ANIMATED INSIGHTS BY SHANNON MUIR takes you inside Shannon’s latest reflections on her passion for animation as a medium, and other animated insights about life. To catch up on all posts, check out the Animated Insights portion of the website! This week, Shannon gives her thoughts on the animated movie ONWARD. ONWARD fell into the category of movies that spent a short time in theaters but quickly transitioned to the on-demand services. I saw ONWARD as soon as it became available on DISNEY+. Overall, I found it to be a very fun adventure, but while the title accurately describes the film (using a phrase a questing party would use to move forward in a role playing game), I think it might be lost on the general public and doesn’t have a real power burst behind it to sell.
The characters are well-developed. Some characters have far more important arcs than the advertising let on. Though it has well-developed characters, some portions of the film felt slow-paced.
Even with the Pixar name behind it, I’m sure the movie would have completely lost momentum trying to stand out against other big names. However, given the current situation and people able to watch from the comfort of their homes, I think more people will see it that way. So, go ONWARD and see it for yourself.
Trailer below. Stay safe.
