Pixar OnwardReview
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Pixar Onward Review By: Michelle Cisneros The latest animated film Onward joins the rest of Pixar’s high ranking and tear-jerking productions. The movie is set in a fictional world whose past was filled with magic and spells, but is now dependent on the convenience of modern technology. The movie focuses on two blue-skinned elf brothers and their quest to get to spend one more day with their deceased father. Ian Lightfoot (played by rising star Tom Holland) is the youngest brother, a shy and timid teen who often compares himself to his late father who had confidence, which Ian lacks. Though never having met his father, we see that he plays an important role in Ian’s life: often wearing his father’s old clothing, has photos of him all over his bedroom, and listens to old cassettes of his voice. Ian’s older brother Barley (voiced by Guardian of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt) is the complete opposite, he is fearless and is often judged by the people around him for trying to bring magic back. On Ian’s 16th birthday, he receives a very special gift from his dad. To Ian and his mother’s confusion (and Barley’s amazement), it is a wooden staff with a magical spell that will allow him to conjure him back till next sundown. After hours of attempting, Ian is able to get only the bottom half of their dad back, from the waistband down. Both brothers agree to go off on a quest in hopes of finding another magic stone in order to get the other half of their dad. Like most Pixar movies, what starts off to be a step-by-step journey is thrown off course only to end in a very sentimental heartfelt moment. Though many might place this movie below some Pixar classics like Toy Story and Cars, this movie brings an element of true sincerity thanks to its director Dan Scanlon (also director of Monster Inc University), who like the main characters lost his father at a very young age. While many Pixar films mention the morbid topic of death like the 2017 film Coco or the 2009 movie Up, Onward grounds its whole movie on the longing to see their late father just one more time, which we can safely assume comes from the director’s own longing. What also sets Onward apart from those other films is rather than making us cry the first couple minutes like Up or the end like in Coco, throughout the entire film your heart aches while watching these brothers do anything to see their dad. This willingness to do anything also shows the audience growth especially in the character Ian. While oftentimes Ian doesn’t always make the best choices or follow the right path, he grows as a person coming out of his shy shell and gaining the confidence of his late father. While Onward centers its attention on the relation between father and child, we come to realize that it’s truly about family and the role models we have in our life. Even the little things in this movie that are often looked past make this an incredible film: the small representation in the LGBTQ+ community with a female police officer referring to her girlfriend, noticeable Latin accent from a former college friend of the Lightfoots’ father, and even depicting some of the mythical creatures in hair dreads. But for some, they feel that this movie doesn’t contain the originality that Pixar normally has. What other critics of this movie often mention is how this movie will be pushed under the rug and be forgotten by other Pixar classics. Boston Globe writer Ty Burr says, “Should you take the kids? Of course...They’ll have a perfectly nice time, and maybe the boys will stop giving each other noogies for a bit. What they won’t do, most likely, is remember ‘Onward’ after a week or two…” I feel that Onward does contain that Pixar magic, the harmony of both a tough subject balanced out by its action packed and silly jokes, make it an enjoyable film. It gives a Dragon and Dungeon magical aesthetic based on our modern world. Parents and critics may believe some of these subjects are taboo, light inappropriate humor, and mention of a gay couple, but it’s rather the opposite. Onward emphasizes bringing real-world concepts into children’s films and normalizing them. This film is a beautiful telling of family love and the impact mentors (in this case Barley to Ian) have in shaping us into the people we are today. .