Onward

Yesterday I took Sean to see the new Disney Pixar movie Onward.  I have been looking forward to this movie for months and I convinced a reluctant Sean to come with me.   Long ago the world was inhabited by mythological creatures and the use of magic was commonplace.  However, magic was difficult to master so many technological advances took its place until it was almost extinct.   In present day an elf named Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland), who lost his father before he had a chance to know him, is given a posthumous birthday present from him.  It is a magical staff with a rare phoenix gem and a spell to bring his father back to life for just one day.  Ian is full of self-doubt so his attempt to use the spell only brings half of his father back.  His older brother Barley (Chris Pratt), a ne'er-do-well who is obsessed with a role-playing game called Quest of Yore (I loved all of the references to Dungeons & Dragons used in this game), suggests that they need to go on a quest to find another phoenix gem to complete the spell.  Their quest to discover if there is still magic left in the world turns into a journey of self-discovery that is so heartwarming it brought a tear in my eye.  I loved it!   I particularly enjoyed the world-building in this movie because it is filled with enough dragons, wizards, elves, fairies, unicorns, and centaurs to satisfy my fantasy-loving heart and the animation is dazzling.  I loved that all of the characters, not just Ian and Barley, have to discover the magic that is dormant within themselves in order to succeed in their quests.  My favorite character arc is that of the manticore (Octavia Spencer) because she has become so tame that her tavern is now a family-friendly themed restaurant used for birthdays and bachelorette parties and she must find her inner beast in order to reverse a curse.  I loved the relationship between Ian and Barley because they have a playful yet adversarial camaraderie that is fun to watch and it makes the resolution between them all the more impactful.  Holland and Pratt are endearingly believable as the insecure Ian and the doofus Barley, respectively.  Finally, I loved Guinevere, the Econoline van complete with a mural of a unicorn, and an important scene where it saves the day was Sean's favorite part of the movie!  If you are a fan of Pixar (or a fantasy-loving nerd like me) you are sure to love this movie and I highly recommend it!

Note:  I may or may not have had to bribe Sean to see this with me but I think he enjoyed it more than he said he did.