User reviews

This movie is pretty fast paced. The characters are always trying to get out of some kind of mess they created, so in other words you're never bored. I recommend you watch this film with your siblings. I'm a grown man and this film had me tearing up lol. Another great film by Pixar.

I didn't like the look of this, the animation, the content or the story. I am glad I decided to watch it.

The film is set in a world where magic is replaced by technology because it is easier. Two young men get the opportunity to use magic to spend a single day with their deceased father. It doesn't go according to plan so they go on an adventure.

The story is simple but lean, the jokes are obvious but funny, the characters are stock but fleshed out.

This movie is really enjoyable and tugs at the heart strings.

There is nothing ground-breaking about this movie but it has a very big heart and is very well executed.

Really beautiful and emotional movie. It won me primarily over by its absolutely fantastic and very detailed animations, look and use of colors. Truely magical. It had so much time to develope so many different characters even if its just little extras. I would actually watch a TV series based on the lives of those fantasy characters in the suburbans. A very creative idea to actually tell a very simple and common story. The film convinced me because it just touched the right buttons and activated them with the story structure and the relationship between the two leading characters. There is some great voice work, most noteable Tom Holland and Octavia Spencer but also Chris Pratt meets the right tone. One of the best Pixar movies that came out the last years and one of the most creative and magical ones (more in design than story) for a very long time. It got me close to tears at the end and that means something for a animated film. Kudos to Pixar, they know how to bring magic back t the cinema.

I dont get all, the hate. What an underrated movie. Great animation and a climax that will have yoy in tears. I love it, give it a watch.

I hated this movie because it hit me so hard. Lost my dad a while back and never dealt with all the things from that but this movie kinda drop kicked my feelings into the focus. Hard to watch a film with tears streaming down your face

I like the originality in this movie, nothing special imo, i definitly didn't mind watching the movie. Voice acting was really great though, the movie definitly got some laughs out of me. Go watch it if you have younger children, nothing special for adults and teens though.

The dead parent trope might be overused for Disney movies but Onward doesn't make the mistakes of those movies. The siblings fight like siblings though out, not just at plot critical moments. Their single mom has a boyfriend who is not an evil stepparent trope, and their mom is actually proactive during the events of the film, but the adventure still belongs to the boys. I've been tired of plots that have parents oblivious to what their kids are doing. I came for the DnD references but I cried for the well-rounded characters.

A great film about siblings and the incredible bond they can share. I enjoyed every second, don't listen to the haters.

"Onward" is a beautiful film to watch, and so as usual a Pixar film is among the best looking CGI movies you can find. I especially love the look of the twilight scenes. This being said, the story itself is only okay...and the big finale is a bit of a letdown.

In this story, magical folk like sprites, trolls, elves and goblins are real but have somehow lost their magical powers over the centuries...mostly because modern technology replaced many of the spells of yesterday. The plot focuses on two brothers who have an odd task...to bring their dead father back to life for one day. Through this process, they naturally come to learn about themselves and each other.

There are some touching moments in this film. But there also is a strong feeling that the story itself wasn't especially logical or polished. The characters, their motivations and the like all seem a bit confusing and slight....and the ending seemed more action-packed than being true to the characters and story. In fact, many will likely see the ending as a letdown...and the entire reason for the brothers' quest seemed amazingly unimportant and irrelevant. Not a terrible story by any stretch...but certainly not among the studios better films. And, it's a clear case of a film being rushed to market before the story was adequately polished and ready to be filmed.

It's a fantastic movie! It might fall into cliches but that's what the movie is all about. It brings the sense of epic to the viewer and engage with their feelings. It's well balanced, as the movie emphasizes in the adventure aspect of it but without forgetting comic times as well as really touchy moments were you'll for sure be moved. It's a great movies that will introduce you to some aspects of role playing in a way you probably haven't thought before. Great for both kids and adults.

Art direction is interesting. Voice acting is strong. Narratively disjointed at times. Some tonal and pacing issues here and there. Difficult to connect with the characters and their plight. Adventure aspect is lackluster. Good payoff.

