Anthony's Film Review - Onward (2020)

While far from Pixar's best, Onward still has some humor and imagination...

After 25 years of feature-length Pixar animated films, I think it's time for me to unveil what I like to call the Pixar Checklist. This is my list of criteria for a great Pixar animated film, something to separate Toy Story 1 and 2, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo from others like A Bug's Life and The Good Dinosaur. It's also something that can aid me in ranking the Pixar movies and deciding where new ones end up. So with that in mind, here it is:

Anthony's Pixar Checklist

1. World - Does the film present a world that is fascinating with its own creative and imaginative laws and customs?
2. Plot - Does the film present an exciting story within that world?
3. Characters - Does the film have characters who are developed well so that we care about them?
4. Themes - Does the film contain universal messages, themes, and lessons that appeal to our hearts?
5. Interconnectedness - Does the film present the above four elements in an interconnected way, such that each one influences the others?

Now, let's apply the checklist to Pixar's early 2020 film, Onward.

Of the five items, the one that this movie does the best at is its fictional world, and even then, I would rate it good though not stellar. Imagine a fantasy land with magic, mystical creatures, and epic adventures. Now imagine if technology gets developed in the same setting, such that all inhabitants turn to that and forget about the powers of magic. Over time, this land evolves into a modern civilization, very much like our own in real life.

The reason I say the world development is just good is because there's nothing special about this civilization. The inhabitants may be different kinds of mythical creatures, but they otherwise go to work, attend school, and move through life the same way people in reality do. It probably wouldn't matter if this movie just had humans instead of fantasy creatures. Then again, you could still have magic in this kind of setting. A perfect segue into plot and characters.

The main characters are an adolescent elf named Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) and his big brother Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt). As Ian reaches the age of 16, their mother Laurel (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hands them a gift left behind by their late father: a magic staff, a crystal, and a magic spell that would bring their father back to life for one day, so that he could see how much his boys have grown. Ian proceeds with casting the spell, but he cannot complete the task to the end. As a result, he only manages to summon their father's legs, without the upper half of his body. Worse, the crystal has shattered, so Ian cannot try the spell again.

Barley figures out a solution. They need a replacement crystal, but it's a rare hard-to-find crystal. Hence, the two brothers go on a quest to seek this crystal, in hopes of trying the spell again before the 24-hour window closes. Their epic adventure (yes, that's right) takes them through different parts of their town. Hence, their quest involves not travel by foot or horse, but rather Barley's van.

I would rate the plot as decent, because at least there's something to follow. Also, I enjoyed the humorous combinations of fantasy elements and real-life elements, like a scene involving the retrieval of a legendary sword from a pawn shop. As for characters, I would rate that checklist item a little lower as average, because they're basic and there is relatively little development of relationship between characters. The most significant character relationship is the brotherly connection between Ian and Barley, and even then, their relationship is explored only superficially.

What about themes? Pixar animated movies are widely known for presenting and exploring themes. Well, I have to admit that there isn't much for that checklist item. I did notice two possible themes that could have been developed but were not: love within family and the value of understanding and cherishing great things of the past (like magic, in this case). So that leads me to the final checklist item about interconnectedness among world, plot, characters, and themes. I cannot check this item because there isn't much with the others to begin with.

Based on all of this, is Onward worth seeing? The answer depends on your expectations. If you want another stellar Pixar, I say no. If you don't mind a simple and fun animated movie, then I say, "Yes. Why not?" This is a movie where the beginning may feel boring at first because the fictional world isn't too unique, but once the plot gets going, it's not so bad after all. I did have fun from beginning to end, and honestly, I did laugh slightly a few times. Basically, don't expect classic Pixar. Instead, treat this one like a standard Disney animation or something out of the rival studio DreamWorks.

In the end, Onward is definitely not a huge leap forward, but neither is it a step backward. It's just a few steps forward. A simple decent movie.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Onward, visit the Internet Movie Database.