| April 15, 2020 | Malik Giles | campus editor |
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Siblings can be annoying, especially if one has to stay inside with them constantly because of COVID-19, and “Onward” is the movie to add to one’s binge list during this crisis and is available to watch on Disney+.
Onward is set in an original universe with magical creatures such as blue elves, unicorns and pixies. It is tied to our universe with many modern-day pop references. The story is complex and appealing in that it makes one want Pixar to explore outside of the main characters in a sequel or spin-off.
This movie introduced two brothers who had to grow up without their father. Barley is the older brother and had some memories of his father while Ian did not, since he was born after his father’s death. The narration is superb, adding a depth of emotion into how it feels for Ian to grow up without a dad.
Ian and Barley’s father fell ill to an undisclosed disease, and in anticipation of his death, he left a birthday present for Ian to open when he turned 16. The present turns out to be a magical staff, with a gem, and a resurrection spell.
Ian is a timid kid, but throughout the story, he becomes more and more adventurous. He wishes he can be like his father from all the stories he heard, but it’s not until the ending with the insane plot twist he realizes he has more than what he needs in life.
Barley is the goofy and brave brother that wants to look after Ian. He’s arrogant and doesn’t care about what people might think of him. The only things he loves are magic, his brother and his mom.
It made sense for the two to go on an adventure to complete the resurrection spell and meet their dad, but the way the creators ended it made it seem like lazy writing. The brothers argued on which way to take just to find out at the end they didn’t know where to go. It was a coincidence that they accomplished their quest and found what they were looking for.
The animation is distinctive and distinguished from other Pixar/Disney animated movies with the coloring and shading giving it a stop motion quality to the film.
Pixar boasts a long list of hit movies, and this is one of them. It’s a shame that this movie only had two weeks on the big screen due to the spread of COVID-19 and the shutdown of movie theaters. It’s definitely worth a watch at home.