I watched the trailer thinking this movie was gonna be another hilarious but inspirational Pixar movie. However, the jokes in the trailer were the only jokes. There were no other jokes in the movie, which made it corny and not fun to watch. However, the idea of a trashy fantasy land does sounds like it could lead to a good movie, but it was not executed well. Overall, I do not recommend this movie.

After seeing "Onward", I do hope this movie is no indicator for the quality of Pixar's productions after the departure of John Lasseter. In my opinion, "Onward" is the least inventive and entertaining Pixar movie since "The good dinosaur".

Yet, the basic idea has potential: Once there was magic, but by and by it was replaced by civilization. This civilized world looks a lot like some random US provincial town - except that it is populated by magical, mythical creatures like Elves, Fairies, Centaurs, Dwarfs, Trolls and so on. No humans! This has the potential for a lot of gags, e.g., a Centaur (named "Bronco"!) as police officer - in a car. On the other hand: This is no new idea; similar parodies on Smalltown America has been seen in "Chicken Little", "Planet 51", "Antz" or "Bee movie", to name only a few CGI movies. There is nothing really new and inventive here as, e.g., the land of the Dead in "Coco".

Most obvious would be a comparison with "Shrek", which features also a world of magical, mythical creatures. Yet while "Shrek" has a satirical, cheeky approach to its world and its 'people', "Onward" shows a more sentimental, sometimes even corny approach. The 'magical' times are introduced as some kind of lost, yet golden age - which is strange somehow, since all the ingredients of this magic age are still there.

Another problem of "Onward" are its main characters, the brothers Lightfoot: Elves with blue skin and pointy ears, yet otherwise completely just like some average teenagers of 16 (Ian) and 18 (?, Barley). Great, two more moody teenagers! And there is another stereotype: They are half-orphans, since their father has died even before Ian's birth; since then, Ian seems to long for his lost father. His brother, on the other hand, is shown as a screw-up, role-playing and driving an ancient bus. The most likable person in the family is their hands-on mother.

As in "Coco", "Onward" tackles the contact to the hereafter. But while in "Coco" Mexican traditions and myths are used, in "Onward" it just feels creepy: In the beginning, Ian summons (more or less by accident) his father - but only up to the waistline! Does that mean that the rest of him is still somewhere in the afterworld?

Anyway: Barley and Ian have to hit the road to summon also the rest of their father, since for some reason they have only 24 h for that. This way, we also get a road trip, and while this is probably the most entertaining part of the movie, it is also no new, inventive idea; far from it.

Don't get me wrong: "Onward" is not a bad movie; is has a lot of funny moments, and the visuals are great. But in my view, it is not very memorable.

Doing a fulfilling movie for boys where the price of the quest is emotional wholeness and found love is a rare sight and not an easy task. Pixar succeeded by providing rich brotherly relationship, adventure, magic and finally love. It is much more a common message in movies for girls like Frozen, but I think that the magical combination of all the ingredients achieved by Pixar is important and entertaining at the same time. Wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone :)

The atmosphere is comical, touching and epic, and as the movie has a lot humor, it also manages to balance the tone with some serious and emotional moments. I like movies that adds a bit depth to interpersonal relationships, and I think it is especially hard to make a family movie with these elements.

Although I'm not an expert, I love music and I definitely notice when I like something I hear. I think the music in this movie is okay. If they added a bit of memorable melodies/themes I think the experience would be tons better (maybe easier said than done). During a scene towards the ending I wish they made the tune a bit differently as it had an important emotional moment.

All in all the movie made me smile and I'm really happy they made it.

This movie will give you laughs as well as leave you in sobs. Fun, action-packed and emotional, it's a great watch.

Elven brothers Ian and Barley lost their father when they were too young to remember him. But on Ian's 16th birthday, they receive a special gift - something that can help revive their father for one day. But as expected, they mess up the spell and their father is left only with legs.

I do not know why this film is so underrated, considering it's full of that Pixar magic. Fantasy world? Ok, that's pretty common. Suburban fantasy world? You don't see that every day. It's a burst of imagination, really.

Unlike most films that shy away from deep themes and stay on the 'clear path', Onward shows how hard it is to lose someone. If you haven't seen it, watch today!

