Everything GREAT About Onward! 

I appreciate a movie in which the older of two brothers, doesn't bully his younger sibling but actively encourage and help him.

As someone who lost my mother as an infant, the "I've never had a dad... But I've always had you" hit me like a freight train at 120 miles per hour.

One thing you forgot: Barely is revolutionary for another reason, namely *him actually crying when he dropped that rope because he was so worried* and we are ALL for men being able to both be masculine and being able to express feelings like genuine terror

I'm convinced that anyone who says "Pixar films are only for kids" has never actually sat down and fully appreciated one.

Took me forever to realize: Aurora dish soap. Aurora “Yes they named her after the dawn”. ITS DAWN DISH SOAP. Well played Disney. Well played.

One thing I noticed is that their mom yells to Barley to "keep his soldiers off her land, or their kingdoms will go to war" referring to a figure he left on the hallway floor. Rather than being disapproving or calling him childish, she communicates to him on his level, allowing him to understand exactly what she meant, and sounding more supportive.

Some of my favorite details you didn't point out are: 1. When Ian is nervous to talk to his classmates, they don't make fun of him or anything; in fact, they're totally down to go to his party. He gets in his own way, which is exactly what social anxiety is like. 2. When the rope falls off of Ian, Barley almost starts crying. 3. Bronco is never an 'evil stepfather'. Throughout the movie, you can see that he genuinely cares for Laurel and the boys. 4. I adore the message that Barley stands for; never forget the past, because you can learn from it.

The director was Ian in real life, right down to talking to old recordings of his own dad which is why they put it in the movie. The thing is, he never told his brother what he was working on and when he showed him the completed movie apparently his brother got pretty emotional

I can't be the only one who absolutely loves the Cinema Wins guy. He compliments the movies amazingly, unlike cinema sins who just ridicules movies for dumb reasons. Cinema Wins seems like the kind of guy to stop on his way to an important meeting to pet a kitten and help caterpillers get back on their leaves. I want to be their friend so badly ❤❤❤. Love you, dude!

I'm surprised you didn't mention that when Barley was acting out what he thinks the top half of the dad's dancing looked like, that there was the symbolism of Barley acting as Ian's dad

Okay, I'm kind of annoyed it took me THIS long to realize the "You Shall Not Pass" sign is their version of "No Passing Zone". BTW, watching this video made me watch the movie again and I noticed another bit about Barley being the Dad version of Older Brother: when the trap had filled with water and the top door finally opened, Barley grabbed Ian and pushed him to the surface FIRST. Only then did he surface himself. That is very much a parent thing to do.

One thing I noticed at the end was that Barley had a phoenix on the back of his jacket, so Ian was looking for the Phoenix Gem to talk to his father when he had one all along in Barley. Great foreshadowing :)

I sincerely enjoyed how the step dad wasnt evils or a bad guy. He only tried to stop the boys because their mom was worried and he seemed to genuinely care for them. It was also nice to see the mom not just be absent for an entire adventure and take a more active useful role.

This is the sort of film where I wonder if, something like ten years from now, people will be looking back and calling it an 'underrated masterpiece'.

i loved this movie so much and i CRIED SO HARD when ian checked off “spend my life with him”😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

When I first watched this with my girls I pretended to cry at Gwinivere being sacrificed then I actually started crying. He was sooo proud of that van... stupid movie making me cry over a stupid cartoon van 🤣

it hurts me that this movie didn’t get the love it deserves. The ending is unexpected yet touching. def one of Pixar’s bests in my opinions. ( Barley honestly just own my heart🥺)

As someone who's like Barley, the oldest sibling who is a screw up this really really hit hard for me

One subtlety I really liked is how when Ian is trying to invite the other students to a party they dodged the cliche of the other kids backing away from Ian because ‘Barley is weird‘. They instead they just had Ian be embarrassed and abandon his effort because he anticipated this very thing from them.

I really wish more people will give this film a chance. Also that teaser image, I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE, AND I KNOW YOU’RE REAL.

I think my favourite part of the movie was when Ian was walking through the invisible bridge without the rope while Barley with tears in his eyes told him to keep going and not to look back. It just showed how amazing their relationship is and it really shows how a non-toxic sibling relationship works. So cute...

I love how Ian's classmates weren't the classic bullies that torment the awkward hero, but were really accepting and patient with him.

This sibling relationship is a million times better than Frozen's.

My little sister recommended this movie to me. I'm her nerdy dungeons and dragons playing big sister, we related to this movie so much

"Last name: Manticore, First name: The". That line had me absolutely in stitches when I saw this movie, especially because they'd been calling her Cory the whole time.

