Onward

Pixar Animation Studios, the company that brought us "Toy Story", "Monsters Inc.", "Brave", "The Incredibles", "Inside Out", and "Up" has now brought us "Onward", a modern day fantasy world involving two teens to find magic again. If there's any magic, it's what Pixar brings to the screen each and every time. 

Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) respectively, go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, Wilden (Kyle Bornheimer), who died when they were too young to remember him. 
It turns out that the teen's father, back in the day, was a wizard and bequeathed the younger teen, Ian his staff in which he cast spells with. So with this, he was able to bring his father back, however only half of him. So, he and Barley set out to find a stone to assist them to bring their father's top half of the body back. So, ultimately with the assistance of their mother, Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and The Manticore (Octavia Spencer), the search is on!

Others to round out the cast are Mel Rodriquez as Officer Colt Bronco, Lena Waithe as Officer Spector, Ali Wong as Officer Gore, Grey Griffen as Dewdrop, Pixies Dusters leader, Tracey Ullman as Grecklin, pawn shop owner, John Ratzenberger as a construction worker.

This was wonderfully directed by Dan Scanlon ("Tracy" '09, "Monsters University" '13) plus a video short. Even though this filmmaker has a limited amount of experience, his ability to showcase these characters in getting his actors to extract the emotions that were needed was amazing. Of course, with actors like Pratt, Holland, Louis-Dreyfus and Spencer, how could this director go wrong? It was equally well written by Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin, based on an original story by Scanlon, Bunin and Headley. Usually Pixar uses the same writers consistently keeping that same originality and freshness in check, however these writers are relatively new, not just to Pixar, but also in general, and the result was equally with quality. How do those guys at Pixar do it? The story was original, fresh, concise and cohesive in its storyline and its development. I can't wait to see what they do with their next film, "Soul" due out next year. 

If you like Pixar or even any animated film, this will take you on quite the ride. Even if you don't like animated films, the story and the message about family bonds should cause one to make tracks to the multiplex. It's in a nifty IMAX and 3D format to also choose from. Another home run folks!

Out of 4 Stars: 4            Rated: PG             102mins. (including a 4min. Simpson's cartoon)