Deep Dive Pixar: Wes Looks at Onward

Holy Shit guys, we have officially reached the current decade. I know we’ve covered a few films that came out earlier this year, but the fact that we’re this close to being caught up is more than a little surreal. Anywho, welcome everyone to Deep Dive Pixar, Deep Dive Disney’s D&D Character. Today, we’re looking at Onward, one of the first films released for early streaming on Disney+ due to theaters being closed during the pandemic. Personally, I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to getting into it. So what’s the film all about? Well, long ago, in a setting populated by elves, ogres centaurs and all other manner of fantasy creatures, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting, and best of all, there was magic. And that magic helped all in need. But it wasn’t easy to master. And so the world found a simpler way to get by and over time magic faded away. Our story begins and this once magical fantasy world has advanced to resemble our own in terms of technological advancement and societal structure. Our story proper focuses on two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot. Ian is a shy teenager still finding himself and Barley is an outgoing and unapologetic nerd and fantasy enthusiast who years for to experience an adventure like those in the age of magic. On Ian’s sixteenth birthday, the brothers receive a gift from their father who passed away shortly before Ian was born. Said gift turns out to be a old wizard’s staff and instructions for a spell that will bring their father back from the dead for 24 hours. Ian, excited at the prospect of finally getting to spend a day with the father he never met, gives the spell a whirl. The good news, it turns out that unlike his brother, Ian actually does have the gift of magic within him and is able to use the staff to perform the spell. The bad news, the spell goes awry and Ian is only able to manifest his father’s disembodied legs. If the boys want their day with their dad, they’re going to need to find a Phoenix Gem, a necessary component of the spell. And so, at Barley’s behest, the brothers set forth on a great quest, blissfully unaware that a dangerous curse awaits them. So let us embark on a quest of our own as we take a look at Onward.

Main Character:

The Lightfoot brothers share the spotlight in equal measure in this film and they are both characters I find very relatable. Let’s start with Ian, voiced by Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland. Ian is your typical awkward teenager who has a tough time making friends and hasn’t quite found his place in the world yet. One of the main causes of this seems to be the fact that he never really knew his father, who passed away shortly before he was born. His whole life, Ian has heard stories about how his father was incredibly sure of himself and liked by everyone and it’s hard for him living in the shadow of a father he never knew. Because of this, Ian lacks confidence and is terrified in social situations despite the kids in his class seeming to like the idea of hanging out with him. Through learning magic Ian not only finds his confidence, he also gains a more profound understanding of his relationship with his older brother.

Speaking of, let’s talk about Barley, played by that guy who everyone hates now because… he’s Mario, I guess, Chris Pratt. Initially, Barely comes across as a bit of an over the top know it all asshole, and that’s not a fully undeserved label. Barley is very abrasive to those who aren’t used to his outgoing attitude. He’s obsessed with magic and fantasy and is constantly playing a copyright friendly equivalent to dungeons and dragons, driving his sweet hippie van and protesting the demolition of historically significant landmarks. This may sound unusual, but I admire Barley. I myself am kind of a massive nerd. No really, despite how shocking it may sound, the thirty-two-year-old man with a Disney blog is kind of a socially awkward weirdo. Part of me kind of wishes I could let my geek flag fly in polite society as high as Barley does, but alas, I have to hold down a job and occasionally interact with other human beings who may not want to have in depth conversations about a crossover between Goliath and The Beast from an obscure mobile game. However, there is more to Barley than meets the eye. See, unlike Ian, Barley did know his father and losing him affected him profoundly. It’s never stated outright, but I personally theorize that Barley’s obsessions are a coping mechanism to deal with the grief he feels. I know I retreated further into this blog around the time my uncle passed away. Later in the film, Barley opens up to Ian that he never said goodbye to his father because he was too scared to face him when he was sick. It’s in this moment that we learn that seeing their dad means more to Barley than it does to Ian. Overall, the Lightfoot brothers are fun characters and the chemistry between Holland and Pratt was solid.

Side Characters:

Like many of the films we’ve covered recently, Onward has no proper villain. It has a final boss of sorts, but we’ll get to that in a bit. There are more than a few colorful characters Ian and Barley encounter on their journey but only three that I feel are worth talking about.

