Disney Pixar continues to churn out some great animated features including their 2019 addition Toy Story 4 that was once again a major hit. Their latest feature Onward looks to continue that record with yet another all new world to visit. The film features an impressive voice cast including Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer, and Julia Louis-Dryfus, but does it have the magic needed to give them another hit or will it fail to conjure up the magic it needs to standout?

 

Onward follows a suburban fantasy world where two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, who go on an journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him. From the first trailer I was intrigued by this film just for the fantasy elements. I assumed being a Pixar film it would pull at the heart strings as normal, but as it moves along I initially didn’t get that big of an emotional punch as expected that is until that last half where it slaps you right in the feels to perfection.

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The story is a ton of fun playing up just like a typical fantasy journey, but with a modern twist to the world around them. This offers up a ton of laughs and clever ways of merging the two genres in a way that is fresh and new. There is an ongoing joke about Unicorns/Pegasus that is pretty funny without much being said. It also helps to buy into the situation and journey they are going on in this world more so than it would have otherwise. This kind of makes you forget of the real life situation they are dealing with until it all comes together.

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The animation is perfection as always with great character designs and attention to detail that continues to showcase the perfection of Pixar. I have to say that this might be one of my favorite Pixar movies to date as it offers up everything you could want in laughs, heart, adventure and emotions. The finale of this film really hits you in the feels and will hopefully be another deserved hit for Pixar once again showcasing why they are the best in the business.