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Onward (2020)  

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  1. 1. What'd You Think?



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This was pleasant, but definitely lacking in the typical Pixar magic. I feel like there should've been a stronger emotional connection to the boys' journey than what we end up with, which is perplexing given how strong the studio usually is with this sort of material. But it's got plenty of laughs, colorful animation, and the cast clearly had a blast in the recording studio making the movie. It's the kind of movie that feels destined to become a popular choice for families looking for something to watch on Disney+ beyond the usual classics. B

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I went into this film without watching any trailers completely trusting the Pixar brand to give me a solid story for families. I did enjoy this and appreciated the depth to the story as things unfolded, but it was a little incomplete. We needed a small side story of the mom connecting with the flying dragon barlady to get insight into his older son's behavior. The film ended with her on board to help him complete this. Now the film adds that climatic action sequence out of the blue with no dialogue about quests and how they usually end, nor do we see any scenes where the big brother is fatherly, so adding swim lesson flashbacks came out like a cop out and not a fluent motion to a deeper film. Now I did enjoy this film immensely, but sat in the theater not knowing what it was about being critical about what it should be to be Pixar-complete, 

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Onward, Pixar’s latest offering, is an effective but messy film that acts as further proof that even when they’re not at the top of their game, the minds at the beloved animation studio are still capable of producing solidly entertaining and heartwarming fare. As is the case with many of Pixar’s previous films, Onward is less about its ultimate destination than the journey it takes to get there – and the film’s effectiveness ties in with that very idea. The plot is familiar enough that most viewers will be at least a step or two ahead of it, and the overly chaotic third act feels out of step with the emotional climax the narrative builds to. The film works best, rather, when it focuses on the journey between its leads. Tom Holland doesn’t get to show as much personality as he does in the Spider-Man films as the initially timid Ian, but he nails his character’s moments of doubt and sells his growth over the course of the film. Chris Pratt, meanwhile, is clearly having a great time as the more gregarious and overly confident Barley, channeling his energy and lovable goofiness into his character in a consistently endearing way. The bond that develops between Holland’s Ian and Pratt’s Barley is a nice, fairly powerful masculine counterpart to the Frozen films’ exploration of sisterhood, even if their arc feels a little rushed. The film also zips by in quick and entertaining fashion, with plenty of sight gags to enliven the proceedings. It also succeeds in delivering some emotionally resonant moments that – while not on the level of Pixar’s most famous tearjerking scenes – connect in a more meaningful manner than in many other films. Ultimately, Onward falls well short of the oomph of Pixar’s upper tier, or even the secondary tier that recent offerings like Coco, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4 occupy. Nevertheless, it’s a sufficiently diverting film that – despite some forced plot-based distractions – hits its emotional beats pretty well. It’s far from a classic – and fair or not, Pixar’s track record almost always has me hoping for a new classic – but it works fairly well as a fun, resonant exploration of brotherhood.

 

B

 

Stray Thoughts:

- Jeez, is it ever weird to write my standard new release review and stray thoughts for a new movie I watched on a streaming service at home. It's honestly tough to fathom that this was the #1 movie in over 4,000 theaters all of *one month ago*.

 

- I guess Lena Waithe's one-line allusion to a girlfriend ruffled some feathers? On the one hand, it's just one line; but on the other hand, it's kinda cool to see a case where a character can say they're LGBTQ+ off-handedly and it's just a totally mundane thing unworthy of any further observation or commentary in-universe.

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Overall, a great film.  Beautifully animated with lovable characters and an emotional ending.  Love the magical themes, the quirkiness, the bond between the brothers, the adventure element.  It's not the best Pixar movie but for me it was as entertaining as many in the top tier, and I love seeing original content from a studio that's relied too much on sequels in the past dedace.  

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