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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 6 March 2020
Review: In ‘Onward,’ a weird but worthy Pixar magic act

By JAKE COYLE and it’s not a movie likely to mie developers, he melo-
For a revolutionary anima- immediately rise to the top dramatically chains himself
tion studio, Pixar has been of everyone’s Pixar’s rank- to magical relics.
surprisingly wary of ad- ings. (“Ratatouille” forever.) The adventure of the movie
vancing technology. The But its eccentric odyssey of kicks off when Ian opens a
company may be at the two brothers delving into gift left for him by his father
forefront of digital anima- a fantastical past to find (voiced by Bryan Crans-
tion, but for 25 years, its their way through grief and ton): a staff and spell that
spiritual DNA has been de- self-doubt is a worthy addi- will bring Ian’s dad back
cidedly nostalgic. It’s the tion to the studio’s canon. for a day. Ian only half fin-
In this image released by Disney/Pixar, characters Laurel, old-school new school. Its world is a little incongru- ishes the trick: His father re-
voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, from left, Ian, voiced by Tom Hol- In “WALL-E,” high-tech hu- ous (one wants to unsee turns as just a pair of slacks
land, and Barley, voiced by Chris Pratt, appear in a scene from
"Onward." mans have devolved into the centaur police officer), and dress shoes. In a race
Associated Press overweight TV addicts and the movie’s depic- to beat the next day’s sun-
who need to be jarred out tion of death isn’t so well set, the kids tow their half-
of their stupor. In “Mon- honed as it is in, say, “Up” formed father on an odys-
sters Inc.,” modern kids or “Toy Story 3.” But “On- sey in search of a crystal
have grown too blase to ward” makes the most of for another chance at the
be scared by monsters, its strange assemblage to spell. A pair of elves with a
prompting a scream short- tell a sweet and moving half-resurrected dead dad
age. “Cars” preached story — enough so to leave is, unquestionably, esoter-
small-town, off-the-beaten- you yet again shaking your ic territory for even Pixar.
track values. head at Pixar’s magic act. When Ian gives him a pillow
Pixar’s latest, “Onward,” Ian Lightfoot (voiced by torso, shirt and shades, the
goes even further. “Long Tom Holland) is an elf in effect is a little like “Week-
ago, the world was full of high school with typical end at Bernie’s.” And yet,
wonder,” a narrator intro- teenage problems. He’s “Onward” still works. As
duces. There were magical turning 16, a passage into they hunt from place to
creatures like trolls, gnomes, young adulthood that for place, the elves’ quest re-
elves and dragons with Ian is filled with angst and awakens long dormant
special powers. But the anxiety. His lack of self con- pools of magic. Pressured
drumbeat of progress, from fidence is only the more by insurance companies
light bulbs to airplanes to worrisome to him when he and Yelp reviews, a man-
smart phones, has steadily hears that his late father, ticore (Octavia Spencer)
sapped all the fantasy from whose death came be- begins to question turning
life. In New Mushroomton, fore Ian was born, was an her lair into a TGI Fridays-
a Los Angeles-like sprawl impressively “bold” man. like restaurant.
of suburbs and freeways, Ian makes a “new me” list In a series of such encoun-
those once magical crea- with the entry: “Be more ters, Ian gradually grows
tures live an orderly and like Dad.” He lives with his more courageous; the
predicable life much like mother, Laurel (Julia Louis- movie isn’t as unconven-
our own, just with unicorns Dreyfus), and older brother, tional as it seems. But “On-
always getting in the trash Barley (Chris Pratt). Barley ward” pivots, movingly. It
and pixies that ride in biker drives a beat-up purple turns out to be more about
gangs. van with a winged horse brotherly love than any-
The set-up is quintessential- decal and a cassette-tape thing else. As a Pixar entry, it
ly Pixar, even if “Onward” deck; he’s nicknamed the may be the first to explicitly
— with its blueish, pointed- van Guinevere. (You will grapple with not the trials of
eared elves in flannel shirts leave “Onward” swear- childhood, but the fraught
and ’70s-style anthems — ing that someone owes onset of adulthood. Either
nearly resembles Pixar’s Jack Black money.) Clad way, by the time “Onward”
answer to prog rock. This is in a denim vest and spiked has wrapped its journey, it
one of the studio’s odder wristband, Barley doesn’t will probably be the only
looking films, one that owes appear headed toward movie with a manticore to
much more to Dungeons grand success in life, but make you cry.
& Dragons and the rock- he’s an affectionately en- “Onward,” a Walt Disney
geek exuberance of Jack thusiastic brother to Ian Co. release, is rated PG by
Black than your typical ani- and a young man with pas- the Motion Picture Associa-
mated feature. sionate tastes. He’s an afi- tion of America for action/
“Onward,” written and di- cionado of the role-playing peril and some mild the-
rected by Dan Scanlon game Quest of Yore, and matic elements. Running
(“Monsters University”), an ardent defender of arti- time: 103 minutes. Three
may initially be a tough sell, facts from the past. To sty- stars out of four.q