One thing I thought was amazing about this movie is that everything in this movie had consequences. If the main characters did something, they'd experience the effects of it or it would ripple off to the side characters.

I finally watched this movie the other day and I'm not gonna lie, it made me freaking CRY. HARD. I got teary-eyed when Barely had to give up Gwinivere, and I was fully on sobbing by the time we got to the 3rd act and Ian realized that Barely wasn't JUST his older brother. I love their relationship so much and I loved their mom's relationship with both of them.

As the younger brother by 10 years to the older brother, the scene when Ian checks off his list absolutely made me bawl. Easily my most emotional reaction to a movie ever, since it is one of the most relatable and honest movies I've ever seen. Love you Alex ❤

They've put so much effort to this film that they even translated the inscriptions. That's what I call attention to details. Also, I like how unicorns are portrayed in this film. They're not majestic like in every other film.

it’s weird how i cried watching this even tho it’s just a recap

another great thing: the entire film, i am not hearing spider-man and star-lord, i just hear ian and barley. pratt and holland did great.

Grif: “Hey Simons, Why are we here?” Simons: *Long convoluted answer about the philosophy of human kinds and their place in the universe* Grif: “No I mean why are we out here in the sun and not in the shade”. Great show

This is one of my all-time favorite Pixar films. Fantastic.

0:45 Aurora means Dawn in Latin, and Dawn is a brand of detergent/dish soap

When I was watching this in the theater with my dnd group when Barley sent Gwenevere to her doom, me and one of the players were saluting before Barley was shown on screen because we know how important a players mount is to them

Another good thing you forgot: Bronco is not an evil step-parent. He tries to stop Ian and Barley, because he’s doing his job as a police officer.

I'd argue that Onward actually deals with the living cope with the loss of a loved one better, and Coco is more focused on remembering your loved ones without holding on to resentment and preventing it from connecting with your current ones. That sentence got real clunky at the end, but what I think I mean is that I actually think this movie deals with death better than Coco did. I felt Coco was more about being true to yourself as a central theme.

Chris Pratt always blows me away with the sheer depth and breadth of emotion he can bring to any role. I applaud you my dear fellow.

As someone who was both raised as a younger brother and raised myself younger brothers (I never lost my parents…they just weren’t there for us as they should’ve.) this movie hits hard in so many ways

"And the claw is an armour glove" Me an intellectual: *remembers this movie is made by pixar which is owned by Disney who owns marvel and marvel made the infinity gauntlet which looks like the armour glove*

Honestly, this was the first animated movie I'd ever cried at. The relationship between the brothers was perfectly able to capture what I've been lucky to have with my older brother. When he realizes how valuable his older brother has been in his life, it legitimately made me call my brother and we just talked for a few hours about life. Worth it.

The 1ST time I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew I wanted to see it in theaters. My friend got the chance to see it in theaters & told me she cried, which given that I actually teared up in not 1 but 2 different moments in the trailer ("I'm gonna meet Dad?" & when Dad's foot finds Ian's foot & Ian responds "Hi") I expected. Then I watched it, & because I didn't want my little sister to see me cry, I held it in. Then my little sister was sobbing, & that was it for me. I managed to make her feel better by talking about her memories of our dad, & had her laughing by the time we went to bed. But yeah, Onward made my whole family cry (except my other sister, who was w/ a friend).

As someone who’s main father figure was their older brother this movie BROKE me I cried for like the last half hour

honestly, i love this movie. i love the modern fantasy with dnd references and the nice sibling relationship and the plot and just.... it's probably my favorite pixar movie

“Imagine raccoons with spikes on their heads” and wings, they’re Alicorns/Pegacorns.

This movie made me cry twice. Once during the scene where Ian practices talking to his dad (losing my dad at 7 made me connect with Ian on a personal level in that scene) and of course the scene where Barley hugs Ian. Easily my favorite Pixar movie!

I freaking damn loved this movie. The creativity that was balanced with the incredibly consistently strong bond between Ian and Barley makes this film such a wonderful experience to watch. The ending I cry everytime and as someone who last a major father figure in my life, it's even more heartbreaking.

I’ve seen this movie at least 3 or 4 times and it’s made me cry every single time. Even this video made me teary eyed. I love this movie so much.

I feel like this movie sprouted from an actual D&D session during Avengers filming.

