Pixar has created some of the most fun and imaginative worlds of any studio making movies today. We've seen the world of toys, of monsters, and even the dead. However, our first look at Onward, Pixar's next release after Toy Story 4 comes out next month, shows us what might be its most unique creation yet. A world of mystical creatures...living in the suburbs. Check out the new trailer below.
The premise of Onward is that the world of fantasy that we know from books and films, the world of elves, and gnomes, and dragons and unicorns, is real. However, even in a world like that, time passes, things change, and the world advances.
In this case, it seems that the fantasy world has evolved along lines very similar to our own. People live in houses that look like ours, they drive cars, they fly in airplanes. There is still an element of the magical world that once existed however. Or, at least, that's the hope, as the premise of Onward sees two elf brothers, voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, go on an adventure to look for the magic that used to exist. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss can also be heard in the new trailer as the voice of the kids' mother.
Urban fantasy is a well known genre, especially in literature, but Pixar is calling this one a "suburban fantasy" for obvious reasons. It's an interesting idea that certainly has potential. The suburban setup will make the characters instantly relatable to moviegoers who live similar lives, but the movie will still have some fantasy elements and who doesn't love a good fire breathing dragon now and then?
This is only a tease of what's to come. In the trailer we don't see why these two have decided to go on such a quest, beyond the older brother's clear excitement by the concept. One assumes that they will find something on their adventure The other thing we don't know is how Octavia Spencer will fit into the story. She's the fourth name dropped in the credits of the trailer, but we never see a fourth major character.
Following a rash of sequels, Onward is the first of what Pixar has said will be several original projects which are all on the way. We have less than a year to wait for this one as Onward is set for a March 2020 release. It likely won't be too long before we begin to hear the first pieces of information on Pixar's next project after Onward, as an untitled Pixar film is also set to release in June of 2020, just over a year from now.
