Review: Onward

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It's magical if you believe.

It's Ian's (Tom Holland) 16th birthday and he lives in a world where magic was once everywhere, then tapered out as newer and newer technology was made. His older brother Barley (Chris Pratt) is still a big believer in magic. Their mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives the boys a present from their late father, it's a magical staff with a spell meant to bring him back for one day only to see how his sons have grown. Ian, not believing in himself fully messed up the spell and only brings back his legs. Now they must go on a quest to bring back the rest of him.

I'm not gonna lie, I had no interest in seeing Onward (mainly because I don't want to listen to Chris Pratt's voice) until I started reading reviews from my fellow bloggers saying the film surprised them. So when Pixar dropped this on Disney+ and my local theater started selling curbside popcorn, I figured it would make for a nice family movie night at home.

And everyone was right. Onward did surprise me. I liked it a lot better than I expected to. It certainly doesn't tie everything up in the way that you would think, and I appreciate that departure. I also legitimately laughed out loud several times which I can't say happens very often in animated films anymore.

There's plenty of little Easter eggs in there for fantasy fans and kids will like how wacky it is. It also has a nice message about siblings taking care of each other. This won't crack my Top 10 Pixar any time soon, but it's a nice addition for now. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I needed that rope." - Ian (Tom Holland)

Comments

  1. keith71_98April 7, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    I guess I need to check this out. Strangely Pixar movies and animation in general don't often resonate with me. Some I love but most I tend to skip. I should really do better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 7, 2020 at 2:26 PM

      I don't have a huge love affair with Pixar either, but for a family movie night, this worked.

      Delete
  2. thevoid99April 7, 2020 at 3:21 PM

    I'm going to try and see this maybe later this month or next month since I do have Disney+. I was hoping to see this in the theaters and then everything went to shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 8, 2020 at 6:51 AM

      It's a worthy Disney+ watch. I hope you enjoy it!

      Delete
  3. GetterApril 12, 2020 at 8:07 AM

    I liked it a lot. I was in an emotional place and this just came along in the right time. Also I think Spies in Disguise was so disappointing Onward was such a huge step forward. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamApril 13, 2020 at 2:36 PM

      I never saw Spies in Disguise but when I watched the trailers I thought that one looked better than this lol. I'll have to find that one to watch too.

      Delete

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