This is in every way my favorite Pixar film yet, the animation, the characters, the plot, the side characters, the side story, everything, it’s just great

I love how this movie can speak to anyone. It can speak to siblings. It can speak to parents, it can speak to children. I personally saw it with my dad, and for me the movie hit home about what I would do if I lost him, but had the chance to see him one more time. However my boyfriend and his brother are almost literally the human version of Ian and Barley, so for them is was all about their bond.

I didn't expect to love Barley as much as I did

One of the best moments in this movie for me is when Ian is walking across the chasm without the rope. Ian puts full trust in Barely and you can see barely actually crying in that scene and it just kind of hit me. The brother relationship felt a bit like mine and my sisters, she’s more unabashed and I am a lot more on the timid side. It was a really nice movie to watch overall

The moment when Ian realized his brother was like his dad the whole time I was in tears it was so touching

One thing I love about this movie is that Barley is never jealous of his brother when he gets his magic. He’s just so happy and supportive of him.

I saw this movie today. I absolutely loved it and I was very touched by Ian's realization about what Barley has been to him.

The scene where Barley talks about his last memory of his dad always hits me like a train, because I've been in a very similar situation

The one thing that really hit me hard was that when you saw barley hug his dad, you feel happy for him that he finally got the closure (i think thats right). But what got me was when barley hugged ian, saying, ‘and he told me to give you this’ (or something down that line), and he then hugged ian. To me, that was so sad because insted of keeping that hug to himself, he gave it to ian like his father said, insted of getting one last hug from him. And that... i cried. I don’t cry often from movies, but i cried.

I lost my brother when I was 16. This movie hit me right it the feels. I was weeping at the end, my wife had to hold me haha. I absolutely loved this movie. A movie about brothers being there for you is awesome.

This is probably my favorite pixar movie, and it inspired me to set my first D&D campaign in an urban fantasy world.

The best part is this movie is literally a love letter to the directors brother, you can tell with how much heart is put into this movie that the director really really cares about his brother and is able to share his love letter with those who have similar experiences.

I loved this movie so much, I was disappointed on first viewing but I understood what it was going for. By my second watch I was crying and laughing nearly the whole way through. It’s just so good and so sweet. One of my favorite Pixar movies for sure

My favorite thing about this movie is the lack of stereotypes. The older brother isn't stereotypically bullying the younger one. The mother isn't overbearing. The step father isn't the bad guy. Etc etc

I really actually enjoyed this movie. Unlike the movie my dad didn't die, but sadly he's not with my family and really hasn't been for most of my life. This movie really showed me how much my older brother has done for me and been that father figure in my life. Though he'll probably never know I have always been happy for him to be there.

This movie truly spoke to me in a perssonal level, I lost my dad when I was 5 and watching this for the first time with my mom made it all more emotional, I have 4 memories of him also: giving him orange painting water telling to him it was orange juice, cleaning my mouth full of pasta red sauce in his pants wille he was wearing them, him painting a madagascar banner for my third birthday and... him screaming to my mom confused asking who she was and to give me back to him wille she hugged me tight. He had a rare illnes that made his brain slowly stop working and forgetting things. I never saw him in the hospital, i couldnt bring myself to, my mom said that she didnt want me too see his body becuse it didint look like him. I just get scared of how much parrelels I have with this movie, the only difference being that I dont have siblings. I loved Coco and Up but this movie maybe spoke more too me then the other movies did. As I dont have siblings I dealed with grief in a very different way, it was very hard, but Im happy to say that Im in a better place now, I have a step dad that loves me and my mom alot and a best friend that has been there for me since i was 6. I loved this movie.

The one problem I had with it was that the conflict between Ian and Barley felt a bit forced at times. That being said, how quickly they switched from conflict to supporting each other is truly reminiscent of the relationship I have with my brother, and honestly all I wanted to do after watching it was hug my brother.

My husband cried when hearing Barley talk about seeing his dad in the hospital because it hit so close to home. So we have differing opinions on the coco vs onward debate but I'm glad that this movie was made to show there isn't just one way or even a right way of dealing with loss and grief

I and my brother cried during this movie because of the chemistry the brothers. We had a dad but I always went to my bro for help and guidence.

What I love most about this movie: NO BULLYING. Ian isn't bullied by anyone in this movie. His awkwardness is purely from his own insecurity and not from anyone causing him to feel less-than. Also, I LOVE that Barley is fully supportive of his little brother. When it's revealed Ian has magic and not him, Barley isn't jealous, envious or resentful. He's just truly happy that Ian has magic. I will say though, that it did disappoint me that Ian never got to meet their dad. I just wish so much that their dad could have seen Ian, put a hand on his shoulder or given him a big hug and then smiled before disappearing again. I know that wasn't the point of the movie, but still. What I thought was cool about this movie; characters are clearly coded as people of color even though they're not human, and the tall cop being a lesbian is just a matter-of-fact thing. THAT'S how you do representation, not by emphasizing the 'otherness' of someone (because that always slips into being stereotypical) but just having them in the story.

