Onward (Pixar) (2020) (1 Viewer)

[Edwin-S]

I don't think she has any case whatsoever. Van art isn't anything new and the picture on the van in the film is a Pegasus, not a Unicorn. It is a waste of time trying to sue Pixar over this. It is going to get tossed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

All Pixar should have to do is produce a piece of concept art for their van dated from before they rented hers.

I'm sure they have that.

 

[Jake Lipson]

The review embargo has lifted and as of this writing Onward is sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is basically the same Rotten Tomatoes score as director Dan Scanlon's previous movie, Monsters University, which settled at 80%.

Also, the film officially opens in two weeks from today (but there are sneaks available next week on February 29.)

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sneak previews are this afternoon. Is anyone else going? I am so will report back tonight.

Also, the soundtrack was released digitally yesterday, but there still doesn't seem to be any information or pre-orders for a physical CD version. I know there are some of you who will respond that CDs are in decline and such, and you're not wrong, but this seems like a major title for Disney to skip releasing on CD. I'm not sure if I want to get the digital version right now or not because what I really want is the CD, but if there is no CD and I like the score then I would take the digital. But if they don't do a CD release soon to tie in with the theatrical release, the likelihood is that they won't. The instrumental score for Frozen II was a digital exclusive, but that still got a CD release for its songs. Since Onward only has one song over the credits, maybe they are skipping a CD? But Toy Story 4 got a CD. Sigh. I hate not knowing what they are doing. It makes it difficult for me to make an informed purchase.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Did anyone else see this today?

My advanced screening was essentially sold out. The only empty spaces were the remaining wheelchair spaces besides mine, so every seat that was actually installed in the theater was full, and there wasn't space for anyone else who didn't bring their own seat. The audience mostly appeared to consist of families with small children, and I was both happy and surprised that the movie held their attention. No one made a ruckus and everybody seemed to be into it.

I will keep my thoughts brief and spoiler-free before other people have a chance to see it, but I absolutely loved the movie. It is so sweet and full of imagination both in terms of the story's worldbuilding and in the visual design of it. The last time Dan Scanlon directed for Pixar, it was Monsters University, which I thought was good and fun but not exceptional. This is much better. It's clearly a personal story for him and I think he benefited from getting to build this world from the ground up instead of making essentially a spinoff of a superior other film.

I don't know whether they actually recorded together or not -- probably not given how animation usually works -- but even if they didn't, Holland and Pratt sound great edited together and it is so much fun to go on this adventure with them. I'll have to sit with it for a while and see it again before I consider a ranking among the Pixar canon, but I will say that almost nothing in the movie did not work for me. Octavia Spencer, in particular, seems to have a lot of fun with her role as the Manticore. Also, having Julia Louis-Dreyfus back with Pixar to play the boys' mom 22 years after A Bug's Life was so great.

I also came right home and downloaded the score, which is wonderful, even though I'm annoyed that it doesn't appear to be in line for receiving a CD release. Mychael Danna and Jeff Dana composed this, and I thought they did a beautiful job on the score. The end credits single by Brandi Carlile is very nice too and she is much more pleasurable to listen to than the pop covers from the credits of Frozen II.

That being said, the trailers are an accurate representation of what the movie is, so if the trailers don't work for you, the movie probably won't change your mind. Although the worldbuilding is extensive, the storyline is fairly straightforward and the trailers do make that trajectory clear.

I can't wait to see it again on Friday and will definitely add it to my collection when the Blu-ray is available.

A couple other notes: instead of a Pixar short before the movie, there is a Simpsons short, which is obviously.a result of the Fox acquisition. It even has a title card that says "Disney Welcomes The Simpsons." And, for the first time in a while for Pixar, there is no additional movie footage during or after the credits.

 

[Jason_V]

I'm really happy to know you give Onward the thumbs up, Jake! We don't always agree on movies, but you always have logical, sound reasons for your opinions. If you give Onward a blessing, I feel good about it!

My sister and I saw the "extended sneak peek" in Tomorrowland (Disneyland) yesterday. It finally pushed me from "yes, I'll see it because it's Pixar" to "yep, really really excited about it now." She's in the same camp and she is much more critical of animation than I am.

Just a few days left!

 

[Jason_V]

Onward hit all of my expectations last night. A good story that doesn't waste time and meander. A lot of laughs with something for everybody. A TON of tears (from me, anyway). An adventure and whimsy and heartache. I was with the story from the first moment.

I'm not a role playing game guy, but I enjoyed the references to that world and the way the movie was structured to show the importance of gaming and instinct. (All things we saw in the trailer.) A friend asked where does this rank on the "Pixar Rating Scale." She wanted to know if it was near Coco. I told her I didn't cry at Coco...but I would put Onward up with the beginning of Up or the end of Toy Story 4. I was crying for good chunks of the movie.

Onward hit me that hard.

 

[TravisR]

I found it to be second tier Pixar but that's hardly a criticism. Like all PIxars, it's a great mix of humor, adventure and heart and the last 20 or 30 minutes are excellent.

