- Directed by Dan Scanlon
- February 21, 2020 (Berlinale) / March 6, 2020 (US)
Voice Cast
- Ian Lightfoot-Tom Holland
- Barley Lightfoot-Chris Pratt
- Laurel Lightfoot-Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Corey The Manticore-Octavia Spencer
- Wilden Lightfoot-Kyle Bornheimer
- Colt Bronco-Mel Rodriguez
- Specter-Lena Waithe
- Gore-Ali Wong
- Dewdrop-Grey Griffin
- Grecklin-Tracey Ullman
- Gaxton-Wilmer Valderrama
- Avel-George Psarras
- Fennwick-John Ratzenberger
Two elf brothers set out on a quest to find a rare stone that will help temporarily revive their late father for one day.
Onward is an animated Pixar film set in a once magical world now filled with technology because technology is easier than wielding magic to the point of magic falling into disuse. The script wiggles between nobody going through the effort and maybe nobody believing in magic.
Not everybody can use magic otherwise the character that knows more about it would be able to correctly handle the McGuffin that gets the plot rolling rather than the know-nothing brother that is a social outcast. That implies in the magical past an elite group with access to skills and power others would never have implying using technology democratized society while magic created impenetrable social stratification. I wished the movie had taken a look at THAT a bit. Such a move could have paralleled several aspects of the movie.
Ian and Barley are mildly mismatched brothers. They are very different personalities. Ian is desperate to find a way to fit in while Barley is into fantasy games with no strong concerns over not fitting in. Both brothers miss their late father who died while they were very young to the point Ian has no memories of dad.
What smacked me in the face was that Ian hides the existence of Barley from his friends to the point they are shocked to learn he has an older brother. Ten minutes in we see this! That seems kind of monstrous. How messed up is that?!
This is a plot point that should have been seriously dealt with in the story and only gets touched on late in the film during an obligatory heartfelt moment. I think. It is something very serious that is treated as an afterthought. Heck, Barley is perfectly secure being who he is yet Ian is creating a whole fiction to fit in. The former should be part of a big lesson to the latter but nope.
Like so many stories these days with a ticking clock where there is little time to waste, the central characters decide to have a big fight when certain truths get revealed that should be pretty obvious. Some are in how they feel about each other. They’ve got hours to get their dad back and they take time out to have a big fight that slows them up.
Screenwriters Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin throw in extra characters such as a stepfather who’s quite minor in the whole story but MUST be part the climax and their mother Laurel who chases down the boys with restauranteur manticore Corey. It is all B plot padding that pulls the focus from the central pair hinting that they did not have enough story (which the did not in what they were willing to do) for the presumed core.
Along the way Ian, who screwed up the spell causing only half of dad to show, masters casting magic. Fine. Ian gets taught some by Barley because of the Barley’s experience with DND style games. Fine. But because of this need for the mother and the police stepfather who never really grow as a character, their journey is diluted and never really has an emotional finish.
Oh, and there’s a dangerous curse as they go to get another stone because the climax must be all about a lot of action rather than a lot of emotion. Onward reeks of lazy writing. This quest is presented as an emotional journey to have closure over the passing of their father. Trials and tribulations mixed with hindrances are what were called for. It also forces the question of why a curse on this stone. We have no history on the first magic rock but if the one in the story is cursed then what about others?
This long and arduous journey to the hinterlands takes the characters all the way back to where they started and specifically to an old fountain across the street from Ian’s school where the stone is hidden. It makes the whole trip feel a little pointless and unnecessary. One can presume this town existed in some fashion when the stone or whatever you wanna call it was put there since the tavern owned by Corey has existed in the past whenever this stone was placed so why did they have to make the big loop?
But that’s not the worst part of the ending. Ian, who is a central character, never gets to meet the father. Instead, he watches from a distance as his older brother Barley gets to meet the dad. They don’t need to have a conversation or anything. The story could’ve climaxed with a word or two from the Dad and a hug before he faded away. Maybe even a pleased look.
Onward had too many plots and subplots that needed to be resolved. They could’ve mentioned the stepfather without introducing him as a character that had lines. Come to terms with Dad having passed and having a new stepdad. Simple little scenes could’ve resolved all this, but once they started introducing them as characters more is needed and that just never happened. Then there is a question how long ago was magic used and then replaced by technology. Corey seems to remember things before technology was prevalent so is she immortal? Are other creatures immortal or is it just her? Why was she the only one who seemed to be familiar with the world before magic was rare?
Another inconsistency are the biker sprites who cannot fly but later can. Barley irritates them but pointing out their wings and it becomes clear they have no flight capabilities. Later on Laurel and Corey are zipping down a highway and the sprites smack the windshield clearly able to fly. Which is it?
As can often be the case with actors doing voice work over professional voice actors, there is much to be desired. Tom Holland is just using his Peter Parker voice. Chris Pratt sounds like Seth Rogen doing the same performance Seth Rogen always gives. Pratt’s accident aside, neither did anything special with their voices. Their generic work is almost a detriment to otherwise middling and unfocused film. Experienced voice actors would certainly have helped in this case.
What exactly was the point of this? How do Ian and Barley come to terms with their fathers passing or mend their personal bonds? How does Ian become better socially? He ends as a sorcerer of sorts giving in-school demonstrations making HIS magic a crutch. I’m not sure exactly how anybody learns to handle the loss of a parent which would seem to be one of if not the central theme of the whole movie. It’s just a film that goes through the motions and ticks off a checklist of things largely because it must.
If this was some kind of group quest, then the group should’ve clearly linked up rather than simply arrive at the same place. They’re all kind of working on their own thing. The fantasy elements offered nothing significantly special in the way of storytelling. Onward would’ve turned out the same if these were human beings. I don’t think too much would’ve changed if they just been human beings given a magical item by a late relative.
This is a movie that slaps together a bunch of elements and together it all hopes it all works out together rather than giving any thought. The rules of the world feel inconsistent. There are far too many characters for what should be a very simple and straightforward story. In short it is very nearly a mess.
Onward was a bit of a disappointment. It had far too many characters and no strong emotional core despite the premise. Visually interesting but narratively empty.
