Dan Scanlon’s “Onward” is one of Disney-Pixar’s best films yet with amazing animation and a message that hits home. 

The story is a spoof on the fantasy genre with hits against societal conformity. It shows the loss of wonder and magic in our current society, and the need to be ourselves is ever-present. It tells the stories of high school anxieties, and about not fitting in.

Chris Pratt and Tom Holland play two elf brothers as they try and see their dad again. Tom Holland plays Ian an anxious teen who has to gain courage over the journey to becoming fearless. Chris Prat plays Barley a fearless leader who has his heads stuck in the clouds who has to learn to see the in life effects of his actions. Their dynamic fills the film with humor and adds to the already hilarious spoofs of fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons. 

It presents the message of family being the people you have bonded with. It shows that sometimes the things right in front of us have the answer to our problems yet we ignore them. Another message is one about the takeover of technology in our society, and how we have moved away from experiencing life ourselves.

Pixar once again has done some superb animation. It goes beyond their other films by making it more realistic and by adding more fine details. You can see the contrast between this film and their other films with its clearer and smoother animation.

While it is a great film, few people went to see it, spotlighting the impact of COVID-19 on the movie industry. Movies like this have two choices release now and get less revenue and fewer people or push it back to a later date to hope that the virus has died down by then. Even though I do recommend watching it, it is understandable if you wait for home release due to the virus.

“Onward” is an hour and forty-two minutes which is a great length for a film, but the pacing was rather poor at times. I think the main problem with the pacing is that some parts were a lot more dialogue that could have been shortened or cut altogether.

Dan Scanlon’s “Onward” is a film that everyone should watch because it has the strong message of family is defined by you, which is something that everyone can relate to. From its strong characters to its amazing animation, it is the film that people should flock to the theatres to see.