Onward (2020) – Review

A Walt Disney Picture, Written by Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin, Directed by Dan Scanlon.

‘Onward’ was advertised as a whimsical comedy from Pixar set in a fantasy world, and while this is in many ways, I also found it to be a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and a heartbreaking and eventually life affirming examination of how everyone in a family deals with losing a parent at a young age.

The plot essentially follows two brothers, played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, go on a quest to find a object that can help them complete a spell to bring their father back to life for one day, after neither of them really had the chance to know him as kids.

This allows for the two brothers to go on a journey where they find out many things about their relationship and who they are as individuals, as well as presenting us with multiple geek culture references and opportunities for humour along the way. Another positive is that the mother isn’t sidelined, and is instead given a key role and shows how strong and important she is, which is a great representation of how many single mothers are underestimated but deliver for their kids when it matters.

The voice work is stellar all round, with particular praise going to Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, who both appear in most scenes of the film, and do good jobs in both the comedic and dramatic moments. They have both proven in the past how they can deliver strong voice work, and I imagine more roles in animated films are in their future. They have shown in the brief screen time they had together in the MCU that they have good chemistry, and prove that even more so here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they tackle another project together in the near future.

The other cast member I would like to point out is Julia Louis-Dreyfus who does a really solid job as the mother, a role that is not flashy but is absolutely vital (often like the role of a mother in real life).

I didn’t expect much from this film in all honesty and it totally surprised be, and delivered what I believe to be one of Pixar’s best films in years. It is well known that Pixar films like to make the audience emotional, and in recent years it has seemed like they were potentially getting too carried away with that, but here they get back to their roots, by putting story and character first, and allowing that to be the reason the audience connects with the message of the film in an emotional way.

I plan to write a much more detailed post when the film officially comes out that will include spoilers and will look at how the film beautifully explores the dynamics of a single parent family, and how those bonds can grow stronger than anyone else realises, so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.

Rating = 4/5