Disney+ dropped some blessings for us during this quarantine and I am so grateful! Since Social Distancing made it hard for us to safely go see ‘Onward’ in theatres when it came out last month, Disney and Pixar gave us a quarantine present and dropped it for us to stream from home WAY earlier than expected on Disney+! With 50 Million or more of us holding on tightly to our Disney+ subscriptions, let’s all watch this one with or without the kids.
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| IMDB |
“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said Dan Scanlon (Director, “Onward”) and Kori Rae (Producer, “Onward”).¹ We’ve been socially distancing in my household for a bit longer than nationally directed, so we weren’t able to see this in theaters. I play a cute Disney game with my son, “Disney Magic Kingdoms” when he comes to visit me at the computer when I’m working (So, now he thinks that’s work but I find that completely appropriate), and they have had the Onward characters as a featured event and we’ve loved it, but I’ve been completely confused about what’s going on, who the characters are and how the Dad isn’t in the top 5 creepiest characters in Disney magic history. They have him in the game as what looks like a fully regular bottom half…but then a rag doll on the top that can just flop around…you definitely have to know the story to get that character. I am beyond pleasantly surprised at how heartwarming this movie is and am so glad I get to share it with my family on Disney+ and hearing the voices of Spiderman(Tom Holland) and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) really gave me extra entertainment value.
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| IMDB |
The tale of ‘Onward’ is what feels like a coming of age tale with a magical twist. We follow teen brothers Ian and Barely on a magical quest that will give the grownups feels and belly laughs, and keep our young humans’ imaginations racing through the entire epic tale while low key teaching us all about the importance of teamwork, courage, working together as a family even when far apart and my favorite lesson – if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again (Aaliyah). Without giving you too many spoilers, I will tell you I cried hard and laughed way harder. My 2 year old didn’t really catch on to any of the characters other than Barley but still seemed to enjoy the adventure. Both brothers are so relatable and endearing in this realm of magical, mythical creatures (like trash unicorns) and quests with deadly curses. Electronics and technological advances have replaced the need for magic, so when they receive a spell on Ian’s 16th birthday to make the unimaginable happen they have to venture out on a journey outside the beaten path to make it work. The boys work together to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with their Dad, who passed when they were both very young, for one day but it’s FAR from a simple quest. Tap into your Disney+ subscription to join in on this magical quest today!
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| IMDB |
Before you do, here’s some info for parents. I have a 2-year-old so I didn’t have to explain the whole dead Dad – wandering pants situation or do any consoling. But I cried hard so I know that if you have a child that does have a full range of emotions or even recently had to experience loss, this one will be difficult to swallow with this dark undertone. It’s not too much harder than ‘Finding Nemo’ or ‘The Lion King’…or any other Disney movie with a dark or sad undertone…actually now that I say that I can’t think of a Disney movie without a real-life difficult to process undertone! All that aside, I think the entertainment factor, and the lessons of courage and family will help make the mortality bit an easier discussion.
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| IMBD |
Have you seen ‘Onward’ on Disney+? Let me know down in the comments what you thought!
¹ Exerpt from Walt Disney Media Center.
Photos from IMDB
