Pixar's Onward

[blackcauldron85]

Who is "the driver"? Who is "Roz"?

Ian's driving instructor and the school bus driver, I,m not sure if they are supposed to be the same character or not ?

Roz from Monsters, Inc..

[Disney Duster]

Oh, thanks DisneyFan97 and blackcauldron85!

I'm surprised they went as far as banning the film. I thought they would just censor it by dubbing the gay away.

Disney/Pixar’s ‘Onward’ Banned In Multiple Middle East Countries Due To Lesbian Reference
https://deadline.com/2020/03/disney-onw ... 202876168/

Gee. Then we can bet the same thing will happen to 'Jungle Cruise'. There is little doubt I think.

What gay character is in Jungle Cruise?

[DisneyFan97]

Oh, thanks DisneyFan97 and blackcauldron85!

You’re welcome Nice to be able to help a frined

[D82]

I was finally able to see Onward. I've been anticipating this movie so much since it was first announced, as you guys well know, that I was a bit worried that maybe my expectatives for it were too high, but I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed at all. I absolutely loved it. I think it's too early for me to say if it's one of my top favorites from Pixar or not, because in my opinion they have so many great movies, but I think it's very likely that it could end up in my personal top ten. What I know is that I can't wait to see it again, and that's always a good sign. However, though I think it should've gotten even better reviews, I partially understand why it doesn't. The main plot is simple, it's not as groundbreaking as some of Pixar's previous movies and feels smaller in scale. But personally, I don't mind any of that. In my opinion, the good things more than compensate for that (and not all these things I mentioned as disadvantages necessarily are).

I agree with what others have said. It has lots of heart and the emotional parts don't feel forced, but are very sincere and genuine. And, as Clindor pointed out, that's not concentrated at the end; there are emotional moments throughout the whole movie. I managed not to cry too much in the theater, but just thinking about the ending makes me emotional again. I liked all the characters, but especially the two brothers. They have more personality than it seems from the trailers and you care for them from the beginning. I personally identified more with Ian, but also with Barley in some aspects, especially because I'm the eldest in my family like him. Their mother and the Manticore are also great.

Personally, I didn't find the story predictable and I didn't see that ending coming at all, but it's true that the movie uses many elements from the Pixar formula and, as usual, there are certain things you know will happen from the start.

And though the heart, the characters and their relationships are to me the best thing in it, there are many other aspects that make this a good movie. It has some very funny moments (especially the scene on the road with the pixies, though I agree that the humor is not the typical DreamWorks one), many cleverly written scenes, and I also loved the fantasy and adventure element. The spells were very creative and the rules of magic made the story much more interesting. And the suburban/fantasy world is believable and perfect for the story, not to mention it has many things in common with our own. I wish they had explored it more, though. I actually wouldn't mind a sequel in this case to see more of it.

I highly recommend the film too. Maybe you won't love it like me, but I'm quite sure you won't regret having seen it.

I'm surprised they went as far as banning the film. I thought they would just censor it by dubbing the gay away.

Disney/Pixar’s ‘Onward’ Banned In Multiple Middle East Countries Due To Lesbian Reference
https://deadline.com/2020/03/disney-onw ... 202876168/

It's a shame people in those countries won't get to see the movie. It goes to show why Disney hasn't done this before. Though it was a small step, it was actually a brave one.

About the gay character, when she said girlfriend I thought she meant she had a friend who was another woman that had a kid.

I think they had her say "girlfriend" instead of "wife" on purpose to leave it ambiguous.

I would need to watch the scene again to be sure, but I think the context made it clear it wasn't just a friend, as they were talking about being a parent. I saw the film dubbed into Spanish and here, though, there was no room for doubt given that the word for "girlfriend" only has one meaning in Spanish. I don't know if the same happens in other countries.

By the way, the copy in my country doesn't include the Simpsons short. How was it?

In my showing it wasn't included either. It seems it's only playing with Onward in the US. According to Al Jean, a screenwriter for The Simpsons, the short wasn't ready in time for the international releases, which shows that this was a last-minute decision taken to try to draw more people to the theater.

What gay character is in Jungle Cruise?

Jack Whitehall, who plays Emily Blunt's character's brother.

[Disney Duster]

Thank you for telling me about Jungle Cruise, and I loved reading your review D82. Excellent review!

[Farerb]

I'm glad you liked the film, D82.

[Sotiris]

The final numbers are in and it turns out Onward had the lowest opening 3-day weekend in North America for a Pixar film since A Bug's Life.

Domestic Opening Weekend

01. Toy Story: $29,140,617
02. A Bug's Life: $33,258,052
03. Onward: $39,119,861
04. The Good Dinosaur: $39,155,217
05. Ratatouille: $47,027,395

[blackcauldron85]

I don't have TV service, just the Roku TV w/ streaming apps, so while I don't know how much advertising on TV there was, my husband said none of his co-workers knew about the movie. One of my co-workers said she saw an ad on TV...

[Farerb]

I don't have TV service, just the Roku TV w/ streaming apps, so while I don't know how much advertising on TV there was, my husband said none of his co-workers knew about the movie. One of my co-workers said she saw an ad on TV...

