Onward

Voices of: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, Lena Waithe, Ali Wong, Tracey Ullman, Wilmer Vanderrama, John Ratzenberger
Directed by: Dan Scanlon
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: Two elven brothers (Tom Holland, Chris Pratt) embark on a quest to finish a magic spell so they can talk to their deceased father.

Review:

Tim: Pixar has such a terrific track record that it's always noteworthy when they release a new film. As much as I love some of Pixar's films, I am definitely not in the camp of "they can do no wrong". By my count, 1/3 of their films haven't been good. That's still better than most animation studios, but they aren't impervious. Onward is definitely a lower tier Pixar effort.

One quick contextual note- Onward's box office was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic that is currently infecting the globe. It's unbelievable that a Pixar film only made $61 million at the domestic box office, but it's impossible to make money when the theaters are closed and the population is social distancing. This movie was quickly transferred to Disney+, where I watched it. It happens to be the first 2020 film I've seen- opening up a new year and a new decade in The Movie Files.

After all that, I have to say, I didn't care for Onward all that much. I know it got very good reviews from critics, but I believe the majority of them are wrong. This is so obviously a misstep for Pixar. First off, the whole film comes across as something Dreamworks would come up with (yes, that's a criticism, even though they've done some really good things). The whole thing feels so convoluted. There's this fantasy land where magic used to be prevalent, but then as modern society emerged, the magic was lost. So you have these "fairy tale" creatures living in a modern world that reflects our society! Okay, that's fine, but it's not as clever as the movie imagines. The premise isn't interesting enough. It lacks the elegant simplicity of Pixar's best films.

The characters are more forgettable than the average Pixar film. Now, to be fair, the movie does a great job of diving deep into these characters and developing them as complex personalities. However, Ian and his brother (can't remember his name) are not great characters. The movie works so hard to make you like them. It's like the film knew they weren't great characters, but had to press onward (haha) anyway. There's also their mom and that flying restaurant lady. I'm jesting here, but the characters across the board were far weaker than I would have expected.

I also have to touch on the emotional piece here. Pixar has reveled in their reputation for telling animated stories that have true emotional hooks. That's their whole thing- they dig deep into human emotion for their stories. When it works, it's what separates their films from all the other animated movies out there. Unfortunately, here their strength becomes a major liability. This movie crosses that line into being emotionally manipulative. The entire film centers around these two brothers trying to finish a spell to resurrect their deceased father (who died from illness). One of them has 3-4 memories of him, the other has none. And, to make matters worse, the majority of the movie, they are carting around their father's lower half. They are SO close to their dead father, but missing his arms (so no hugs) and his head (so no conversation). The whole thing is heartbreaking, but in a artificially forced way. Pixar was so focused on telling a deeply emotional story that no one stopped to ask if this was the right way. Movies are so tricky because they need to tap into emotion without completely manipulating the audience. The balancing act is difficult and Pixar missed it here. I'm sure many others won't see this and talk about how this is another deeply emotional Pixar film, but director Dan Scanlon does not get the tone or approach right with this story. That's the biggest issue I had with the film.

I thought the casting was fine. I like Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. I wouldn't say this was inspired casting, though. It felt obvious and too surface-level. We have a geeky teen lacking confidence. Hey, Tom Holland just did that in a bunch of movies as Peter Parker! Let's get him! And then, we need another character, an older teen who is zany and overconfident, but secretly emotional and good. Hey, Chris Pratt just did that in a bunch of movies as Peter Quill! Let's get him! Both are fine, but the casting was too on-the-nose. The rest of the cast was fine, but none of the characters really emerge as worthwhile. Not mom, not the flying lady, not the Minotaur stepfather.

Now, I don't want it to seem like this is a terrible film. Onward is a decent movie. The animation is gorgeous. The attempt to tell an emotional story is worthwhile, even if the attempt failed. It has some entertaining sequences. The ending is touching, no doubt. However, Pixar and Disney have made so many films that are better than this one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Incredibles, Brave