Brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) live with their mother Laurel (Julia Louie-Dreyfuss) after the father and husband respectively Wilden passed away from illness many years ago. Upon his sixteenth birthday, Ian is given a present from his later father: a wizard staff along with the rare Phoenix gem and a spell to bring Wilden back to life for twenty four hours. A mishap in performing the spell results in the gem shattering. leaving only half of their father being reconstituted. Ian and Barley set off on a quest to find another Phoenix gem, leading the brothers down paths of peril, life lessons, and being reminded of what you have and how much you miss it when it's gone.
The newest outing by Pixar, Onward gives us another heartfelt tale of family that doesn't shy away from the notion that, even when we love them, sometimes family can be the biggest pain in the ass. But the latter doesn't always disqualify the former. It's especially tough when you've lost a family member to disease or circumstances far beyond anyone's control. Losing a family member or someone you loved enough to spend the rest of your life with is like losing a part of yourself. Time may heal the wound, but you never really forget. Even when the weight of the loss slowly lifts with each passing day, it feels like you'll carry it, in some part, with you forever. But life goes on, the world moves ever forward.
Fantasy creatures inhabiting modern times is hardly unbroken ground (see Bright, The Dresden Files, Supernatural, Buffy The Vampire Slayer etc;), Onward seems to take a different approach. In most contemporary fantasy, the fantastic and the modern are more or less folded into each other, like a deck of playing cards. The world of this film seems to have a different history, or at least more of an alternate version. I suppose if one were to take a fine-toothed comb, one could pick apart how technology shouldn't exist so similarly to our own, but the movie doesn't really bring it up and frankly, it isn't important to the bulk of the story. It's not about the world itself, though it is worth exploring on its own. But it rightly focuses on Ian and Barley's journey, brotherhood and respective relationships with their father.
Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are perfectly cast as Barley and Ian Lightfoot respectively. Tom portrays Ian's nerdy, nebbish awkwardness and desire to be more confident with little to no effort. Barley seems like a role made for Pratt, who first charmed audiences as Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation. Though, in all honesty, ten years ago, Jack Black and Michael Cera would've turned in terrific portrayals of Barley and Ian respectively, as well.
The premise to this movie spoke to me in a very personal way. In late 2003, my father died of cancer and, to be honest, it still affects me to this day. Not a day goes by that I don't miss him, even after sixteen years. Eventually you do move on, you do live your life. Losing a family member to disease is the kind of pain that changes forever those who have been left behind. Parents remarry, families are altered, but the love for those we lose never goes away. The family dynamic in Onward is heavily relatable in that way. It does go into something of a cliche, especially when it comes to the boys's relationship with Colt Bronco, who is dating Barley and Ian's mother Laurel (played by Julia Louis Dreyfuss).
Speaking of cliches, the structure and pacing of this film does feel somewhat recycled from just about every road trip/buddy movie you've seen before. Our heroes get sidetracked for a gas run and encounter a biker gang (of pixies). Circumstances force a rift between the brothers, particularly Barley's perception as a screw-up and manchild. It's another coming of age story for a boy learning to become a young man. It is effectively told and enjoyable, but as far as Pixar films go, it's not anything revolutionary or new.
Special mention should be given to Octavia Spencer's Manticore Corey. Her character arc in the story can serve as something of a microcosm of what the audience should take away from this film. She starts out going through the motions as the owner of a kids-themed tavern based on her exploits. Modern life and responsibilities had taken their toll on her fighting spirit. Through a brief encounter with the young elf men, she realizes what she has become. Corey and Laurel have a fun but brief adventure together on the road trying to help Barley and Ian from the disastrous consequences of their quest. While Corey experiences what some may call a mid-life crisis and possibly isn't as strong as she used to be, she still manages to rekindle the fire and passion for life that drove her in ages gone by.
In the end Onward is about how we progress in life, but never forgetting the magic that's within us and others. Life goes on, but we can't let that get us down. We can't let an ever-changing world snuff out the heart's fire that burns within us. While we can't ignore the responsibilities and trappings of modern living, they also aren't what we're meant to live for. We as people are meant to do wondrous things and if we can just harness the spark and speak from our hearts, maybe we can make magic live on in some form of our lives.
