Onward

I recently saw that the new Disney movie Onward had arrived on Disney+. I decided what better time than late on a calm Sunday night to watch it. I remember not being initially sold on the movie just based off of the trailer, but it looked fun and weird so why not give it a chance. Of course come the end of it, I was laughing at the jokes and cutting onions at the emotional moments. Disney seems to be utilizing the idea a lot lately of unconventional families. This is the prevalent theme of this film as the two brothers' father had passed away long before the start of the film. While the heartwarming punch of an ending could arguably have been seen coming for a while, it still had an impact. The film didn't necessarily need to be subtle about it's message, as it is intended for kids, and so it instead focused on the presentation of said moment. In this I believe it succeeded for the most part. Spoilers to follow if you care: One slight hold-up I had with the ending was that the reveal that the older brother essentially raised the younger brother felt heartwarming yet not quite earned. They hadn't really set up anything hinting at that beyond broad strokes. The movie had to show a montage of moments that inspire an, "ok, yeah I guess I see it", kind of moment rather than an, "oh wow! He finally realized it!", kind of moment. I feel if there had been a bit more set-up the reveal would have really hit and stuck with people more than it might.