers, Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) attempt to cast a spell that brings back their dead father for 24 hours. Something goes wrong and only his lower half comes back. That sets up a countdown to go on a quest to find an item to complete the spell and see their father before time is up.

You can easily pick the movie apart and show how it's pulling from every movie Pixar/Disney have done before. It's got a Finding Nemo quest with clues and fun characters. People losing their way because of technology is from Wall-E (or Zootopia if we open this to Disney Animation). Reuniting with lost relatives is from Coco. Single and/or dead parents is a Disney staple. I think we're always looking out for how Pixar is going to make us cry. Of course, John Ratzenberger. Onward isn't the most original Pixar idea ever.

And I don't care. This movie is thoroughly delightful. I'll be sad if Tom Holland's voice ever moves out of "little brother" range, because he's so good at it. It's surprising that Julia Louise Dreyfus isn't used more often for voice work. She has a great voice and even better comic chops. The Pixar animators and writers have a lot of fun making mythical, magical creatures mundane. As dumb as it is, I still chuckle at their decision to make Unicorns equivalent to racoons in our world. Adding the part about the boys only bringing back the lower half of their father is an interesting flex. The story doesn't really need it. It easily could've been removed without changing more than a couple bits. But it adds an extra challenge to the storytelling that they really get into.

I'd say that most important aspect of the movie is that it's a real tear-jerker. They really lean into the boys' longing to either meet their father for the first time or see him again for the first time since a very young age. It's hard to say how this rates against the most emotional moments of Coco, Inside Out, or Up, but it's up there.

Onward isn't blowing up the box office. Even without the CONVID-19 panic, I doubt it would've done as well as a lot of other Pixar movies anyway. The advertising has been poor. Early March isn't a place that audiences are used to looking for a Pixar movie. The movie is missing an intangible factor that will put it among the classics, but it's a damn good, original, and entertaining movie.

Verdict: Strongly Recommend