Onward, directed by Dan Scanlon

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Onward, a Pixar film released on March 6, was one of the first films screened at the Portland International Film Festival. The film, directed by Dan Scanlon – who also directed the popular Pixar film Monsters University – follows the journey of two brothers on a quest to (with the help of a little magic) spend one last day with their father, who passed away when one brother was young and the other had yet to be born. This film highlights the role family plays in life and in growing up – as many Disney films do – but it deviates slightly in how familial relationships are emphasized and demonstrated to be important. In the end, by revealing the significance of sibling relationships and the role older siblings play in someone’s life, Scanlon has deviated from the “norm” of Disney films, in which parents are almost always the key adult figure in a child’s life.

The animation was visually engaging, as a film whose target audience is children should be, and the world in Onward was unique. A place in which modern technology and innovations have become easier and more popular than magic, and in which most creatures forget they even had magic to begin with, is an interesting concept. The intersection between modernity and magic and how that is demonstrated in the film – whether with the architecture of high-rise buildings with castle turrets at the top, or with the the classical “loyal steed” as a beat up old van with a unicorn painted on the side – is entertaining.

Onward is an interesting and potentially controversial choice for a film festival, as it is a Hollywood film produced by a very large and well-known corporation. Film festivals provide a space for independent films to be shown, to gain an audience, to share ideas, and to educate people on the world around them. Onward does not fit with the dozens of other independent films chosen for this festival in this regard. As well, it has the potential to take away some of the prestige of the festival because it is a Hollywood film. It also takes two screening slots away from an independent film that could have been just as interesting, and needs a place to show their work. Onward will never have trouble finding an exhibition space, so offering this film a place in PIFF seems contrary to the purpose of film festivals. Conversely, screening a widely-publicized and easily recognizable children’s film could help gain audiences with adults whose first introduction to PIFF is through bringing their child to the community screening.

The only difference between seeing Onward at the Hollywood Theatre rather than at a Regal or Cinemark Theater is the fact that it is involved in a festival. Onward was released on March 6 around the United States of America, and was screened twice for the Portland International Film Festival on March 7, so contrary to what the volunteer said in the announcements at the beginning of Onward’s showing at the Hollywood Theatre, PIFF did not premiere Onward. Besides the fact that Onward’s screenings at the Whitsell Auditorium and the Hollywood Theatre were a part of PIFF, there don’t seem to be any other differences between them and a corporate exhibition space. Even the price is similar – in truth, an adult attending the paid screening of Onward through PIFF is two dollars more expensive than going to see it in the evening at a Regal Cinemas Theater.

In all, Onward is a fine film and one that many families will enjoy. However, it does not measure up as a part of the Portland International Film Festival and would be better left to commercial theaters.

Emma Chitwood