The quest beginneth –
Tom Holland and Chris Pratt provide voices for brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot.
Pixar’s new animated filmOnwardreunites the creative team behindMonsters University.
Two elven brothers embark on a quest to revive magic and bring back their lost father in a new trailer forOnward, the upcoming animated feature from Pixar. It’s directed by Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae, the same creative team that gave us 2013 ‘sMonsters University. So we’re probably in good hands.
The official synopsis forOnwardis short and sweet: “Set in a suburban fantasy world, Disney and Pixar’sOnwardintroduces two teenage elf brothers who embark on an extraordinary quest to discover if there is still a little magic left out there. ” That world includes elves, trolls, mermaids, centaurs, fauns, gnomes, and plenty of other mystical creatures, all of whom have long since forsaken their magical roots, lured by the shiny new hotness of technology.
The first teaserdropped in Mayduring the NBA Finals. It features charming suburban scenes depicting all the once-magical creatures going about their daily lives, much like suburban humans. (My favorites included gnome gardeners and a mermaid sipping a drink in her inflatable backyard pool.) And we meet the Lightfoot brothers, Ian (voiced by Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt), as they embark on what Barley considers to be a glorious quest. Ian insists it’s just “a really strange errand.”
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Once upon a time, the world was filled with magic.
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Times have changed.
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Behold: the suburban mushroom home of the Lightfoot family.
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Tom Holland voices birthday boy Ian Lightfoot
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Chris Pratt voices his dorky older brother, Barley
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And Julia Louis-Dreyfus voices his mom, Laurel.
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A gift for the boys from their late father.
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Spell casting is more of an art than a science, even with a magic wand.
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The spell only brings back half of their father.
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A handy disguise.
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Cool van, bro.
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Bad fairies at the convenience store.
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“What are you looking at, Shades?”
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Seeking allies at a rough local tavern.
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Barley and Ian are impressed.
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Trying a spell to get a bigger can of gas. Will they never learn?
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“It worked! The can is HUUUGE!”
Back in May, we didn’t get much information about that quest. Fortunately, this latest trailer sheds some light. We learn that Ian and Barley lost their accountant father years ago, and Ian has just turned 16. Their mother, Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), tells them their father left something for the boys once they were both of age — and that age is 16. The gift turns out to be a magic wizard’s staff. Perhaps Dad was something more than a typical accountant.
Alas, working with magic when it’s been so long in disuse turns out to be tricky. Ian tries the spell to bring back their father and succeeds only in bringing back his bottom half. He and Barley have 24 hours to figure out how to complete the spell. And so they embark on their quest. I’m guessing there’s going to be obstacles in their path and plenty of learning opportunities along the way.
In other words,Onwardlooks to be standard Pixar fare, designed to tickle our nerdy fancies and provide plenty of laughs while also (probably) breaking our hearts and giving us ALL the feels in the end. Given Pixar’s stellar track record — even the company’s lesser films are pretty darn clever — odds are good they’ll pull it off yet again.
Onwardhits theaters March 6, 2020.
Listing image byYouTube / Pixar
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