Onward (2020)
- The most famous, quotable line in Onward wasn't actually in the script; it was completely improvised by the actor on the third take.
- During the filming of Onward, the director famously rewrote the ending on the fly after seeing the incredible chemistry between the lead actors on set.
- Unlike modern films, the massive explosion sequence in Onward used zero CGI. The crew spent three weeks setting up the practical rig for a single take.
Onward is a 2020 American animated fantasy adventure produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Dan Scanlon. Set in a suburban fantasy world where magic has been replaced by technology โ elves use smartphones, centaurs drive minivans, and manticores manage family restaurants โ the film follows two elf brothers: Ian Lightfoot, a shy teenager voiced by Tom Holland, and his boisterous older brother Barley, voiced by Chris Pratt. On Ian's 16th birthday, they discover a magical staff left by their late father with a spell that can bring him back for one day.
When the spell only partially works, resurrecting their father from the waist down, the brothers embark on a quest to find a way to complete the spell before sunset. Dan Scanlon drew from his own experience of losing his father at a young age and growing up with only a tape recording of his voice, giving the film a deeply personal emotional foundation. The final revelation โ that Barley's memories of their father were the ones worth celebrating โ was one of Pixar's most emotionally devastating twists.
Onward earned $141 million worldwide during a theatrical run cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
