All quests start with the Manticore and so does Pixar’s Onward.
The new trailer for this animated tale, starring Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as elf brothers, brings viewers before Corey (Octavia Spencer). Once a “fearless adventurer” as a magical creature that’s part lion, part bat, and part scorpion, she’s now adapting to modern times by turning her tavern, once a way-station for travelers, into her own chain restaurant.
That pretty much sums up the setting of Onward. It’s a largely magic-less world filled with magical creatures who have adapted to modern times. Unicorns are now the equivalent of raccoons eating your trash and pixies are now a fearsome biker gang.
But magic does exist: Ian (Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Pratt) discover a wizard’s staff left for them by their late father, as well as instructions about casting a spell that will bring him back for 24 hours. The enchantment, however, backfires halfway through and now the siblings have to journey across the land to find the items needed to fully restore their dead father. It’s sure to be a tearjerker.
Disney also revealed new characters, some of which are seen in the Onward trailer. Mel Rodriguez (On Becoming a God in Central Florida) voices centaur Officer Colt Bronco, The Chi creator Lena Waithe voices Officer Specter, and comedienne Ali Wong (Always Be My Maybe) voices Officer Gore. Julia Louis-Dreyfus also voices Ian and Barley’s mom Laurel, who teams up with the Manticore when she realizes her sons are in danger.
Directed by Dan Scanlon, Onward will hit theaters on March 6, 2020.
