If you’ve seen enough of them, then you definitely know that good Pixar movies have a certain feel about them, a kind of whimsy meets art school ambition feeling. I’m not saying their newest feature Onward doesn’t have that feeling…but it is taking it in a very different direction.
Here’s the official synopsis given by Pixar:
Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’sOnward introduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there.
So, like most Pixar trailers, we don’t get very much in terms of plot details, but we do get to see our main characters and get a peek at their personalities. Chris Pratt plays older brother Barley Lightfoot, an elf who seems to be a bit enamored with a more medieval way of thinking, given his over-the-top dialogue. Tom Holland plays Ian Lightfoot, who is more down-to-Earth and realistic. From the conversation, we know that the two elves are off to run a strange errand, or “quest” as Barley puts it, but what it is we don’t know. All we know is it will have something to do with figuring out if there’s still magic in the world.
We also see a little bit of New Mushroomton, the town in which they live. Unicorns are roaming, garbage-eating pests, dragons are house pets, and magical species all live in harmony. Centaurs, trolls, mermaids, goblins, satyrs, and gnomes are just a few of the creatures we see running around doing everyday tasks. There might not be magic per se, but it looks pretty magical to me.
The film was written and directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, who were the team on Pixar’s Monster University, which has gained popularity since its initial release. Fantastical meets mundane seems to be a solid fit for them, so this should be quite the cinematic adventure.
Onward is set to premiere in theaters on March 6th, 2020.
