My Thoughts on Onward the Movie

I thought I’d share my thoughts and feels about the recently-released Onward film. In case you haven’t seen it, I’ve posted the trailer below:

Like a majority of Americans, I watched this film via Disney+. I hadn’t planned on seeing it in theaters, not because of virus reasons, but just because the movie didn’t look all that great. The animation is more Dreamworks style than Pixar style (nothing wrong with Dreamworks’s style, I just wasn’t expecting it from Pixar), and I’ve never been a Tom Holland fan. Oh, and Chris Pratt, while he has played some fun characters, has his fair share of issues that I’m not sure how to feel about. So yeah, I was going to pass on this one until it came out on Disney+ anyway.

Onward starts off really slow and sloggy. The family and their voice actors just weren’t meshing well for the first thirty minutes. And while there are fun magical creatures, I don’t think they’re ever fully utilized. I wanted more from the world-building in this one, and it just never explored anything beyond the family dynamic. There was an explanation for why magic was gone in the world, but nothing about how it could/would/should come back.

Once that initial slog passed, things really got underway. I can tell you exactly when the pace picked up and the humor really came about, and it has to do with a certain gang of small beings. I’ll leave it at that so no one is spoiled, but those things were amazing. They were the best part of the movie. After that, I really began to love the brother dynamic between Ian and Barley. And oh-my-gosh, did their relationship make me want to sob. (My parents were watching the movie with me, so I had to hold back my tears.)

Honestly, this film really hits its stride in the last half. The sibling relationship, the mother-sons relationship, and the father-sons relationship all come together in a jumble of feels. Definitely don’t watch this unless you’re prepared to cry. Tissues are a must.

All in all, Onward is a good film. It had action and adventure perfect for any Dungeons & Dragons or fantasy lover, and it has all the emotions you’d expect for a Pixar movie. Just trudge through the first half-hour, then you’ll definitely want to stick around to the end.