I really enjoyed this movie, especially since it felt more 'original' than usual. I loved the ending because it hold the truth. If your born without a parent in your life, there's so way not even magical that you can see them. He may never be able to see his dad or actually hear his voice but he'll always be alive in his memories. 10/10

I do this thing where I never compare Pixar movies to each other. it's nice to just simply enjoy something without having to analyze it.

Unfortunately, I think because Onward couldn't be released in theaters most people have overlooked it, but its SO GOOD

Personally, I think Onward is extremely underrated. It actually did what Frozen got praised for, let alone better.

The movie really hits me on my weak spot. I'm also a second son and never met my dad while my brother actually gets to meet him when he was still alive. Even though my relationship with my brother isn't like what Ian and Barley, I still think of him as the closest thing to my dad

This movie hits me a little close. I especially love just how supportive the mother is through most of what goes on, even if she doesn't get why right off. She knows it's important to support them. And then a brother that doesn't even realize that he's being the father figure... it's heartwarming. I grew up without a dad in my life. I've met him since, and he's... not someone I'd be proud to call related to me. What I did have, however, was my mother. For 36 years, she's been supportive to me, when I started massage school, when I started my own business, and when I had to close that business down 11 years later due to health reasons. I've tried my damnedest to be there for her, too. I hope everyone gets someone supportive in their life, be it a mother, father, brother, sister, best friend, wife, husband, or child.

I cried so hard at the van part. It was the most I cried watching this film. Love you Gwniver!!

Tbh this movie will always be a personal favorite of mine. My dad passed away right before this movie came out and the similarities between me and Ian, and between my older sister and Barley were almost insane. My sister had grown up with only my dad. He was her only parent, so when she lost him, it was like the end of the world. For me, I only knew him for 2 years before he passed. Yeah, it killed me, but my pain would never amount to my older sister's. It was only after this movie that I realized I still had a chance to get to know my dad more through my sister.

I honestly love that delivery from Barley about not wanting to see his dad die. It wasn't overly sad to the point of overacting and it wasn't underperformed as you can hear how crushing it all is for him. He speaks in a way that the thing felt...unreal which makes sense. As a kid he had to be there and remember that his dad died and now he's having to tell that to his little brother who wasn't even there. Yes the "that's why I will never be scared again" line is a bit...hammy, but it fits with his character. He wants to not be seen as a screw up and wants Ian to know someone is looking out for him no matter what (when we were kids, we mostly likely saw our parents as fearless and invincible at times. Barley saw that wasn't the case, but wants Ian to have that feeling if only a little bit).

I watched this movie as a “field trip” we took our preschool to. While all the kids were excited and laughing at the movie I was quietly balling in the corner. This movie is truly a masterpiece for the young adults coming from a broken home.

This movie brought me to tears because I’m the older sibling for my two brothers and I partially raised them. So just seeing how a younger sibling cares for their older sibling hit me. As the oldest you do your best to put a brave face for not just your parents but for your siblings you try to show them things you learned along the way. You also protect them and try to better their lives even if that means sacrificing a part of yours. Pixar did a great job with this movie and both Chris and Tom did a great job acting out these characters

This movie always makes me cry my eyes out because I would do anything for my brothers

Honestly this movie is severely underrated. Also when you realize the backstory of why the writer of the story wrote this movie in the first place it makes you wanna cry a tiny bit even more.

Barley was the reason this movie was so great! The second Disney rolled out a promo for this movie and I saw Barley's face, I was in love. I was DYING to see the movie. The day the movie came out, I had to go see it. And I saw it FOUR times. And I absolutely loved Barley sooooooooooooo much!!!! I loved his appearance and his personality, and the way he treated his brother so well.

I just watched this movie for the first time and I think your enjoyment of it and it’s message varies depending on whether you have siblings and your relationship with them. I’m lucky enough to have a good relationship with both my siblings and when I watched this with my older sister and as someone who doesn’t tend to cry when movies get emotional I felt myself tearing up when Ian was going over his list of things to do with his dad realizing he had already done all of them with Barley. Really enjoyable film in my opinion

I genuinely think there should've been a win for "You'll never be ready, merge!" For being great advice not just for learning to drive but for many things in life.

