Onward – a Movie Review written by Samantha Lucas

Before I tell you all the wonders of Onward, let me preface with the fact that I am not unbiased here. I am a person who loves quests, adventures, and all things mystical. Therefore, this movie was a gift for me.

Onward is the story of two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, living in a world that has forgotten magic, primarily because, “magic is hard”. Voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt these two brothers couldn’t be more different from one another.

Ian is anxious, scared of so many things, and in that very awkward stage of vacillating between feeling invisible, and wishing he was. While Barley is in what his mother calls “the longest gap year ever”. He seems to lack motivation and direction and is totally absorbed in a Dungeons and Dragons type board game, Quests of Yore, which Barely tries wholeheartedly to get his family to realize is all based in real history.

On Ian’s sixteenth birthday their mom, Laurel, gives Ian a present left by his father before he passed away. The present is a wizard’s staff and a magic spell that will supposedly bring their dad back for one full day. However, in the initial attempt to use this spell, remembering “magic is hard”, the spell goes a bit awry propelling the brothers on a quest that challenges them, bonds them, and gives the movie the bulk of its story.

Onward is Pixar at its best in my opinion. This movie goes on the shelf besides Coco, Up, WALL-E, and Inside Out, and reminds me of what they’ve always done best in their shorts, entertain us while getting us emotionally invested. This movie makes you feel. It’s beautiful, poignant, and shows us how important it is to remember who we truly are and just how far we can go when we have each other’s back.

 

I was absolutely thrilled with the side story of the boy’s mom who becomes involved with The Manticore in a perfect moment of girl power as they take on their own quest to find the boys before they find the Phoenix Gem and unleash the curse that they are unaware of.

Aside from the shameless pillaging from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, something I’m assuming was meant as an homage, but still felt a little funny as it was very note for note, this movie is a truly good reminder that there are more rewards on the hard path than the easy one, your travel companions will make or break any quest, and at the end of the day, sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us, without the quest.

This movie is emotional, touching, and fun for everyone, but I think will especially speak to families who’ve lost a parent, obviously to close siblings, and for people like me, quest going, adventure loving, believer of all things mystical.

Disclaimer:

**Please note that I was invited to a complimentary viewing of this movie on February 19, 2020 so that I could bring you this review on behalf of Krista at Disneyways. Complementary admission in no way influenced my review, and all opinions are my own.**

About the Author:

Samantha Lucas is an Author, Mystic, Disney Enthusiast, Dream Follower Extraordinaire. Follow her on Instagram HERE