Onward

Onward
Image source: Google

Ratings: 3.5/5
Duration: 1 Hrs 42 Mins
Director: Dan Scanlon
Genre: Animation. Adventure. Comedy
Release Date: 6th March 2020 (India)

Star Cast: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Mel Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, Lena Waithe, Ali Wong, Grey Griffin, Tracey Ullman, Wilmer Valderrama, George Psarras, John Ratzenberger

Plot: Disney and Pixar’s ‘Onward’ set in a suburban fantasy world directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, introduces two teenage elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt), who lives with their mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in New Mushroomton. (A fantasy world where technology has replaced magic)

Ian is socially awkward and low on confidence while his elder brother Barley is loud with an inclination towards magic. 

To discover if there is still a little magic left out there, these two brothers embark on an extraordinary journey, in order to spend one last day with their father by bringing him back to life, who died when they were too young to remember. How far they succeed, is the movie all about.

Review: The film ‘Onward’, directed by Dan Scanlon is incredibly strange yet sweet. The slow start of the film gives the audience a glimpse of the now ordinary lives of the two brothers. But once the adventure begins, there is barely any dull moment. 

The perfectly boyish voice of Ian by Tom Holland breathes life into the character. While Barley’s loud yet layered character was successfully delivered by Chris Pratt Therefore, some of the finest moments in the film between the duo were perfectly delivered. 

Even the rest of the cast, for instance, the firebrand Manticore (voiced superbly by Octavia Spencer), the dangerously adorable biker gang of pixies, a goofy centaur (half human half horse) policeman has added on the humour and frantic action that ups the entertainment element. The film also features one-eyed police officer Specter, an LGBTQ character, who appears in a hilarious scene. Overall, the characters are adequately cartoonish, highly relatable and humane.

When it comes to animation it is visually appealing and top-notch. Though the story moves on predictable lines, it has an amazing message to share and shows that sometimes the ‘wonderful happy ending’ we all want looks less like rainbows and butterflies and more like acceptance and growth. Hence, despite being a movie with deeply fantastical elements, the core of the story is very much rooted in the harsh realities of life.

Overall, Onward is about the beauty that we might miss if we stare too far into the past or future. And would definitely keep the viewers hooked with its minor plot twists that are emotional yet exciting and is full of magic and madness!