Pixar has long established themselves as one of the titans of animation, and their latest film Onward continues in their long tradition of high quality storytelling. Directed by Dan Scanlon, who previously directed Monsters University for the company, the story is a delightful jaunt into a modern fantasy world that balances humor and action in a compelling and heartwarming fashion.

The setting of this film is ostensibly modern day society, though all of the characters are classic fantasy races of some sort – elves, centaurs, gnomes, satyrs, pixies, and so on. As the story goes, the land was once filled with magic, and those who could wield magic would do so for the betterment of society. However, it took a great deal of practice to use magic well, and so eventually people started to come up with technology instead. Over the years, technology replaced magic entirely.

Onward follows two brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively). Ian is just turning 16 years old and is trying to overcome his various social anxieties in order to become a stronger person as he comes of age, while Barley is in the middle of a so-called gap year following his own high school graduation, which he’s used mostly to play a Dungeons & Dragons style tabletop game called Quests of Yore. The two boys have grown up without the presence of their father, Wilden, who passed away when his wife was pregnant with Ian and when Barley was too young to have many memories of him.

When Ian turns 16, his mother Laurel (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) presents both Ian and Barley with a gift left to them by their late father – a magical staff with a spell written to bring him back to life for one day. Though Ian tries to complete the spell, Wilden ends up only half-formed, with just his legs present. Ian and Barley then set out on a quest to find a Phoenix Gem in order to finish the spell and see their dad again before the spell’s time runs out. Along the way they meet the Manticore (Octavia Spencer), who has been reduced to running a Chuck-E-Cheese-style establishment, fight off a swarm of angry pixies, evade the police, and more. Laurel, meanwhile, eventually teams up with the Manticore herself to save her kids, after learning that taking the Phoenix Gem will unleash a terrible curse.

There’s a lot about Onward to love. The two main characters are both compelling, and their relationship with each other is explored in a way that feels natural and genuine – Holland and Pratt’s performances in their roles are both superb. The kind of tension that two teenaged brothers would naturally feel over the course of a spur of the moment road trip is definitely present, and the way that it resolves is just real heartwarming. I also love the relationship that the Manticore ends up having with Laurel, with both of them ending up pushing each other to do better and be stronger.

The animation, of course, is superb, and it’s what we’ve all come to expect from Pixar over the years. The designs of the different fantasy races are all really cool and unique while still being recognizable as what they are, whether they’re trolls or elves or fairies – they all very much have that kind of special Pixar touch. The textures on everything from clothing to cheese puffs makes the world itself feel very real and grounded.

In terms of the writing, I thought the humor maybe wasn’t as strong as in other previous Pixar ventures, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad at all. A lot of the jokes are definitely aimed at a younger audience, and given that Onward is ostensibly a kids film, it makes sense that the humor isn’t exactly meant for adults. I think the strongest parts of the writing come from the relationship of Ian and Barley, and there’s some real pulling of the heartstrings happening especially late in the film.

Overall, Onward is a delightful film that proves that Pixar remains one of the best in the business when it comes to original storytelling – animated or not. A colorful cast of characters is brought to life through genuinely amazing voice acting performances, and the world created by the creative team is one that I hope gets explored again in the future. If you’re into fantasy stories or D&D, definitely put this on your list of things to see.

-Carrie Wood