In these trying times of the coronavirus epidemic and social isolation, many of us are faced with a number of problems. Even if one is able to furnish oneself with food (or at least have others do this for us), even if we have cleaned our home to the point of operation-theatre sterility, and even if we have furnished ourselves with adequate supplies of toilet paper, we may find that the biggest problem is how to fill up the time.
While many welcome the chance to finish reading that stack of books that has for so long collected dust on the bedside table, and while many of us can find enough diversion by watching television (even though during the day it seems largely to consist of newscasts which do little to relieve either the boredom or one’s anxiety), finding worthwhile ways to pass the time can be a challenge.
Above all, this is a problem for parents (and grandparents!) who are desperately trying to find ways to keep the children occupied. Clearly, many are making every effort to ensure that students deal with the challenge of on-line classes, and, to judge from the shortage of flour, sugar and yeast, many care-givers are also ensuring that their young charges will undertake future careers in the culinary arts.
However, there still remains the challenge of keeping youngsters happily entertained. It is not surprising therefore that young and old have resorted to subscribing to streaming services, such as those provided by Netflix, Amazon and Crave. Clearly, for adults attempting to entertain the very young, the Disney channel is an obvious choice. This is now particularly the case because of the current offering of Onward, a film which was released with widespread patronage on the weekend before the lockdown was imposed.
Certainly, Onward has much to justify the popularity with which it was first greeted. To begin with, it is a Pixar film, and though it does not have either the charm or the narrative impact of films such as Toy Story, it is certainly entertaining, while at the same time addressing a number of themes relevant to people of all ages, and particularly to these challenging times.
Set in a familiar world of technology and gadgetry, Onward suggests that all the magic of myth and fairy tale has vanished from the world. The protagonist, a 16-year old boy named Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland), feels that life is void of all meaning and hope and deeply regrets that his deceased father is not with him to assist him with the social failures and problems of his life.
At the same time, he lacks any real relationship with his brother Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt). However, when his mother gives him a magic wand, left by his father, on his birthday, the two boys get together and attempt to bring their father back to life for one more day. The result is literally only half successful, so the boys set out to attempt to gain the magic stone necessary to complete the task.
What follows is a road adventure which is packed with largely comical details and inventive incidents. There are laughs a-plenty arising from such familiar matters as dealing with the perils of learning how to drive on the freeway, how to trust others, and above all how to cope with self-doubt in a time of stress. Indeed, the film is most timely in its theme of young people coping with difficulties.
What in fact gives the film weight and lends it an unforeseen relevance are the many themes that writer-director Dan Scanlon has included in the film. It is not only a film about overcoming adolescent angst, but a film which challenges both Ian Lightfoot and the audience to learn to view the world positively and to recognize the richness of what one has – surely a timely lesson in these hard times.
Moreover, it not only suggests that despite and beyond the wonders of technology, the world of imagination is to be prized far more than it is – to abandon it is to lose a lovely and magical approach to life.
It is salutary indeed that the film opens with two unicorns, those gentle symbols of the delights of fairyland, fighting over garbage. Has the world of technology caused us to see the world negatively and fearsome? Adult viewers may have to explain to the younger exactly what a centaur and a manticore are. They might even suggest that the youngsters do some reading in the realms of mythology. Though that may be asking too much to a generation saturated with films and graphic novels about the heroes of Marvel comics, it may be one more way by which the young can pass the time.
Once again, Pixar has managed to come up with a beautifully realized animated adventure – typical of the studio in that it is colourful, detailed, and eye-catching, though not the best production of the studio thus far.
It should be noted that Onward has earned some notoriety for being the first animated film aimed at children which includes a gay character. However, lest this gives a false idea of the film, it should be understood that the character appears only briefly, utters only one line that is decidedly ambiguous indicating a same-sex relationship (can a woman not have a girlfriend without it being a lesbian relationship?), and it will probably pass unnoticed by the majority of viewers of all ages. Should it become cause for comment by a child, it presents a wonderful opportunity for a meaningful and moral discussion of the issue.
In other aspects, the film is exciting and suspenseful without ever being frightening. In short it is quite clearly what it was intended to be: an amusing entertainment to be enjoyed by the entire family.
Just how long the current state of affairs will last is uncertain, though unfortunately it could be for far longer than we might originally have thought. Indeed, there is every likelihood that children will be on a hugely extended if unwelcome holiday. For families able to afford extra movie channels, this may well result in a film such as Onward gaining an even bigger audience than if it remained in theatres. However, one does hope that families will not merely settle for giving the children even more screen time than usual. Perhaps, as mentioned, they might actually be encouraged to enjoy the delights of reading. Even with the libraries closed, it is possible to download books for less than a cost of a movie – and such books can be read by the entire family in turn.
Just as Onward encourages viewers to gain the most from setbacks, so too the current crisis can be the occasion for all of us, young and old alike, to explore the positives that can come out of it.