Onward

Onward is a 2020 American computer-animated urban fantasy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon, produced by Kori Rae and written by Scanlon, Jason Headley, and Keith Bunin. It stars the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Octavia Spencer. Set in a suburban fantasy world, the film follows two elf brothers who set out on a quest to find an artifact that will bring back their deceased father.[6]

Onward premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2020 and was released worldwide in the United States on March 6. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $103.2 million worldwide. The film's financial shortcomings were attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the film's early closure from theaters. Like several other films released in March, it was made available digitally several weeks after its theatrical release.

## Plot

In a world inhabited by mythical creatures, magic was commonplace several millennia ago, though difficult to master. After technological advances over the centuries, magic became obsolete and was largely discarded.

In the modern day, two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (Ian is a high-schooler lacking self-confidence, and Barley is an enthusiastic history and RPG fanatic who tends to be very impulsive), live in the city of New Mushroomton. Their father Wilden died of a severe illness shortly before Ian was born, and their mother Laurel has a new boyfriend, centaur police officer Colt Bronco, whom Ian and Barley dislike.

On Ian's sixteenth birthday, Laurel gives her sons a gift from Wilden: a magical staff, a rare Phoenix Gem, and a letter describing a "visitation spell" that can resurrect their father for a single day. Ian accidentally succeeds in casting the spell, but only the lower half of Wilden's body is reformed before the gem disintegrates. The brothers embark on a quest to acquire another Phoenix Gem and complete the spell, taking Barley's beloved van "Guinevere". Finding the boys gone, Laurel leaves to find them.

Ian and Barley visit the Manticore's Tavern, named for a monster possessing a map to the gem. The tavern has become a family restaurant managed by the Manticore, legally named The Manticore, also known as "Corey". Arguing with Ian over the map, The Manticore realizes how boring her life has become and drives the customers away in a fit of rage, accidentally setting fire to the restaurant and the map. The brothers' only clue to the gem is a children's menu suggesting "Raven's Point", a nearby mountain. Laurel later arrives at the scene and befriends The Manticore, who agrees to help her. The Manticore warns that the brothers' journey may awaken a curse that can only be defeated by her special sword, which she and Laurel steal from a pawn shop.

Traveling to the mountains, Ian and Barley narrowly escape the police and a motorcycle gang of pixies,[7] relying on Ian's newly awakened spell-casting abilities and Barley's role-playing game instincts. "Raven's Point" leads them on a trail indicated by a series of raven statues, but Colt follows them, calling in reinforcements. Barley sacrifices Guinevere to cause a landslide, blocking their pursuers. Following the statues, the brothers descend through a cave and avoid a series of traps and deadly creatures, during which Barley reveals to Ian that he was unable to emotionally bring himself to say goodbye to Wilden when he was dying in the hospital. They then run into one final obstacle, and surface to find themselves in front of Ian's high school. Ian, fed up with Barley's recklessness, lashes out at him for leading them on a wild goose chase and walks away with Wilden.

Rereading his list of things he always wished to do with his father, Ian realizes that Barley has been a father figure throughout his entire life, and returns to make amends. Barley discovers the Phoenix Gem inside a historic fountain and retrieves it, unwittingly triggering the curse The Manticore spoke of, which creates an artificial golem-dragon out of pieces of the school and other nearby objects, bent on claiming the gem. Ian faces the artificial dragon, but his staff is knocked into the ocean; he reforms it from a splinter and continues the fight. The Manticore flies in carrying Laurel, who plunges the magic sword into the artificial dragon's heart, buying Ian time to cast the visitation spell and fully reform Wilden's body. Ian sends Barley ahead to finally give his proper goodbye to Wilden, and holds off the artificial dragon long enough for Laurel to destroy it. After Wilden dissipates, Barley tells Ian that their father is proud of him, and the brothers share a hug.

Sometime later, Ian's confidence and spell-casting have improved and he surprises Barley by painting his new van, the "Guinevere 2" or the Yellow Guinevere. The Manticore reopens her tavern in its original spirit, drawing in customers with tales of past adventures, Ian and Barley have a better relationship with Colt, and the brothers continue questing.

## Cast

Tom Holland as Ian Lightfoot, a teenage elf who is Barley's younger brother and Laurel and Wilden's younger son.

Chris Pratt as Barley Lightfoot, Ian's older brother, and Laurel and Wilden's older son who longs for a magical quest.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Laurel Lightfoot, the widowed mother of Ian and Barley.
Octavia Spencer as "Corey" The Manticore, a manticore restaurant owner and former adventurer whom Ian and Barley go to for help on their quest.

Mel Rodriguez as Colt Bronco, a centaur police officer and Laurel's boyfriend.

Kyle Bornheimer as Wilden Lightfoot, Ian and Barley's late father and Laurel's late husband.

Ian and Barley's objective is to resurrect him for 24 hours. He appears as just his legs until the end.

Lena Waithe as Specter, a cyclops police officer.

Ali Wong as Gore, a faun police officer.

Grey Griffin as Dewdrop, a pixie and the leader of the Pixie Dusters biker gang.

– Griffin also voices the Gremlin Driving Instructor who instructs Ian and later gives him a fail for not merging into traffic.

Tracey Ullman as Grecklin, a goblin pawn shop owner.

Wilmer Valderrama as Gaxton, an elf and college friend of Wilden.

George Psarras as Avel, an elf police officer.

John Ratzenberger as Fenwick, a cyclops construction worker.

## Additional Voices

Carlos Alazraqui

Bob Bergen - Blazey

Charlet Chung

Chris Cox

Terri Douglas - Pixie Duster #4

Dave Foley

Arya Hora

Karen Huie

Arif S. Kinchen

Jennie Kwan

Christian Lanz

Kelsey Mann

Spencer Mann - Young Ian's laugh

Cullen McCarthy

Allan McLeod

Scott Menville - Gorgamon

Cristina Milizia

Melanie Minichino - Mermaid, Female Tavern Patron #2

Kamali Minter

Jack Wade Nadler - Young Barley's laugh

Arnie Pantoja

George Psarras - Pixie Duster #5

Kori Rae

Michael Ralph

Dan Scanlon - Cyclops Home Instructor

Jessika Van - Mermaid, Female Tavern Patron #1

Kari Wahlgren - Sundra, Pixie Duster #3

Diamond White - Purple Elf Student

Shondalia White

Cedric L. Williams

Debra Wilson

Fryda Wolff