Onward

Directed by Dan Scanlon, Onward, which transpires in a world overrun by mystical creatures, follows two elven brothers (Tom Holland’s Ian and Chris Pratt’s Barley) as they embark on a perilous journey to retrieve a magical gem. Filmmaker Scanlon, working from a script written with Jason Headley and Keith Bunin, does an absolutely fantastic job of initially establishing the affable, compelling landscape in which the film unfolds, and it’s clear, surely, that Onward benefits substantially from its proliferation of engaging and thoroughly charismatic central (and periphery) characters – with the movie’s protagonists certainly as likeable and sympathetic as one might’ve hoped and anticipated. (It doesn’t hurt, as well, that both Holland and Pratt deliver top-notch voice work that effectively enhances the impact of Ian and Barley’s completely compelling chemistry together.) There’s little doubt, then, that the episodic midsection isn’t even remotely as hit-and-miss as it could’ve been and ultimately does possess a far more propulsive feel than expected, as Scanlan has littered this portion of the proceedings with a number of palpably entertaining (and impressively exciting) interludes and set pieces (including a fantastic sequence wherein Ian must use an invisible bridge to cross a bottomless chasm). By the time the enthralling and surprisingly moving climactic stretch rolls around, Onward has confirmed its place as a pervasively successful and satisfying endeavor that easily ranks among Pixar’s very best offerings as of late.

**** out of ****