I feel like this film got a raw deal. Everyone was focused on some perceived "wokeness" Because one actor had a line they just threw in (I admit I was originally going to give this movie a pass) but my own little brother told me this movie reminded him so much of me and him and so I decided to give it a watch, and honestly, it hit my heart in the right places, I'm glad I saw this movie, and I hope I can share this movie with someone down the line.

When I watched this movie with my parents in our living room- I deadass was trying not to cry near the end (or at least not cry too loudly) because I don't have a good relation with my brother- so not only was seeing this relation between these two a nice breath of fresh air (considering a lot of movies are about bad relations with siblings) and instead show a more realistic one hit me hard because it's a relation I have with my friends and I count my friends AS my family, and even though these two are related, it still has that energy to hit so yeah. 10/10 movie in my opinion just for the heart felt moments alone (Not to mention I'm a fantasy geek so I loved every reference)

As someone who had their dad leave them at a very young age, this movie hit harder than anything else I've ever seen. I cried for a good 30 minutes, and I _never_ cry.

when I first saw the movie and saw how the group of friends were actually nice and were completely up for going to Ian's party filled my heart with so much joy. First off, they aren't the "stereotypical teenagers" that almost every movie portrays us to be! They are actually nice and didn't care whether they knew Ian much or not, they were up to do what he invited them to do. Second, it definitely portrayed social anxiety perfectly and how Ian ended up getting in his own way when getting others to join him for his birthday party! (as someone with social anxiety, this brought me joy as well since this is being recognized!)

I absolutely love this film and appreciate it for all that it is. I've never seen Coco, but when and if I do, I will still love Onward no matter how annoyingly the two movies are compared.

Fun little extra, in the beginning when Ian is walking into school one of the two girls on our left signs to her friend that she thinks Ian is cute

The rubble dragon making its own angry eyebrows is just an automatic win

Idk why but I cry every time the “I never had a dad, but I always had you.” Part happens. I truly love this movie

As an older brother, and the son of a man who was away far more than he was home for my younger sister, this movie hit me like a truck. Not only was I able to easily compare myself to Barley, but the ending where Ian realizes how much Barley has done for him hit me particularly hard. I'm glad I got to see it.

This movie will alwaysbe one of my favourites and deserves so much, genuinely a movie that will never fail to make me cry and feel the emotion

Onward was the very last movie I went to a theater to watch before the quarantine.........and I'm so glad that I was able to watch this masterpiece. This movie was so perfect because they perfectly foreshadowed every small thing and organically used everything throughout the movie, even from the gelatinous cube to the splinter. I loved that they had the premise and opportunity to create unnecessary drama that could be the age old turning point of the movie.....yes I'm talking about the disguise bit where he can't help but to lie that he doesn't really think his brother's a loser..... I liked that the older brother felt hurt by it and it wasn't downplayed but it wasn't made into the turning point of the movie. I'm glad that they were forced to move past it because of the time limit and only after they reached back to where they started with just minutes with their dad, did they have their fight that led to the biggest wholesome realisation about his brother being his makeshift dad. Plus I loved the respect and emotions that Quinevere got as she flew to buy them some time. I loved that she looked just like a Pegasus as she galloped and soared for the last time and I loved the fact that a small keepsake that Barley took was used yet again in the final fight, meaning that Quinevere will always have their backs and help them just like a loyal stead. I not a car person, but damn this movie made me feel so much for something that wasn't even the main plot or character. One of the best animation movies I had seen before being quarantined along with spiderverse. This movie deserved better and it was such a shame that it came during a pandemic. Better late than never I guess.

I loved loved loved this movie. I liked that we didn’t see the dad because ultimately that wasn’t Ian’s journey but Barleys. And I firmly believe that we’re it not for the pandemic this would have had a truly solid box office showing.

I think this was a lot of people's last theater movie before the 2020 shutdowns. I love this movie, and was glad to have seen it!

Fantastic review! I loved this film to pieces. As a complete aside, I'm glad that you used the "last name 'Manticore,' first name 'The'" clip. It's, in my opinion, an oft-overlooked line that cracks me up every time I hear it.

I cried my first time watching this movie. Purely because my mom and I watched it together the first time. And even before Barley came on screen my mom was comparing him to me. And she continued to do it throughout the entire movie. Up until the last moment and then we watched it with my little sisters and they did the same thing. We never got to have a dad so it was so nice to have them notice it even though I never thought about it that hard. But to say the least this is now my favorite Pixar movie.