Showcasing a world only slightly different from our own, “Onward” uses its unique environment to tell a touching story.

In a world where magic has been replaced by technology, young, shy elf Ian Lightfoot, played by Tom Holland, has turned 16 years old. However, on this day more than ever, he misses his father, who passed away from sickness when Ian was barely one. As a gift from his mother, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ian receives a staff with a message from his father. With the staff, Ian can bring back his father for one whole day. But, the spell doesn’t completely work, causing only the bottom half of Ian’s father to come back. Setting off to fix the problem, Ian and his older brother Barley, played by Chris Pratt, embark on a quest to find an ancient relic that can help bring their dad completely back.

“Onward” thrives off of the relationship and chemistry between Holland and Pratt’s characters. The two play off of each other well and genuinely almost seem like an actual pair of brothers. The film also does a good job of giving the pair character arcs that are built on. Ian is a shy, nervous teen who just wants to stand up for himself and be more like his dad. Barley is a slacker with odd interests who just wants to be taken seriously. As the film progresses, you can see actual growth in these characters that feels satisfying.

The film’s animation is also very good. Though there was nothing absolutely jaw-dropping, the animators did a great job at creating the world. All of the designs made sense and nothing looked too jarring or out of place.

Another aspect in which the film thrives is the overall message of the importance of family. The quest to bring back their dad brings the two brothers together despite their contrasting personalities. It also brings up how the time and lack thereof with their father affected them and their development. Through this, it sells the emotion well and takes a look at the importance of having family as a whole.

However, there were some parts that weren’t quite up to par. Many of the side characters in the film didn’t have any lasting impact. The major example of this was the centaur boyfriend of Ian and Barley’s mom, Colt Bronco, played by Mel Rodriguez. In concept, it would’ve been interesting to have him if he did more. If he would’ve joined Ian and Barley on their quest, it could’ve been interesting to see how he would react to his girlfriend’s deceased husband coming back to life. But instead, he is more or less relegated to only a couple scenes with barely any plot relevance.

Overall, “Onward” is a pretty good film that has a very touching message. The main actors have great chemistry together, the film has its fair share of laughs and it will go down as one of the best Pixar films in recent years.