Film Review - Onward (2020)

Disney and Pixar’s Onward introduces two teenage elf brothers (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.

Pixar Animation Studios’ all-new original feature film is directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae — the team behind Monsters University. Onward out now on Digital Download, and on 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on June 1st.

Review – contains spoilers

The introduction to Onward is on par with “Up” and “Inside Out” within the Disney Pixar universe. It’s quite an emotional movie and one that may leave you a little teary inside.

The story is set in today’s timeline and no magic exists, or does it? One brother has immersed himself in the game “Quest of York” which is a fantasy game set long ago when magic really did existed. When Elves were wizards, unicorns could fly and didn’t rummage around in rubbish bins like wild dogs, and Hells Angel pixies could also use their wings rather than driving around on hogs.

In today’s world, everyone is too busy being busy and convenience meant there was no time for magic.

What makes the story powerful is the two boys grew up without their father, but he had wanted them to believe in magic, so when they were presented with a staff on Ian’s 16th birthday and a spell on how to bring their father back, only Barley believed.

There’s no such thing as magic, or is there!

Ian is the wizard, and when he casts the spell to bring his father back for 24 hours, it goes slightly wrong and only the bottom half of their dad comes back! They now have less than 24 hours to get the top half of their dad back so Ian can speak with him for the first time and Barley can ask his dad what his wizard name would have been, and to say good-bye, something he refused to do when his dad was ill, as he didn’t want to lose him.

The story is funny and crazy but also emotional. Ian realises he’s had a father figure the entire time in his big brother Barley and just didn’t realises just how lucky he is in comparison.

For me Barley annoys me greatly and I really didn’t warm to his character, but I do wonder if that’s deliberate of Pixar so they can hit you with the guilt trip at the end!

Will the boys make it through the path of peril to obtain another gemstone and defeat the dragon within the 24 hours or will the boys lose their father all over again?

If you believe in magic I’m sure you know the answer, but it may not be the obvious one.

We as a family enjoyed this, for me it was watchable, but my 8-year-old son and his father thoroughly enjoyed the film and were there in the town of New Mushroomton with the Elf brothers.