Onward (2020)

Two teenage elf brothers in a town called New Mushroomton go on a quest that requires them to tap into the long-forgotten magic in the world to have one more day with the father who passed away before his youngest was born. The father left behind a gift for them to have when they both reached the age of sixteen, a wizard’s staff and an ultra-rare Phoenix Gem they can use to bring him back to life, but only for one day. The spell is cast, but the process gets interrupted halfway, leaving only dad’s animated legs to get to know (as this is a PG-rated film, Dad appears with his chinos on). If they want to talk to him or give him so much as a hug, they’ll have to find another Phoenix Gem before the spell runs out.

We learn through the opening narration that the world was once a place of great wonder and magic, a fantasyland of fairies, wizards, elves, and all manner of mystical creatures. The creatures still exist, but technological advancements supplanted the need for magic, to the point where most people don’t know how to practice it any longer. This theme fits into the central motif of most Pixar films to date, which is that one must reach beyond one’s comfort zone and take risks to affect positive change.

Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) is the socially awkward younger of the two brothers. Barley (Chris Pratt, channeling his inner Jack Black) is the more hard-rocking’ and adventurous older sibling, obsessed with the magical world of the past. He’s especially passionate about, “Quests of Yore,” which purports to be an accurate portrayal of how things used to be when magic was all the rage.

Dan Scanlon, who previously directed Monsters University for Pixar, takes the reins of Onward, a project six years in the making. Scanlon has used elements of his childhood in Michigan for the main story. His father passed away in a car accident at a time when he was one, and his brother was three years old (this was changed to a terminal disease so the father would have time to develop the spell before passing). His relationship with his older brother inspired this tale of families moving on from the loss of a loved one. Although purely a fantasy, some of the story elements come from real life, such as the discovery of a cassette tape where he hears his father’s voice. Scanlon’s father only said two words on the tape he didn’t listen to until his teenage years: “Hi!” and “Goodbye.”

Scanlon knew that bringing the dad back to life for one more day would be the goal of his film, but how could he get there? Being an animated Pixar film, the sky was the limit for ingenuity, but audiences would still need to suspend some disbelief, no matter the world-building elements. Scanlon started with the notion of scientists who can build a machine that could regenerate humans, but the amount of explanation required encumbered the lighthearted story elements. Eventually, it was changed to magic, not only because of the narrative short-hand involved in the exposition, but it also created a much more fun and vibrant world to entertain audiences of all ages. As their father existed to nearly mythic proportions in their minds, it made sense to delve into the realm of fantasy to coincide with all of the imagination they had about what it would be like to have their father in their lives still.

Neither Scanlon nor his producing partners were well-versed in the realm of fantasy or roleplaying. They reached out to several members of the Pixar family to help contribute to the language and lifestyle of those into the genre books, films, and games, adding as much flavor as they could to connect with the right audience. In-jokes abound for fantasy fans,” such as “second “breakfast” served at a local theme restaurant, or a yogurt shop named “Master FroYo.” Unicorns, once the most beautiful but rare creatures are now pests who rummage through the trash cans. D&D players will get a kick of some of the items they seBarley’s Barley’s place, such as a “gelatinous cube,” one of the classic foes in the roleplaying realm. And of course, there are the requisite Easter eggs to be found for Pixar fans, like the oft-seen Pizza Planet truck and ‘A113’ references.

Although most of Pixar’s films to date have fantasy elements to them, this is the first to take place entirely within the genre, so some feeling out of the parameters would be necessary. In the early phases of dealing with magic, it was going to be Ian who was into magic and his older brother being indifferent. However, it was determined as they were writing this up that audiences would have a hard time identifying with Ian’s journey because we don’t readily understand or care about magic. The brothers flipped their knowledge so that we could make the discoveries along with Ian.

When Tom Holland got involved, the nature of Ian changed further. He went from being a bit of a sarcastic smart-ass to more of a sincere but Pratt’s. Pratt’s personality allowed Barley to be recognizable in being overbearing to his brother yet still seeming likable to audiences, something that pays off well as we enter the film’s second half. Pratt played the role of someone who enjoyed doing crazy things but who wasn’t a crazy person.  In the initial phases for the film, Scanlon had a third character they met on their quest that ends up going along for the ride with the two brothers but decided that this wasn’t necessary, so all of the required attributes were given to either Ian or Barley instead.

For the spells involved, Scanlon and his crew underwent brainstorming sessions to come up with over 100 different kinds of spells and determine how each of them could remedy various situations the protagonists found themselves enduring. Most of the spells ended up not being used, but the exercise brought about further story elements that transpired due to the nature of the spell. Something else that ends up not getting used is a scene of dialogue between Chris Pratt and another essential character who finally finds his voice by the end of the film, which Scanlon says was just in case they felt they needed it, which they did not.

For the longest time, Pixar didn’t have its title. Some toyed with the notion of calling it Half-Dad or Pants, but, while funny, didn’t have the right spirit given the emotional underpinning of the story. Eventually, they settled on Onward because it denoted a positive move forward toward and overall journey, in keeping with the vibe of what they were trying to portray. It also represents a recognition of the past from which one has to move onward. The characters have something from their childhood that they have to reconcile before they can come of age and move forward with theirs.

There’s also a secondary theme on the culture’s over-reliance on technology to live our lives in a manner that is not our natural or historical inclination. The undercurrent of a society that had forgotten their greatness because they didn’t see the need to practice magic any longer when they had gadgets that could produce similar results without requiring personal effort or practice is a message to us that have let devices and technology run our lives. It’s an irony, given that Pixar is a company founded upon reliance on technology. However, the message still comes through that we should be making our sort of “magic” happen in our lives rather than sink into a life full of perpetual ease.

As the film doubles as a love letter from Scanlon to his family, he didn’t tell his brother about the nature of the movie until it was complete. Once the film wrapped, he let him see the finished product and received what he calls the longest hug of his life.

Onward is the twenty-second in Pixar’s long but very well respected like-up of animated features. It may not be in the upper echelon of Pixar films, but that’s a high bar to hurdle given the great films they have made. It is the first Pixar film without any participation from its founder, John Lasseter, who left Disney in a bit of personal-conduct controversy and would go on to become head of animation for Skydance Media. However, even if it falls short of greatness, it still passes the test to be an excellent and heartwarming film that would be among the very best releases by just about any other animation house.

The film may not soar to Pixar’s top pantheon of all-time greats, but it is undoubtedly high quality and remains thoroughly watchable throughout. One of the downsides to making great movies is that every subsequent release gets unfairly graded on a curve because if this were any other animation studio, everyone would be talking about them catching up to Pixar in quality. It only experiences its first prolonged lull late in the film, during a sequence at the climax that finds the heroes having to battle a giant dragon made out of concrete responding to the curse of the Phoenix Gem.

However, the film ends with some touching realizations that will no doubt hit home for families, particularly for those where a parent was missing that required siblings to look out for one another. If you find yourself stuck in a rut, thinking of how good life could be “if only…”, this Pixar release offers a sincere message to all of us to appreciate who we are in the now and thank those who’ve helped us along.

Qwipster’s rating: A

MPAA Rated: PG for action/peril and some mild thematic elements
Run time: 102 min.

Cast (voices): Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez
Small roles (voices): Ali Wong, Tracey Ullman, Wilmer Valderrama, John Ratzenberger
Director: Dan Scanlon
Screenplay: Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley, Keith Bunin