Colt Bronco is a centaur police officer and the Lightfoot brothers’ mother’s new boyfriend. He’s an okay character, your typical corny stepdad type who clearly does his best, but just can’t fill the void left behind by the boys’ father. Laurel Lightfoot is Ian and Barley’s mother and she is an incredibly likable character. She’s definitely adjusted well after her husband’s death, but I really appreciate her arc of going from regular worried mom to badass warrior as she searches for her sons and learns they may be in danger. Laurel is voiced by the always wonderful Julia Louis Dreyfuss, aka Elaine from Seinfeld, and she’s great in the role. I actually would love a spinoff movie or short that’s just Laurel’s adventures with the Manticore.

That brings me to the Manticore herself, or Corey for short, voiced by Octavia Spencer. Once the proprietor of a tavern where rough and tumble adventurers would come to receive their quests, Corey has since adapted to the modern era and turned her establishment into a Chuck-E-Cheese style children’s restaurant. When Corey sees a determination within the boys that she hasn’t seen in a very long time, she is forced to realize that she’s a sellout, a pale shadow of what she once was. As such, she’s inspired to reopen the tavern of old. I actually really love the side quest she has with Laurel to find the sword she pawned off years ago, the two characters have great chemistry and, if I may say so, make a better couple than Laurel and Colt Bronco.

Memorable Scenes:

There are a few scenes I would like to discuss. The first being a brief but profound scene where Ian holds a conversation with the only recording of his dad’s voice he has access to. It’s a nice, sweet, yet deeply sad scene and I thought it brought a small tear to my eye.

There’s this great scene much later in the film where Ian and Barley are being chased by the cops and the only way for them to continue is for Barley to sacrifice Gwenivere, his beloved van. It was an incredibly powerful moment as Barely solemnly says goodbye to this thing that means so much to him, even saluting as he sends her flying over the cliff to buy him and his brother some precious time. It destroys Barley to sacrifice his beloved car, but this quest means that much to him. Seeing his dad means that much to him.

And finally, I have to talk about the grand finale. See, early on in the film, the Manticore tells Laurel that the resting place of the Phoenix gem contains a terrible curse. Well, once the boys find it in a well across from Ian’s high school the curse is unleashed. Said curse manifests in the form of a powerful rock dragon that’s made out of parts of the high school itself, something I find really clever. The dragon’s roar is even the school bell, nice touch. The whole fight is incredibly cool as Ian’s magic is put to the ultimate test as he, Laurel and the Manticore fight off the great beast as Barley is allowed to have a few precious moments with his father, great stuff.

Story:

There are many themes present in this film. The importance of taking risks, the bond between brothers, how the road ahead of you may not be what you expect it to be and finding your confidence. Altogether, it’s good stuff. Powerful morals that a young child watching this movie can carry with them into real life, many of which I’ve had to deal with myself on several occasions. Life is adventure, filled with peril, and one must be brave enough to face its challenges, be they coping with the loss of a loved one, or fighting a mighty dragon.

The other thing I’d like to discuss was how fascinated I was with this setting. I’ll say the same thing here that I said when I watched that Will Smith movie, Bright, another film where fantasy creatures lived in the modern era: I want to know more about this world. So much potential wasted. How did this world come about? How does society function? why are there two moons? Is this earth, or some other planet? How has the presence of all these diverse species changed things? Sadly, these are questions that we never see answered. Oh well, maybe one day we’ll see a setting like this explored to its fullest potential.

The Dark Disney Factor:

So uh… let’s talk about the spell gone wrong. So, Wilden Lightfoot’s legs are just hanging around in the living world, that all makes sense to me. However, I have one burning question that no one ever seems to address. If his legs are in the living world, where the hell is the rest of him? Are we to believe that throughout this entire movie there’s some disembodied torso floating out there in some blank void? That’s a disturbing implication if ever there was one.

Final Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It uses a unique and fantastical setting to tell a story that's all too relatable. Is it one of my favorites, I wouldn't go that far, but it one I'm likely to revisit sometime in the future. Next time, we keep the Pixar train a rolling with a film about the meaning of life itself as Deep Dive Disney looks at, Soul! But before we sign off, you may have noticed that the website has a new look. And that's not all that's new. I have officially started up a Patreon for Deep Dive Disney. Going forward, I'll be posting special reviews, exclusive to Patreon subscribers, including my recent Halloween Special, Hocus Pocus. In addition, higher Tier Patrons can request future articles, including full TV show retrospectives and even rewrites of movies like I did with Descendants. Follow the Link at the top of the page and check it out.