Onward Was A Disappointment (But It’s What Pixar’s Future Should Be)

Onward was a disappointment in many regards, however, despite its shortcomings it’s what Pixar’s movie future should be. The fantastical adventure is the studio’s 22nd film, following a string of sequels like Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2 – in fact, their only other original film since 2016’s Finding Dory has been Coco. While Onward hasn’t been a huge financial success, there’s a lot of good about Pixar’s most recent endeavor that indicates why their future films should follow in its footsteps.

The film, directed by Pixar veteran Dan Scanlon, tells the story of two Elven brothers in the fantastical world of New Mushroomton – a former haven of magic and sorcery whose heritage has faded with the increase in technology. However, not all magic is lost, as their late father leaves them a staff and a spell that will reanimate him for one day. When the spell goes awry though, only bringing back their dad’s legs, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) are forced onto a quest – along their father’s lower half – to retrieve a Phoenix Gem which will complete the spell.

While Onward has been enjoying newfound popularity on Disney+, the film still falls short when measured against Pixar’s other films – certainly in comparison to a lot of Disney’s other releases. However, that’s not to say it’s all bad. There are plenty of lessons the studio can take from Onward‘s lackluster arrival as for what its future projects should be like.

Onward Was A Disappointment For Pixar

Onward took in a worldwide haul of around $103.2 million at the box-office, from an estimated budget of $175-200 million. While the coronavirus pandemic cut its theatrical run short, the numbers weren’t promising to begin with. The film only took in a domestic total of $39 million in its opening weekend, putting Onward as Pixar’s lowest opening figures ever – a record previously held by the studio’s The Good Dinosaur. This was only further hindered when the coronavirus sent the box-office to an all-time low. Considering so few people saw it, the film wasn’t talked about much either and was therefore forgotten almost instantaneously, which isn’t common for a studio whose projects are considered some of the best movies in animation.

This wasn’t helped by the critical reception that Onward received either. Despite reviews praising Onward for being “enjoyable enough, with an amiable quality that will keep viewers diverted“, its 86% Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t quite the 91% average of Pixar’s original endeavors. The only two original films to come below this are Brave and The Good Dinosaur, neither of which are memorable in the pantheon of Pixar films. Considering the House of Mouse’s animated division has released classics like Toy Story, Up, and Wall-E, among others, Onward‘s lukewarm reception can only be disappointing for Pixar in comparison.

Onward Is What Pixar’s Future Should Be

Pixar’s Onward doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It may have arrived with less bombast than one would expect from a Pixar title, but a collection of fun characters, some meticulous world-building, and strong thematic presence make it a very worthy addition to their filmography nonetheless. But quality and performance aside, Onward is an original movie, which is something Hollywood needs more of. Considering that Pixar was once at the forefront of original storytelling, it’s somewhat disappointing to see that they’ve recently been focused on franchises. Out of the 12 films they have released in the last decade, 7 of those have been sequels.

While the Toy Story and Incredibles sequels have turned out well, it’s Pixar’s original content that is usually their best. Toy Story 4 producer Mark Nielsen confirmed that, after Toy Story 4, Pixar would be focusing on original content again. Onward is the first in this new wave of movies, which will be followed by Soul in November – another original title. As well as this, Pixar has three other films penciled in to release from 2021-2022 which are all set to be new stories. It’s an extremely welcome change from all of the franchises, reboots, and sequels that Hollywood is currently churning out. More original Pixar projects like Onward is what their future should be; Onward put a fun, family-friendly spin on the fantasy genre. It was able to tap into the same wonder that films like Lord of the Rings were able to convey through their mythology and world-building. Pixar has a knack for blending genres with their unequivocal visuals, even in sequels. However, considering they are usually so good at building worlds and captivating audiences, their future should be focused on doing more of that with new, original properties.

Will Onward Being A Disappointment Change Pixar’s Future?

Of course, original films sound great in theory, but that’s different from putting it in practice. Considering that the reception to the last three of four of Pixar’s original films, Onward included, has been lackluster, could it make the studio re-evaluate their upcoming slate? Onward was the first film since their promise to make more original movies and it didn’t perform well. It takes a few years for an animated process to be made so the likelihood is their upcoming content won’t differ. Soul is still poised to open and the Pixar films thereafter are too late in the development process to be changed drastically as well.

However, Onward could make Pixar reconsider their strategy going forward. It certainly puts a lot of pressure on Soul to perform well and prove that their original content works just as well as their sequels. With Toy Story 4 surpassing $1 billion at the box office, and Incredibles 2 also shattering the studio’s records, it’s easy to see why audiences have seen such an abundance of sequels from Pixar in recent years. Coco, however, also made some big numbers and that was an original film. In a world where money talks though, Onward‘s disappointing turnaround could change Pixar’s future. But this wouldn’t be the right decision. Considering the likes of Ratatouille, Inside Out, Coco, even Onward, have all made for such unique stories, it would be a shame to see Pixar resort to sequels. Their original storytelling is what made them the flagbearers of animation – it’s how audiences received films such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo in the first place. There is still a market for original movies so hopefully Onward‘s financial figures don’t deter the studio and change Pixar’s future.