Ladies & gentlemen, with the whole you know what pandemic going on, I think we can agree that we need something even mostly positive to talk about, eh? Oh, and I just want you all to know that that because of this Corona Virus occurring, and so many businesses closing, as well as a lot of people suggesting that we not go to public places all that much, I may not be going to the movie theater to see newer films at least for the next month, maybe even month and a half, depending on how this crisis pans out in the weeks to come. It shall be played by ear for sure. However, I do plan to watch, or rewatch some older films, including ones in a certain movie marathon that I plan to begin in the next week or two, hopefully. So there’s that! Well, with that announcement out of the way, let’s march onward in Disney/Pixar’s newest offering, which is appropriately titled Onward.
Plot: On youngest brother Ian Lightfoot’s (voiced by Tom Holland) 16th birthday, he is given a wizard’s staff by his oldest brother, Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt). Shortly after, Ian and Barley try to use a magical item in the staff to bring their deceased father back from the dead for the next twenty-four hours. But when the spell falls short, and our two main leads have to travel to find another item like before to put into the staff, and bring all of their father back within the time limit, will they succeed in their quest, and will Ian get his chance to see his Dad that he lost when he was a baby?
Okay, when I first heard that Disney/Pixar was finally making their first original film since 2017’s Coco, I was very excited to hear about that. I also was, and still am, glad that both Disney/Pixar, and possibly even Walt Disney Animation Studios are straying from making sequels to original films at least for a while, if not for good. Anyway, I was also thrilled to find that both Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, who, as I’m sure many of us know, both played Marvel characters Star Lord and Spider-Man in the Marvel superhero films, would be playing the main leads in this film.
Now that this movie has finally arrived, and I saw it not this past weekend, but the weekend before, did this film turn out well? Well, not quite. Oh yes, it was still a mostly good film, but Onward was surprisingly not without it’s flaws. First off, what was with the studio making a potential LGBTQ reference in this film? That is especially since Disney/Pixar apparently admitted to inserting a reference somewhat at the last minute, you know? Honestly, it sounds like with movies like this, the upcoming Jungle Cruise, and maybe quite a few other films from any of the Disney studios making hints of gay, or LGTBQ characters being put into films that are aimed for both children and family, I don’t know about some of you guys, but it’s quite possible that I may end up researching which Disney films have that kind of stuff, and being more cautious of which Disney films, or movies period, that I may see, or not see in the future. Again, that shall be played by ear. However, even then, regardless of something like that being in this movie or not, the general concept of this story doesn’t feel quite as original like with Pixar’s other films (or even Disney Animation Studios’ films for that matter). I mean as you watch this movie, you can more than likely tell that there are certain elements that were done much better in family films of this type even as far as a few years ago, or more. That is especially when it comes to things such world building and character development for some of the supporting characters. Truth be told, if there was an opportunity for Disney/Pixar to step out of their comfort zone by making an animated film around 120-140 minutes, if at all possible, this would have been it. I mean, you can still develop the main leads really well too, but why not try to make an effort, if at all possible, to do the same with the world building, and story overall, you know? But oh well! There also seemed to be a couple plot holes as well.
Well, enough of the negatives in Onward. Did this film have good things in it? Well, as I mentioned in the beginning of this film, it did. First off, there were some very creative elements in this film that felt very original, despite the lack of originality that this film had. What’s more is that there are times when you feel like Onward is going to be one of Disney/Pixar’s more predictable movies. While that may sometimes be the case, there are other times when some twists are thrown in here and there that help keep the movie on it’s feet. In addition to these aspects, Onward helps provide some good lessons about how we should learn to be satisfied, and grateful for the things that we do have in our lives. As for some of the songs, while you will be hearing music that exists in real life, it somehow seems to work much better than it did in say the 2005 Disney film Chicken Little, or some film like that. Oh, and some of the additional voice acting, in addition to Pratt and Holland, that is, is fantastic. Finally, if you liked say sibling relationships in say animated films like Lilo & Stitch and Frozen, you’ll enjoy it really well here too. Not only is the relationship written well, but it’s one that can be allegorical to relationships in real life.
Well folks, that concludes my review for Disney/Pixar’s Onward. Sure, it may not be one of Pixar’s strongest films. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to recommend in this film. I would say definitely see this film in theaters if you can. However, before I suggest that, I think that will depend on a couple things. One of course being how the Corona Virus pans out in the weeks to come. Second is how strongly you feel about LGBTQ characters being added in a family movie like this, and/or if you believe that seeing movies like this, or maybe even future ones, might affect our children in the future. Anyway, see you guys around, even if it’s just with more older films at least for a few weeks.
Final Grade: B+
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 