3+1 Short Paragraphs: Onward

2020, Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) -- download/Disney+

Again, not movie reviews, but blog posts about movies and TV and sometimes other stuff. I have to remind myself of that when I read something I wrote back and .... well, there is  nothing to say. I really should have something to say, but something about blogging (back in The Day) often lent itself to talking into the wind, especially when nobody was listening. It was the sound of your own voice that you desperately needed to hear. And isn't this even more relevant now, when the only non-digitally produced voice you hear might be your own or your partner's? So, I will continue to say things here, whether I am saying something or nothing at all. Remember, they say if you do something 10,000 times, you become an expert at it. We have about 1200 posts (in almost 10 years; wow!) here so assuming half are mine, I will reach half-life (i.e. capable writing) in (opens calculator on PC) 85 more years.

Onward is the latest Disney/Pixar movie that is not a Toy Story movie. Despite being tailored for me, a movie set in a fantasy world advanced far enough to Modern Day, I was not all that interested in it. Nothing in particular about the plot -- two teenage boy (... elves?) going on a Quest to bring about the top half of their dad -- attracted me. I guess it was that I expected it to be a re-tread of the updated faery tale world already seen the Shrek movies. What I didn't know was that it was actually updating not faery tales, but Fantasy RPG worlds! And despite there being a lack of human protagonists in this world (everyone is a fantastical creature of some sort) the entire world is one where magic and monsters and quests were the history of the day. So, onboard and onward!

Ian and Barley Lightfoot are teenage boy elves who lost their dad (to cancer?) long enough ago that Ian, the youngest, is beginning to forget him. Ian is just trying to find his way in the world while his brother is obsessed with table top games of what must be historical nature, but what we would call fantasy quest games, where valiant heroes go on quests to vanquish monsters and gain magical treasure. To Ian, it's just ancient boring history. The best thing about these two is that Barley might annoy his brother but it's obvious he loves his brother. And then they find, and are only able to half cast, a spell of their father's, one he crafted while he was sick, so the boys could have one more day with him -- some sort of temporary resurrection spell or Speak with Dead, or whatnot -- a high level spell indeed. Problem is that the magical crystal required for the spell cracks half way, leaving them with the disem-top-bodied legs of their dad and only 24 hours to find another crystal -- so, QUEST !

I expected all the standard fantasy creature tropes to show up, given that this was drawing upon the knowledge of any fantasy RPG video game or table top game, common enough these days that people are at least familiar with them, but I was not expecting direct connections to D&D. Yup, they acknowledged that most modern fantasy RPG video games built their base from D&D and all the pen-and-paper games of the 70s. So, I squealed in delight when that bright green gelatinous cube plopped into the dungeon the kids were crawling through. As for the rest of the movie, it was... fun, but nothing great. The creature references and nods to tropes were worth a grin (quest giving tavern now family resto!) and I have a distinct feeling, I will like it more with repeated viewings, but it was a passable, enjoyable flick with heart, which 14 year old Toasty would have been ALL... OVER.