This is a bit of a divisive movie. I'm on the liked it a lot camp. I think people have unreasonably high expectations when it comes to Pixar movies. I guess it's Pixar's fault because they have been releasing classic after classic for more than twenty years now, so I can understand where some of those expectations come from, but to dismiss a movie because it doesn't meet some of the high standards is a bit too much also. This is a very good adventure movie with some great world building, great animation, good characters and an amazing third act, you can't demand much more than that. Granted, I can understand some of the issues people have, like pacing problems in the second act, a bit of a predictable plot and what is becoming a cliched Pixar family. Those are the reasons I don't rate this any higher, but it was still an emotional and entertaining ride that I highly recommend.

I can't believe it. The best animated movie of the year was not by Disney. And it's not a surprise because most of the movies Disney did in 2019 were sequels and remakes (and Star Wars, and Avengers Endgame, which wasn't as good as Avengers: Infinity Wars). This is one of the most creative movies I've ever watched! Sure, it's cliche, however it's got a good moral, a good story, good character development, its humor isn't just in one character (contrary to Frozen II), and it is visually beautiful. This is the best animated movie of the year, and I really hope Disney makes more movies like this.

Entertainment value: 7 Easy going feel good movie, not many surprises but made us chuckle a little and that is good enough.

Visuals: 8 It's a standard pixar movie, not exceptional.

Soundtrack: 7 Barly had some nice music going in his truck.

Plot: 6 Classic find yourself movie, not impressed but it works for the feel good theme.

World building and depth: 6 Funny take on on a fantasy world. Unicorns were hilarious. The world felt very flat however.

Characters and dialog: 7 Burly was a very likable character, the nerdy big bro. Not that impressed but it worked.

Total: 7

I never got to watch this movie in theaters but I did watch it on Disney Plus like a year ago. Enjoyable, funny and interesting. Two elf brothers (voiced by two MCU veterans) embark on a quest to bring their late father back. It's even got references to one of the best tabletop RPGs known to humanity. Any D&D lover would love to watch this. It's also perfect for those who barely knew their father and what they can do with the lives they have left. Can our two protagonists find their father? At what cost? And what adventures will they have? See it!

Onward, directed & written by Dan Scanlon, who also directed & wrote Monsters University, was an entertaining fairytale, embracing the importance of familyhood. Onward had an original concept coming in, but the direction from Scanlon didn't flow the greatest, having a few forceful filler scenes. Though the story didn't flow the best with a few imbalances, Scanlon managed to hit a few emotional notes that hit home, to get you more invested in the adventure & characters.

With a very talented voice over cast of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt & Octavia Spencer, I expected something a little more hard hitting. They all had their own enjoyable personalities, but the characterization could've been a little better. Tom Holland's character was real easy to invest in. Right off the bat, you feel his pain, and see the hardships he deals with. I personally connected with his character due to his aspirations involving his father. As far as Chris Pratt, I didn't really care his character all that much. I liked that he is a polar opposite of Holland's character, and that creates the strong bond, but he's pretty annoying throughout the first hour of the film. His final act character development is what saved him from being just flat out stupid, and nothing more than a plot device. The realistic expectations each brother had, displaying a genuine brotherly bond was the best part about their characters.

The screenplay by Dan Scanlon, Keith Bunin & Jason Headley had a few decent laughs, but they also had a few forceful jokes that didn't quite hit. Even though the script captured some real life events, it didn't pack the weight it could have, leaving the script a little thin.

The cinematography and animation was of course, gorgeouse, utilizing some great bright, and dark colors to enhance the tone throughout the film.

Overall, with all this pandemic going around, Onward didn't get to reach it's full potential in theaters, but I would say it's a solid watch on Disney+, especially if you have a brother.

Onward for me it feels like more Disney style than Pixar. The opening very "format", story only became interesting when they start their adventure. One thing I feel a bit useless is they address Ian as a lonely person, that he doesn't have a friend in school. That personal setting just doesn't matter in the rest of story, but this is just a miner problem.

Pixar still deliver their fun & touching story to their audience as always.