Onward, is a tale of two brothers and their quest to bring their late father back for a day. Sprinkled with fantasy magic, Dungeons & Dragons references, and heartwarming (and breaking) one-liners, this animated film packs an emotional punch.
As audiences follow Ian (Chris Pratt) on a magical adventure, the plot is intertwined with emotional growth as the brothers bond together and cope with their fantastical reality that the duo may see their late father, Wilden Lightfoot (Kyle Bornheimer), one last time.
Heartwarming: Magic Within Yourself
"Long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous. There was magic. But it wasn’t easy to master. So the world found a simpler way to get by. But I hope there’s a little magic left in you."
Spoken in the late Wilden Lightfoot's voice, there's a sombered sentimental tone to the quote that leaves viewers nostalgic toward what once was. However, the quote is repeated at the end of the film in Wilden's son, Ian's, voice. With this switch up, the quote grows from sentimental toward a heartfelt reminder that there is magic within each person.
Heartwarming: Brotherly Advice
“For a spell to work, you have to speak from your heart’s fire.”
Speaking from the heart is an irable trait. Now, imagine if you could cast spells! For Ian, he struggles with both. Barley; however; knows more about magic and works to help Ian overcome his shyness and tap into the magic within himself. This quote warms the audience's heart with brotherly advice, and it resonates with both Ian and the viewers while the younger brother's magical powers grow throughout the narrative.
Heartwarming: Upward and Onward
“Put it on O, for Onward!”
Barley is not a character to stay stuck in his past. On a quest that forces the bothers to dive back into their past through memories of their father, and reemerging nostalgic feelings for their late patriarch, Barley attempts to keep moving forward. It is fitting that instead of putting his van's car in drive, Barley titled the gear "onward".
While teaching his brother to drive, Ian begins to panic and shut down, but Barley reminds him to switch gears and move onward. This moment of growth is incredibly heartwarming because not only has Ian begun to get over his fear of driving, he also is reminded to keep moving upward and onward with his life.
Heartwarming: Brotherly Love
"You can do this. I believe in you."
Barley is known to be a confident character that works to not be afraid of anything, and Ian is the counterpart to that personality dynamic. Throughout the film, Barley is a mentor to Ian and works to help him recognize his strengths. Whenever Ian is full of self-doubt, Barley slays that mental monster with short quotes such as this one to remind Ian that he's got this. He can do whatever he puts his mind to.
Heartwarming: Brotherly Advice
“There is a mighty warrior inside of you, you just have to let him out.”
Known for inspiring his brother, Barley reminds him that he needs to let his confidence shine to grow into the bold person he wants to show. An important distinction here is that Barley already knows his little brother is bold and strong; however, Ian doesn't see it.
Therefore, to both build Ian's confidence up, Barley acknowledges that his brother has the power within him already to be the person he wants to be, he just needs to let himself be tat person. This is a great reminder to not only the characters within the story but also to the audience viewing the film.
Heartbreaking: Brotherly Love, But Sad
“It’s not fair to call me a screw up if you don’t give me a chance to do something right.”
While driving the van, the brothers get into a heated argument over the expectations for each other on this quest. While Barley does his best to incorporate his quest knowledge into their adventure, Ian is quick to take the easiest and most traveled path.
In a moment of longing and sadness, Barley drops this bold line as a reminder to his brother that they are in this circumstance together and should give each other the option to help one another.
Heartbreaking: A Letter From The Past
“I wrote this spell so I could see for myself who my boys grew up to be.”
Ian Lightfoot reads this quote aloud from a letter his father had written the brothers. This line is tear-jerking because it shows the love that the brothers' father had for his boys and how much he wanted to see them grow up, though Wilden knew the sickness he had would take him long before that.
This is also the line that sparked bittersweet feelings because while the characters miss their late father, they realize that they might be able to see him one last time; thus, the brothers are borne back into the past on a quest to say hello and a final goodbye.
Heartbreaking: The Realization
“On a quest, the clear path is never the right one.”
Audiences recognize after watching the film that this piece of advice is what caused Ian to second-guess and blame his brother for the possibility of running out of time to complete the quest itself. Not completing the quest would be heartbreaking for Ian because that would mean he would never get to hold a conversation with his father.
Also, there is that parallel to the reality of the audience , who are trying to accomplish their quests based on the paths they have followed in their lives. A line like this can hurt the confidence toward a viewer's chosen direction outside of the movie. Such a realistic quote can impact audience ' perceptions of their paths drastically.
Heartbreaking: itting Defeat
"I can’t do it. We’re not going to see you, dad."
This line was spoken out of desperation and defeat with Ian Lightfoot has lost all hope in seeing his father again. This moment in the narrative is gutwrenching because it is paired with Ian blaming his brother for making a wrong directional decision on the quest causing the problem of timeliness. In this defeatist mindset, Ian runs off away from Barley in hopes of spending his last few moments along with a half-generated father. What Ian doesn't acknowledge is that Barley has not given up on the quest and is doing everything in his power to ring their father back to them.
Heartbreaking: The Truth About Adulthood
“You’ll be ready for adulthood and it’s gauntlet of challenges.”
On the day of Ian's sixteenth birthday, Barley proclaims that upon becoming an adult, Ian will be privy to what it truly means to be an adult: encumbered with challenges.
Perhaps this is not a particularly heartbreaking line in of the plot, but for audiences, this quote is a sobering reality amid the modern fantasy narrative. It doesn't matter the realm, the reality of adulthood can be heartbreakingly challenging. At least, Barley warned Ian of the troubles before embarking on his coming-of-age quest.
