Onward
2.5/4
Starring (voices): Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez
Rated PG for Action/Peril and Some Mild Thematic Elements
For the past 25 years, Pixar Animation has been behind some of the most celebrated animated films of all time, and the shift from hand-drawn animation to films drawn on computer (the former isn't completely dead, but apart from "The Princess and the Frog," they come mostly from Studio Ghibli). It's probably unfair to expect a masterpiece each time out, but that doesn't ease the disappointment when one misfires. "Onward" is an original work and certainly not terrible by any means, but it feels tired and repetitive. Maybe their hearts weren't in this one (the lack of marketing seems to indicate this). Maybe Dan Scanlon just isn't a gifted director (his previous film, "Monsters University," would seem to indicate this). Or perhaps the Pixar formula has simply lost its magic. God I hope not!
The underlying idea for "Onward" is ripe with potential. It takes place in a land where magic and fantasy creatures exist, but they've gotten lazy and turned to cars and cellphones instead of spells and treasure maps. This is the world in which Ian Lightfoot (Holland) finds himself. He and his family are elves, although for them magic is an almost mythical entity. His layabout older brother Barley (Pratt) is a die-hard fan of anything magic related, and has even named his beater of a van "Guinevere." Unfortunately, their father passed away before Ian was born, and it has left a hole in his heart. On his sixteenth birthday, his mother gives him a present left to him by his father. It is a wizard's staff and instructions on how to bring him back for one day. Much to their disappointment, the spell doesn't quite work. Only his father's legs appear. To revive the rest of him, they need another magical stone, but getting it is easier said than done.
"Onward" is a mixed bag. Some of it hits home, but some of it feels like artificial and cobbled together from every other Pixar movie. When the film concentrates on Ian's need to meet his father, it works. Tom Holland is good enough for his feelings to translate across the screen. The world building is solid, but there is definitely room to explore this further (no doubt Pixar is hoping for a franchise, although the story has a strong finish). The brotherly bond between Ian and Barley is fine, but it's so obvious and mirrors every other Pixar relationship.
The biggest mistake is Barley. Every Pixar movie has a quirky eccentric who is obsessed with something. Buzz Lightyear, Flik, Mike Wazowski, Remy, Russell...you know what I'm talking about. Barley puts them to shame. He makes superhero fanboys look subtle. Whether it's the writing or Pratt himself, it doesn't take long for the character to become incredibly irritating. When he is talking about something other than his love of magic, Barley is tolerable. But when he goes into fanboy frenzy, I kept wishing he'd get hit by a spell of silence. Or at least restraint.
The animation is fine, although it lacks the vividness and imagination of something like "Coco." This is Fantasy 101 with Pixar's sense of satire, and that element feels like it's a bunch of one-liners and callbacks worthy of the MCU rather than something germane and truly inventive. It tries to do for fantasy what "Galaxy Quest" did for sci-fi, but the underrated Tim Allen flick did it so much better.
"Onward" isn't painful and it won't end up on my Bottom 10 list, but this one just didn't do it for me. Hopefully their other 2020 flick, "Soul," will be better.
Starring (voices): Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez
Rated PG for Action/Peril and Some Mild Thematic Elements
For the past 25 years, Pixar Animation has been behind some of the most celebrated animated films of all time, and the shift from hand-drawn animation to films drawn on computer (the former isn't completely dead, but apart from "The Princess and the Frog," they come mostly from Studio Ghibli). It's probably unfair to expect a masterpiece each time out, but that doesn't ease the disappointment when one misfires. "Onward" is an original work and certainly not terrible by any means, but it feels tired and repetitive. Maybe their hearts weren't in this one (the lack of marketing seems to indicate this). Maybe Dan Scanlon just isn't a gifted director (his previous film, "Monsters University," would seem to indicate this). Or perhaps the Pixar formula has simply lost its magic. God I hope not!
The underlying idea for "Onward" is ripe with potential. It takes place in a land where magic and fantasy creatures exist, but they've gotten lazy and turned to cars and cellphones instead of spells and treasure maps. This is the world in which Ian Lightfoot (Holland) finds himself. He and his family are elves, although for them magic is an almost mythical entity. His layabout older brother Barley (Pratt) is a die-hard fan of anything magic related, and has even named his beater of a van "Guinevere." Unfortunately, their father passed away before Ian was born, and it has left a hole in his heart. On his sixteenth birthday, his mother gives him a present left to him by his father. It is a wizard's staff and instructions on how to bring him back for one day. Much to their disappointment, the spell doesn't quite work. Only his father's legs appear. To revive the rest of him, they need another magical stone, but getting it is easier said than done.
"Onward" is a mixed bag. Some of it hits home, but some of it feels like artificial and cobbled together from every other Pixar movie. When the film concentrates on Ian's need to meet his father, it works. Tom Holland is good enough for his feelings to translate across the screen. The world building is solid, but there is definitely room to explore this further (no doubt Pixar is hoping for a franchise, although the story has a strong finish). The brotherly bond between Ian and Barley is fine, but it's so obvious and mirrors every other Pixar relationship.
The biggest mistake is Barley. Every Pixar movie has a quirky eccentric who is obsessed with something. Buzz Lightyear, Flik, Mike Wazowski, Remy, Russell...you know what I'm talking about. Barley puts them to shame. He makes superhero fanboys look subtle. Whether it's the writing or Pratt himself, it doesn't take long for the character to become incredibly irritating. When he is talking about something other than his love of magic, Barley is tolerable. But when he goes into fanboy frenzy, I kept wishing he'd get hit by a spell of silence. Or at least restraint.
The animation is fine, although it lacks the vividness and imagination of something like "Coco." This is Fantasy 101 with Pixar's sense of satire, and that element feels like it's a bunch of one-liners and callbacks worthy of the MCU rather than something germane and truly inventive. It tries to do for fantasy what "Galaxy Quest" did for sci-fi, but the underrated Tim Allen flick did it so much better.
"Onward" isn't painful and it won't end up on my Bottom 10 list, but this one just didn't do it for me. Hopefully their other 2020 flick, "Soul," will be better.
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