ALEX TETEN

Sitting down with my buddy Cesar, whose birthday treat was to come with me to see “Onward,” I was met with something unusual. 

As most of you are aware, Pixar films are usually met with a short film beforehand. Most of these shorts are made by the Pixar team and tell stories worthy of their own slot in the theater. 

This short, however, was likely best left out.

Instead of a Pixar-based short, we were greeted with “The Simpsons.” The short had no inspiration from Pixar and honestly my buddy and I felt robbed as we watched the five-minute crawl of the story play out. 

It was overall incredibly unimpactful and did not bode well for the feature presentation.

My apprehensions were quickly dispelled of within the first 10 minutes of the film. “Onward” follows the story of two young elves in their quest to find out if magic still exists in the modern age. The film sets up a world where several species existed in a very Dungeons and Dragons-inspired way. But as technology advanced, magic faded. After discovering a note from their late father, Ian (Tom Holland) and his brother Barley (Chris Pratt) set out on a journey to find magic in the modern world.

“Onward” showcases some excellent voice acting. Both Tom Holland and Chris Pratt do an excellent job.

Pratt’s voice work does a adds a humorous side to Holland’s more serious point-of-view. Some of the more minor characters do a pretty decent job of adding characterization to all of the creatures in the movie. 

One aspect of the film, however, does fall flat in the grand scope of the film.

Pixar is known for having beautiful and unique characters. Onward’s character design seems flat in comparison to Pixar’s previous works. Tom Holland’s character, Ian, especially feels more generic compared to other characters in the film as well. 

Moving past this flaw, the animation is truly stunning throughout the film. It seems with every production, Pixar’s animation gets better and better. Tiny details included in the film always seem to get more and more impressive.

Building off the animation, the emotion in “Onward” is excellent

They do a good job with story building. The film’s premise is relatively simple, but the execution is what makes it effective. Several of the characters have been given life and heart through writing executives and the voice actors themselves. 

The humor in “Onward” is also great, it does a good job of providing laughs for both children and older viewers (such as myself) alike. 

Overall, “Onward” is worth seeing in theaters (or, with current events, wait until it hits digital). The voice acting, animation, and characters all blend together to make an entertaining and well-done animated movie. Although not Pixar’s best work, “Onward” is easily a 7.7/10 Lopers.