I was super excited for Onward ever since I heard what the concept was. The anticipation was building and I was so excited to see it this spring. Then my boyfriend told me that the reviews were mixed.
I looked them up, and they were mixed. People said it was good, but that Pixar could do better.
So, when I sat down to watch it I knew it would be good, and that was going to be enough for me. THEN in the first minute, I was saying, “I already love this.”
I love Onward. It’s probably one of my favorite Pixar movies I’ve seen. I know, a bold statement. I stand by it though. It was magical and clever and everything I could have hoped from it but MORE.
I refuse to spoil anything about this amazing movie. However, I wanted to address why there are mixed reviews, in my opinion.
This movie is for fantasy lovers. I believe it was made for and by them. I believe it because it has Dungeon and Dragons themes and fantasy tropes. It combines high fantasy with the modern world and does it stunningly.
It’s a post-modern movie. It’s metanarrative. It defies stereotypes while including the tropes we love. I could do an analysis of it as an English student and go on and on.
However, I can see why some people didn’t love it. I’d guess that they aren’t fantasy-lovers. I can understand how the jokes and the magic of this actual movie would be lost on them or would not be appreciated to the extent I believe it deserves.
I’m not saying that they aren’t good viewers or they’re wrong. I’m saying I am the audience. I would read this if it were a book. I have. It’s like how Percy Jackson combines Greek myth with the modern world. It’s how the Cruel Prince is both the modern world and the world of Fae. These are the books I love. I love the merging of high fantasy and our world.
I believe this is a masterpiece of a movie and I have no complaints. I encourage you to watch it. I hope you share with me what you think. And if fantasy isn’t for you, I understand.
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