I've got a goofy sense of humor but the biggest laugh for me was when

Spoiler

the happy painted dragon face on the wall becomes the face of the rock dragon.

 

[Jason_V]

That was one of many LOL moments, Travis. For sure!

 

[Jake Lipson]

I'm going back today with a friend for my second viewing in about an hour, so won't comment too much now. But if you guys want it, you should know that Best Buy flipped the switch last night and put Onward up for pre-order, including their exclusive steelbook version, which will probably be hard to find upon its arrival. I went ahead and did a pre-order reservation for store pickup at my usual store on whatever the release date is, so that I definitely have one and don't have to worry about potentially missing it. So if you want to lock that in as well, you can now.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/onward...y-only--best-buy-2020/6402026.p?skuId=6402026

 

[steve jaros]

Saw Onward in IMAX this morning, was bored for the most part. Kind of an animated version of Ready Player One. Pixar obviously has animators who like me played D&D 40 years ago and battled gelatinous cubes. Caught myself checking my phone several times - wasn't being rude as i was the only one there.

As dull as Dinosaur. I suspect the positive reviews are a Halo Effect from Pixar's track record. This was a mess.

C+

 

[Sam Favate]

Took the kids yesterday and everyone enjoyed it. I thought it was very inventive and the real-world stuff was a lot of fun in the context of the once-magical land. There were a lot of nice touches, including Barley playing Ride to Valhalla on the van's tape deck (tape deck!) as he sent it on its way. A lot of the success of these movies rises and falls with the creation of a world that the audience would like to be part of, and this one succeeded.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Saw Onward in IMAX this morning, was bored for the most part. Kind of an animated version of Ready Player One. Pixar obviously has animators who like me played D&D 40 years ago and battled gelatinous cubes. Caught myself checking my phone several times - wasn't being rude as i was the only one there.

As dull as Dinosaur. I suspect the positive reviews are a Halo Effect from Pixar's track record. This was a mess.

C+

It's better than "Dinosaur" but still subpar Pixar.

I thought it was Harry Potter + Indiana Jones + Shrek + "Weekend at Bernie's".

And I can't have been the only one to notice that "Onward"

Spoiler

literally copied scenes from both "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Indy and the Last Crusade", can I???

 

[Tino]

It's better than "Dinosaur" but still subpar Pixar.

Dinosaur is not a Pixar film.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Dinosaur is not a Pixar film.

I think "Dinosaur" in this case means "Good Dinosaur". That was my assumption since the thread has dealt with Pixar, and "Good Dinosaur" was theirs...

 

[Jake Lipson]

Yes.

"Dinosaur" = Disney film, 2000
"The Good Dinosaur" = Pixar film, 2015

But the confusion is understandable. And with respect to those involved in making them, unfortunately, neither one is particularly good. I think Onward handily outclasses them both.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Yes.

"Dinosaur" = Disney film, 2000
"The Good Dinosaur" = Pixar film, 2015

But the confusion is understandable. And with respect to those involved in making them, unfortunately, neither one is particularly good. I think Onward handily outclasses them both.

"Onward" is better, but I'm not sure it's "handily" better.

Will have to see it again to decide. I could completely change my mind - I was lukewarm toward "Inside Out" 1st screening but loved it 2nd time!

 

[Wayne_j]

I just saw this and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was only my friend, 2 other people, and me in the entire RPX theater.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I just saw this and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Good! I did as well. Glad to hear you liked it.

It was only my friend, 2 other people, and me in the entire RPX theater.

This is also very similar to my experience last week. When I went on Friday with my friend, we were the only two people who showed up for the 12:15pm show in the Cinemark XD theater. It was weird.

 

[Jake Lipson]

With the box office essentially collapsing for all movies, I wonder what impact this will have for Onward. I love the movie and I would not hesitate to recommend that people see it in the theater under normal circumstances, but we are well past "normal" at this point.

As we've discussed in the box office thread, although none of the big chains have done so yet, I fully expect them to voluntarily close in the near future. There's no way it makes financial sense for them to remain open with attendance this weekend at a 22-year low. Everyone is staying home, and the big studios have wisely pushed their big movies, so between those two factors, they're going to be losing more money by staying open than by closing.

That being said, I almost wonder If this might accelerate the home release of Onward. The release date is in retrospect unfortunate, because it was essentially the last big movie that opened under the wire before virus concerns hit America at this level. Whenever this situation with the virus is, I can't see Disney wanting to spend a whole lot of money to do a new marketing campaign to remind people they can come see Onward again. It probably could have survived its low opening if theaters were operating at full strength, but they're not. Under these extremely unusual circumstances, it would not surprise me if Disney tried to accelerate the disc and/or Disney+ release. While the ship seems to have sailed in regards to people going to the theater, a brand new Pixar title that people didn't get around to before the pandemic would be a big draw on disc and streaming right about now, especially if theaters do close. This would violate the 90-day window, but in this one case I doubt the theaters would raise that much of a ruckus.