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‘Onward’ review: Dir. Dan Scanlon (2020)

After focusing their attention on sequels the last couple of years, Pixar return to the fold of original content – for the first time since 2017’s Coco – with fantastical adventure Onward. Whilst not as audacious as Wall-E or tear-jerking as Inside Out, it still has the heart and wonders we’d hope from the House of Mouse’s beloved animated division.

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“Long ago, the world was filled with wonder”, booms a voiceover at the start of Pixar’s 22nd endeavour. However, New Mushroomton – once a haven of fantasy where spells were conjured, centaurs could run and magic was adrift – has now become a commercialised urban town, modernised by technology, not too indifferent from our own. It’s here that awkward, blue-skinned elf Ian (Tom Holland) resides with his mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and slower older brother Barley (Chris Pratt); on Ian’s 16th birthday, he’s offered the chance to finally meet his dad thanks to a spell that will bring him back for 24 hours. However, when the spell goes awry, leaving them with their dad’s bottom half, Ian and Barley set off in search of a rare Phoenix Gem that will be able to finish the spell and bring the rest of their late-father back one final time.

Despite their focus on franchises of late (Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4), Pixar has always been the flag-bearer for consistent, original content in Hollywood so it’s refreshing to see them championing that horse once again. They’ve tackled a breadth of stories from sci-fi to culinary drama and even a Scottish story of womanhood; it’s somewhat baffling that it has taken them this long to venture into the realm of fantasy but Onward is yet another thoughtful, inventive take on a beloved genre that feels like classic Pixar as we love them: creative, adventurous, emotional. Whilst the structure of the film doesn’t break any new ground, director Dan Scanlon layers his story with enough heart to make it a worthwhile addition to the studio’s canon of original fare nonetheless. Perhaps one of the most thematically rich films Pixar have done, Onward offers a lot of great observation on the likes of brotherhood, family, grief, navigating high-school, as well as the importance of not letting a tech-savvy society detract from the magic around us as well as a lot more meaning it’s an easily accessible narrative for most families and children alike.

It’s also hilarious. There’s a lot of wit to be found within the film’s latter stages once the adventure really ramps up; Pratt’s buoyant work as the idiosyncratic Barley offers a great deal of humour as he teaches his younger brother the arts of wizardry based on a D&D-style game called “Quests of York”. But, as expected, it’s the resounding emotional core at the heart of any Pixar film that makes it truly soar; with a dead dad in the equation, you know that Scanlon, and co-writers Jason Headley and Keith Bunin, are going to tug on the heartstrings and the finale is – in true Pixar fashion – a tear-jerker. It’s a tender story of brotherly love and for anyone with siblings, it’s sure to resonate deeply. It might not hit the emotional highs of some of Pixar’s prior films, and it might not be laced with the detail of others, but it has the spirit we’ve come to expect from their projects. With its stunning animation, likable characters and effortless adventure, it’s an easily digestible watch that is charming, fun and quietly affecting when it counts. It’s still upwards and onwards for Pixar.

Onward is released in cinemas on Friday 6th March.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a real passion for movies and for writing. I'm a superhero fanboy at heart; 'The Dark Knight' and 'Days of Future Past' are a couple of my favourites. I'm a big sci-fi fan too - 'Star Wars' has been my inspiration from the start; 'Super 8' is another personal favourite, close to my heart... I love movies. All kinds of movies. Lots of them too.

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