This article contains spoilers for Onward. Caution is advised.
| “ | Cometh soon. | ” |
— The tagline for the film
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Onward is a 2020 American computer-animated urban fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae from a screenplay written by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin, and stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers who set out on a quest to find an artifact that will temporarily bring back their deceased father.
The film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020 and was released in the United States on March 6, 2020. Despite receiving generally positive reviews from critics, the film has only grossed $131 million worldwide. The film's financial shortcomings when compared to other Pixar films were largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to widespread closure of movie theaters, thus making it Pixar's second box-office disappointment after The Good Dinosaur. Like several other films released in the early months of 2020, it was made available digitally two weeks after its theatrical opening.
Synopsis
"Set in a modern suburban fantasy world, Onward tells the tale of two teenage elf twins, Ian and Barley, who set out on a quest to discover if there is still magic left in the world to have one day to be with their deceased father who died when they were too young to remember him."[1]
Plot
In a world inhabited by mythical creatures, magic was once commonplace, though difficult to master. After technological advances over the years, magic became obsolete and was largely discarded.
In a time equivalent to the modern day, Ian Lightfoot, an elf high-schooler lacking self-confidence, and his older brother, Barley, a history and role-playing game fanatic, live in the city of New Mushroomton. Their father, Wilden died shortly before Ian was born, and their mother, Laurel has a new boyfriend, centaur police officer Colt Bronco, which both Ian and Barley disapprove of.
On Ian's sixteenth birthday, Laurel gives the brothers a gift from Wilden: a magical staff, a rare gem, and a letter describing a "visitation spell" that can resurrect their father for a single day. Ian accidentally succeeds in casting the spell, but only the lower half of Wilden's body is reformed before the gem disintegrates. The brothers embark on a quest to acquire another gem and complete the spell, taking Barley’s beloved van "Guinevere". Finding the boys gone, Laurel leaves to find them.
In search of a map to the gem, Ian and Barley visit the Manticore's Tavern, a family restaurant managed by the Manticore, Corey. Arguing with Ian over the map, Corey drives the customers away in a fit of rage, accidentally setting fire to the restaurant and the map. The brothers' only clue to the gem is a children's menu suggesting "Raven's Point", a nearby mountain. Laurel later befriends Corey, who warns that the brothers' journey may awaken a curse which can only be defeated by her special sword, which she and Laurel steal from a pawn shop.
Traveling to the mountains, Ian and Barley narrowly escape the police and a motorcycle gang of sprites, relying on Ian's new spell-casting abilities and Barley's role-playing game tricks. "Raven's Point" leads them on a trail marked by a series of raven statues, but Colt follows them, calling in reinforcements. Barley sacrifices Guinevere to cause a landslide, blocking their pursuers. Following the statues, the brothers descend through a cave and avoid a series of traps and deadly creatures surfacing in front of Ian's high school. Ian lashes out at Barley for leading them on a wild-goose chase and walks away with Wilden after he goes as far as to calling Barley a screwup and for ruining his chance to have the one thing he never had.
Rereading his list of things he always wished to do with his father, Ian realizes that Barley has been a father figure throughout his entire life and returns to make amends. Barley discovers the gem inside a historic fountain and retrieves it, triggering the curse, which turns the high school into an artificial dragon bent on claiming the gem. Ian faces the artificial dragon, but his staff is knocked into the ocean; he reforms it from a splinter and continues the fight. Corey flies in carrying Laurel, who plunges the magic sword into the artificial dragon's heart, buying Ian time to cast the visitation spell and fully reform Wilden's body. Ian sends Barley ahead to give his goodbye to Wilden and holds off the artificial dragon long enough for Laurel to destroy it. After Wilden dissipates, Barley tells Ian that their father is proud of him, and the brothers share a hug.
Ian's confidence and spell-casting improve, and he surprises Barley by painting his new van, "Guinevere the Second". Corey reopens her tavern, drawing in customers with tales of past adventures, and Ian and Barley continue questing.
Cast
- Tom Holland as Iandore Lightfoot
- Chris Pratt as Barley Lightfoot
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Laurel Lightfoot
- Octavia Spencer as Corey
- Mel Rodriguez as Colt Bronco
- Kyle Bornheimer as Wilden Lightfoot
- Ali Wong as Gore
- Lena Waithe as Specter
- John Ratzenberger as Fennwick
- Wilmer Valderrama as Gaxton
- Tracey Ullman as Grecklin
- George Psarras as Avel
- Grey Griffin as Dewdrop
Gallery
 Check out our gallery for Onward by clicking here. |