Same. A lot of people I know were surprised when I asked them about the film. I think most people expect Pixar films in June so they don't expect one in March.

[estefan]

I think coronavirus fears also might have had an effect, what with all the warnings going around and California, New York, Ohio and other places issuing states of emergency.

The virus has definitely had an effect on the underwhelming international numbers for "Onward" so far.

[Farerb]

I think coronavirus fears also might have had an effect, what with all the warnings going around and California, New York, Ohio and other places issuing states of emergency.

The virus has definitely had an effect on the underwhelming international numbers for "Onward" so far.

That might be true. The theater I went was not so full on a Thursday night, which is usually supposed to be packed with people.

[DisneyFan97]

This might sound sapy but i REALLY REALLY want a plush of Barley( the older Brother) after seeing this movie . To hog i hope Disney in Sweden sells one !!

[D82]

Thank you for telling me about Jungle Cruise, and I loved reading your review D82. Excellent review!

You're welcome. And thanks, I loved reading yours too. I agree with everything you said in it. And thanks, farerb.

The final numbers are in and it turns out Onward had the lowest opening 3-day weekend in North America for a Pixar film since A Bug's Life.

That's a shame. But, yes, as estefan said, the coronavirus must be part of the reason that is underperforming. And I also agree that the promotion could've been better. I hope it can still have decent legs at the box office thanks to word of mouth.

[Disney's Divinity]

Yes, the coronavirus probably played a big factor. It's a shame, this is the first original film from PIXAR I've been (initially) interested in since Inside Out really. Coco turned out to be much better than I expected. I'm not surprised that this one turned out to be better than the previews; I've learned not to trust the advertisements for PIXAR films (or Disney either, for that matter), since they sort of hide aspects of the movies, imo. They didn't want to make this look too serious, but the subject matter is naturally serious. I remember the director talking about how he saved the last recording he had of his father when he passed, and knew this was likely going to be a winner for them.

That said, I'm also not surprised by its performance either. Aside from the coronavirus, The Good Dinosaur was pretty bad and PIXAR has put out too many sequels in a row. I don't think they're as trusted with original properties as they were at one time. I think Disney's resurgence has sort of muddied the waters, too, because for a while there, PIXAR was treated like the only company putting out "good" movies...

[D82]

That said, I'm also not surprised by its performance either. Aside from the coronavirus, The Good Dinosaur was pretty bad and PIXAR has put out too many sequels in a row. I don't think they're as trusted with original properties as they were at one time. I think Disney's resurgence has sort of muddied the waters, too, because for a while there, PIXAR was treated like the only company putting out "good" movies...

Those are good points too.

[Disney Duster]

You're welcome. And thanks, I loved reading yours too. I agree with everything you said in it. And thanks, farerb.

Thanks!

The Coronavirus probably didn't help, but I'm going to say maybe people just didn't want to see the kind of movie it was, despite it being really good.

[D82]

Onward’s story supervisor explains why Pixar got rid of the movie’s villain
https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2020 ... elsey-mann

[Disney Duster]

Oh, great interview D82! I loved learning all that, like how they got recources for their story and how they were gonna have a villain (though I wish I knew more on that!), and what they have done to help women since Lasseter left!

[JeanGreyForever]

So I just came back from watching this film and OMG did I love it. I had pretty low expectations although all the rave reviews about it from people here definitely made me think I would reconsider and that's exactly what happened. This is a film with so much heart and I think it's one of Pixar's best from the past few years. Along with Coco, the only original film Pixar has made in the last decade that I've really liked. I didn't expect to like Barley at all based on the promotion but he won me over completely and I adored his character. Such a far cry from all the complaints here (especially from myself) on how annoying he seemed. The Manticore was hilarious and I loved how the Mom had a pivotal role in the climax and wasn't reduced to a generic supporting character like the aunt in Big Hero 6. The fantasy meets contemporary world didn't sit well with me originally from the trailers but like people here said, it really works in the film. I really hope this film does better because it deserves a wider audience!

I know this film was deeply personal to Dan Scanlon because of how he lost his own father and never had a chance to meet him. What I've always loved about Dan's films, since I actually do like Monsters University unlike the rest of the world lol, is that they're always realistic about their messages. In MU, we're told that as nice an idea it is that you can be anything you want to be as long as you work hard enough and believe, that really isn't the case at all. A harsh message, but sadly one that we all have to learn sooner or later. And this film continues that message with this concept that even in a fantastical world, death is permanent and Ian will never get a chance to know his father. I can see how tempting it would be for someone who suffered a loss like Dan Scanlon did to create a world where you could cheat death and rewrite the past, but at the end of the day, that's not cathartic because soon the movie ends and you'll be back in the real world where that loss still exists and there was no magical method to meet your lost loved one again. So I really appreciate how Dan Scanlon gave us an ending that shows the hard truth of that, no matter how painful it is, because unfortunately we do live in a world where you can't circumvent death like that. That means a lot more than a film where Ian would be reunited with his father and I wasn't expecting that twist at all. I kept thinking Barley would give up his time since he had four memories of his father and Ian had known.

[blackcauldron85]

^ I'm so glad you liked it!! I like Monsters University a lot, too, + I didn't connect the dots between his films, but that's a great point.