Onward

If there's ever a common aspect found in most Disney works (media ranging from the big screen down to even the Disney Channel films), it's a main character having a dead parent (both those that taking place during the story or before it starts). Considering how long they've been in the film industry, the bodies can pile up to the point where you can reference the wheelbarrow of corpses scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail ("Bring out your dead!"). It can be used as a motivating force behind a protagonists mood or actions for plot purposes. This doesn't even need to be within just Disney itself since Pixar has had a couple of features in that area (particularly Coco, which deals directly with the dead). This leads us to the Pixar's most recent original work, Onward, which was a personal project for director/co-writer Dan Scanton (Monsters University) whose ideas were inspired by his own father deaths along his bond with his brother. The studio hasn't done an original feature in a couple of years (last one being Coco) and the marketing campaign for this new work wasn't very interesting. I went into the auditorium ready to see how uplifting this adventure will be and left it glad I gave it a chance but underwhelmed that this movie regarding magic lacked the Pixar quality magic*.

*: This was last movie I had watched in a theater before the coronavirus pandemic escalated to the dangerous heights leading to sheltering at home orders.

Short Film attached to it: I felt the need to quickly mention those nice family animated shorts that are attached to these films starting with this one. Playdate with Destiny is a change up on that trend here since it's not done within house (Pixar) but rather with one of the properties Disney own from their Fox purchase, The Simpsons. It's a cute and charming little treat with enough fun mostly conveyed in silence focusing on Maggie Simpson to warm up an audience for the main course.

What's it about? Taking place in a world where mythical creatures abandoned magic in favor of modern technology, the story focuses on 2 elf brothers embarking on a quest to finish a temporary resurrection of their dead father. As a concept, there are plenty of layers to be explore in terms of the humor and fascinating world building to make this story feeling engaging. There are aspects of it that get their spotlight such as moments where minor characters rediscover a sense of adventure or physical talent long forgotten about. The silent movements involving the dad (his bottom half since that was only part brought back in trying to cast the spell) conveys a lot of personality. The final act itself does something that absolutely ends up saving and making up for the story problems.

For all of its good intentions, the execution of its concept and plot end up feeling safe and uninteresting due to a number of factors. It's a little tough to care about the brothers due to the films choice to not show their bond growing up in the beginning with flashbacks. If there had been a growing up montage in the beginning not only would it have fixed that issue but it would have also endeared us to their present day selves even more. A weird plot point that isn't explained well is the pairs disdain for their mothers new boyfriend who's just a decent guy. In addition to that, the humor doesn't land as well as it thinks it does (some of the jokes were shown in the trailers, mainly the pixie ones). It's not a bad movie by any means but by the standards of this animation studio, it's a mid-low tier among their large filmography.

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. Tom is doing a fine job but nothing that strong and it feels like his normal standard teenage role he usually does. Chris is attempting to make up for that with his brand of goofy jokes he is known for (not that funny) though he does well with his book knowledge aspect of his character. Honorable mentions go to Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer for both actresses bringing in good performances to their journey together (particularly the latter of them being the most interesting).

Overall Consensus: Onward's intriguing premise is bolstered by great animation, a relatable conflict, and a great final act but suffers from problematic writing that fails to make the protagonists interesting and the plot feels too safe/familiar.* ⭑⭑⭑ Runtime: 1 hour 43 minutes PG
*If the coronavirus pandemic wasn't happening at the time of this review, I would give Onward the viewing recommendation of at home (by the time this is published it will be available online and on Disney+).

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Dan Scanton. You enjoy Pixar films and want to see where it ranks compared to the rest of their works. You like family adventures that involve quests and mythical creatures. You enjoy seeing brothers dynamics where one is supportive of the other. You don't mind a cliche story involving a dead parent that might have an appealing magical charm.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Dan Scanton. You dislike Pixar films. You dislike family adventures that involve quests and mythical creatures. You are bored by a cliche story involving a dead parent.