Thoughts on Pixar's "Onward"

I watched Pixar's "Onward" a while back, and it frustrates me when I think about what sort of movie it might have been with a little more development. I love the underlying "you had what you were looking for all along" message, I love what they were going for with the two elf brothers, and I love the idea of a D&D-ish fantasy world, but the story felt like a rough draft that was pushed out too soon. Despite some cute moments, the story never grabbed me, and it missed out on all sorts of world-building opportunities--it's like humans disappeared and left all their stuff behind, forcing centaurs, manticores, and pixies to make do with cars and motorcycles that weren't designed with their needs in mind. Which is really the opposite of what you see in Monsters, Inc. or Zootopia, where the world is tailored for the many different kinds of people who live there.

That said, the "GWNIVER's Rise To Valhalla" scene has become one of my favorite movie moments. It's ridiculous and beautiful and poignant all at the same time.

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