When I was in high school, I had this idea for a modern day fantasy setting. There would still be wizards and warriors, but there would also be vehicles, internet, cinema and everything else that makes these times what they are. I bring this up because, Onward kind of tapped into that idea, and honestly, I'd love to see it done more.
Don't get me wrong, Onward is a great movie, but I would love to see these settings done a bit more, maybe as like a Table-Top or a Video Game or, even an episodic series. If modern day wizards and warrior fantasy settings interest, check this movie out, you may get some ideas.
That being said, I also recommend this movie if you want a good movie to take your children to, or check out on your own, I don't judge. It's funny because, Onward by most accounts is one of those "Really nothing special" movies. I talked about this a bit on my Letterboxd with Sonic the Hedgehog, but for the sake of clarity, these are the movies that, by all means aren't groundbreaking, aren't special, aren't new, and you've probably seen them before. I myself have seen a lot of these kinds of movies, Gods of Egypt, Arctic Dogs, Priest, movies that are so un-special that you kind of forget you even saw them in the first place.
That being said, it does make a lot of sense that there would be a lot of these movies. You can only tell so many stories before they start to bleed together. You can only use a trope so much before people can predict it, so... what do we do when we've exhausted those stories and tropes? With any medium, this is the question you have to figure out, but this isn't just any medium, this is Film, cinema, a medium that dates back to the 1800s. That is almost two-hundred years ago, and if anything the medium has become even stronger. So, how do these kind of movies still be good if they aren't special?
Onward does what every great Disney movie does, it makes a connection. There sometimes is a part of us that feels like Cinderella, working our butts off waiting for that magical moment to change our lives forever. Many of us feel like Woody, afraid of being replaced and willing to do what it takes to stay on top. Some of us may even feel like Flynn from TRON, out of our element but still pushing forward because that is what you can do. Sometimes we feel like Ian in this movie, like we can't do anything but that there is a goal worth trying for. Personally, I felt more like Barley in this movie...
This is going to get very real...
Last year, my Grandma was in the hospital, when I had the chance to see her, it was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I have ever seen. I wasn't there when she died, and I still feel really bad that I didn't see her earlier. When Barley is telling Ian about the time he went to see their father, he mentions how scared he was about the scenario, and it really did hit close to home for me. Honestly, I am incredibly thankful that I had a friend come along with me.
Disney movies often make a connection with us because well, it is as Walt Disney himself has said, "Adults are just children grown up". As a kid, we see Cinderella as a princess who needs to be saved from her wicked step-mother. As adults, we see what she has to go through with different eyes and a new understanding. We have that enjoyment as a kid, but as an adult we have a new connection. Onward connected to me, and while it was not a way I was happy with, honestly the fact that it went there at all is admirable. Wonder Park touched on this, but Onward went deeper into it.
Of course, the rest of the movie is fine on its own. It is a bit of a predictable plot, if you know storytelling 101, you can basically see the beats they are going to hit. That being said, the film is still pretty good. Even taking out my personal connection, the humour is great, the animation is excellent, and the characters are wonderful. While this isn't a movie that is going to break ground with a lot of its story or characters, I think it is an excellent addition to the Disney library.
I consider this up there with The Greatest Showman, Sonic the Hedgehog or Klaus, not groundbreaking in many areas, but still excellent in so many others.
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