Onward

This review may contain spoilers!

A bright sparkling adventure and a beautiful story about the relationship between two brothers. I would give Onward an 8.5/10.

Onward takes to a modern world that is not too dissimilar from our own, only populated with fantasy creatures who no longer rely upon magic due to the convenience of technology. Our story follows Ian and Barley Lightfoot, brother elves who discover a magical staff that offers them the opportunity to reunite with their deceased father for one day. The spell goes awry and the brothers are forced to embark upon an epic quest, the likes of which hasn't occurred in years. The charm and strength of this film is the relationship between Ian and Barley, the brotherly bond that the narrative lives and dies upon. This pair lean on each other for support throughout the film and obstacles they face are surpassed through how one aids the other. It's a really beautiful message about the interwoven connection of family and how through mutual care family raises one another up. Barley is the sort of character who can be quite reckless and immature but he sacrifices a lot for the sake of his brother, becoming a pillar of support throughout the film. While Ian is more of a nervous role who lacks self-esteem and gains more self-confidence through his brother pushing and encouraging him. The writer also did a brilliant job of designing a dynamic fantasy/modern world; you really buy into how a society founded around magic has adapted and changed into something quite similar to our own. I enjoyed seeing a number of characters discover the magic they could still possess if they worked for it throughout the film, it felt like a strong message to deliver about what we can achieve if we look for it. The animation style is really vibrant, blending a wide colour palette and unique designs for the varying characters to create a world you will simply fall into. The score for the film isn't the most inspired Disney/Pixar composition I've ever heard, but it still has a few significant tracks throughout that are worth noting and enhance the emotional weight of the scene.

Tom Holland, who voiced Ian Lightfoot, is perfect as the films protagonist; he really seeks out the moments where his character is morose or uncertain and presents them in a way you can really connect with. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who voiced Laurel Lightfoot, is quite entertaining as the comedic yet supportive parent figure in our protagonists' lives; Louis-Dreyfuss clearly has a lot of fun with her character's reckless side quest to save her kids. Octavia Spencer, who voiced The Manticore, is extremely funny as the overworked, highly strung restaurant/inn owner when first we meet her; Spencer showing the spiral her character goes down as she discovers the joy of the old ways is a great deal of fun to see. Kyle Bornheimer, who voiced Wilden Lightfoot, is a really strong introduction to this film; he presents the magic of the narrative in a way that is personal and hooks you almost immediately. Lena Waithe, who voiced Officer Spector, is an animated cop who is incredibly competent at her job; Waithe presents the suspicion and skill that come with her character's law enforcement instincts quite well.

However, the best performance came from Chris Pratt, who voiced Barley Lightfoot. Barley is this rambunctious character who is obsessed with the old ways of magic and adventure, an expert in role-playing games and the heritage of his surroundings. However, Pratt does a good job of presenting his role as a somewhat irresponsible jokester, not always thinking before speaking and stumbling into trouble he doesn't mean to find himself in. Barley goes through a lot of growing in this film and the confession of his fear when he saw his sick father as a child is a powerful scene that reminds us of that. I really have to praise how Pratt depicted his role as this pillar of support, a character who never once stopped showing unconditional love and care for his onscreen sibling.

Onward is another stellar must-watch from Disney/Pixar but it isn't without a few pitfalls, the chief of these being around predictability. The film clearly sets out the adventure styled narrative it wants to seek out from the get go and unfortunately because it never really veers from the beaten path none of the narrative beats are very surprising. The film often affirms exactly what it intends to do long before actually executing it, so what you see is exactly what you will get. The main characters never really face any real conflict or struggle outside of that within their sibling relationship, none of the 'dangers' they face actually seem threatening. I think directly of the curse dragon antagonist right at the end of the film being quite the underwhelming menace to pit our heroes against.

Mel Rodriguez, who voiced Colt Bronco, is one of the characters in the film who tends to play scenes up a bit too much and often gets melodramatic; Rodriguez as a step-father to the main roles doesn't connect at all and he is only useful when the film needs a punchline.