One of my BIGGEST pet peeves RN is how everyone keeps saying that Soul, Luca and Turning Red are all masterpieces and that Onward is slop.
Onward is so painfully underrated and I’m so upset how people keep hating on the movie for no reason. I’m just gonna list some positive things about the movie about why it’s so great.
1 - Accurate neurodivergent representation!
It may not have been said out right but it’s very heavily implied that both boys are neurodivergent. As someone who comes from a family full of autistic people, I can confirm that they both show traits of autism in different ways. Which is perfect because most people fail to realise autism is a spectrum and has different traits! For example, Ian is amazing at math, he likes to have a good routine and has a lot of social anxiety which is executed beautifully, just the way he tenses up and stutters is VERY accurate. As for Barley, he has his special interests that he hyper-fixates on and can’t help but blab about it to his heart’s content, it is another very common autistic trait but Ian doesn’t share that one. It is also showed how Barley tends to be very clumsy, which is actually another common autistic trait. He has a lot of things that comfort him that he is very proud of, such as his van Guinevere and he will eagerly tell you all about her. He also seems to stim a fair bit and you will notice how he moves his hands and arms a lot as he talks.
2 - Accurate sibling dynamic!
They both really love each other BUT they can also get on each other’s nerves. For me, I find the sibling writing in this movie more relatable than frozen. The brilliant execution and accuracy is right next to Lilo and Stitch the OG and best (where it is also implied that Lilo is autistic.). They bicker, but also joke around and have fun. The way Barley is always so eager to go out of his way to help Ian really shows too. They can get into little fights but are quick to forgive each other. Barley can’t help but tease Ian a little, not in a mean spirited way at all but in your typical older brother fashion. Ian is determined to try and seem as normal as possible as Barley wants to be himself and believes being weird is better than being normal. In a way I would say their sibling dynamic is actually somewhat similar to the brothers in Supernatural, which has no doubt the best execution of sibling hood of all time. Lots of love, would do anything for each other, small fights here and there and some bickering, joking around? It’s the perfect picture to how close siblings look.
3 - Fascinating world full of potential!
The idea of a fantasy world with technology is just amazing to me. Imagine minding your own business playing video games and then the next moment some kind of eldritch horror may reappear from thousands of years ago? Imagine a businessman whose boss is literally a little pixie yet he is still so intimated by him? Imagine the idea of a zoo FULL of mythical creatures such as griffins, larger dragons, Phoenixes and MORE! Onward would have done amazing as a series because there is so much ideas to explore with this concept. The movie did a good job balancing what modern life looks like with fantasy too. How the unicorns turn into trash pandas? Dragons are common domestic pets like dogs? Old ruins full of danger surrounded by people who mostly forgot about them (aside from Barley of course)? It’s all such brilliant world building that has so much potential.
The pure emotion in this movie is just amazing! This movie makes me feeling emotional just as much as Soul and Luca does too, possibly even more for me as I am someone who is so very close to my family. The way the family is written is healthy but chaotic, which feels more relatable to me than other movies too. Lots of love, bits of bickering and maybe a few small arguments but nothing toxic. A dysfunctional but loving family. A lot of movies I find would have the family being a lot more toxic with elements of emotional ab*se, gaslighting and manipulation. I won’t say what movies tend to do this mistake but I’ve seen a fair few. This movie shows that a loving family can make mistakes but still apologise and love each other. The ending is just perfect too! The way Ian realises his father figure is Barley and how he lets Barley say goodbye is beautiful.
You can’t tell me some of the action wasn’t pretty cool. As good as the other more recent Pixar movies are, Onward definitely has a lot more action. The drama in those old ruins with all the traps? That amazing and emotional fight with Ian and that dragon? Even just the fight against those pixies! There is far more action in this movie than most if not all recent Pixar movies. The way the dragon was built from whatever is around it and using the school is also super clever. The way it roars and has the school bell in it is amazing and another good example of how much fun the concept of modern life mixed with fantasy is. Seeing Ian use all those different spells to fight was also amazing! He used pretty much everything he had learned throughout the adventure to fight. The spells are also creative, such as the fireworks spell. A fun but different sort of spell you don’t see in most media.
Overall, this movie is amazing and is JUST as good as the other more recent Pixar originals. Pixar has been making a lot of bangers. I still can’t figure out why this one gets so much unnecessary hate. If you haven’t seen the movie please do consider giving it a chance. It’s very fun and emotional and the characters are AMAZING! This being my favourite movie aside, Ian and especially Barley are some of my favourite characters of all time. They’re unique, fun and I can relate to them.
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