Pixar just recently released its’ newest film: Onward. Though it declined in the box
office due to the current global pandemic, it will be getting an early streaming release.
And of course, the film totally lives up to Pixar’s stellar reputation. A heartwarming
story about family, trials and growing to become stronger. In this world of fantasy
and the modern-age blending the way it does, where do the characters fall when it comes
to morality? Who comes out as the purest and who is the one with the most malicious intentions?
I'm Kyle with WickedBinge and this is Onward: Good to Evil.
And full disclosure, like a couple other notable Pixar films like Inside Out, this whole cast
is actually pretty darn sweet and endearing to some extent, so it might be a bit light
on the Bad and Evil. Now let’s get started! So, as usual, let’s start with the characters
who are pure. These are The Good. Starting off with the most good, we have Barley.
The older brother, he's obsessed with a historically inspired roleplaying game resembling Dungeons
and Dragons. He's very upfront about what he's passionate about and has nothing but
pride for his younger brother Ian. Where most older brothers in fiction thrive on making
their siblings miserable, Barley only wants to encourage Ian. He helps Ian learn magic,
driving, and confidence. Even when they have their dispute, Barley is quick to forgive
Ian and only asks to be given a chance. He clearly cares for his family more than anything,
reduced to tears when he thought he would lose Ian in the bottomless pit... but still
trying to be strong so his brother would reach the other end safely. Truly, a wonderful guy.
After Barley is his younger brother Ian. A bundle of anxiety most of the time, he's a
sweet kid who doesn't want to do anything to upset or offend people. He wants to be
a man his father would be proud of and tries to imitate who he thought his dad was. He
does get into conflict with Barley quite a bit, and it’s revealed he does think his
older brother is a screw up despite the fact he denies it. He does warm up to Barley's
methods of doing things and gives up his chance to meet their dad so Barley can say goodbye.
And fighting a dragon made of energy and concrete is impressive to say the least!
Next, we have Laurel. Mother to our main characters, she does her best to keep the family together
and has great humour even when dealing with harsh obstacles. The whole bit of lands going
to war over roleplay items not being picked up was great. She doesn't quite believe magic
can be done anymore when she gives the boys the staff from their father, but she doesn't
make jokes about it, instead stating it was a touching gesture and still a great gift.
She does break the law when grabbing the Manticore, but any mother would do the same with her
children in danger. And in an inspiring display, she took up a sword and fought to protect
her family. If that isn't heroic, we don't know what is. She was telling the truth when
she stated she was a warrior. Next, we have Wilden. Though we don't see
him as more than a pair of legs for most of the movie, it's clear that he was a loving
father willing to do whatever it took to see what his children grew to be. Even without
an upper body, the way he seeks out his kids by tapping his feet around to reach out to
them is clearly done out of love. He immediately recognizes Barley's rhythmic tapping and seems
to sense when his kids are in distress as he dances to cheer them up after their fight.
When he was able to talk to Barley, he expressed how impressed and proud he was, thanking Barley
for stepping up to be a role model to Ian. A truly sweet man and a wonderful father.
Next is Gaxton. Seen only briefly, he introduces himself as a former college peer of Wilden
and shares stories with Ian. He gives Ian a glimpse into the type of person Wilden was
and gives Ian a wonderful gift for his birthday, even if he hadn't realized how important the
simple memory of purples socks was to the youngest Lightfoot brother. Even before he
knew who Ian was, he shows he's just a nice and approachable guy when he cheers Ian for
wearing a gryphons sweater. Go gryphons! First up in the neutral area is Officer Spector.
One of the officers that stops the boys on their journey, she tries to relate with who
she thinks is Colt. She makes the comment that she knows he's having a rough time being
a new step-parent and says "it gets better" and tries to make him feel less alone when
she confides that her own stepdaughter makes her want to rip her hair out. Though we only
see her a short while, she's a sweet and intelligent woman who wants to be a good friend to her
fellow officer. Now we'll be entering the grey territory.
These characters are in between, showing both positive and negative traits… This is The
Grey Area. Starting with Colt Bronco. Doing his best
to be a good stepdad, he obviously gets frustrated with Barley and his reckless behaviour. He
cares for his new family, going to help find Ian and Barley and recognizing the vanity
plate when he comes across their trail. He's clearly made an effort to get to know the
family and try to be as fatherly as possible while still realizing he's not a replacement
for Wilden. He would be easy to rank higher if it wasn't implied that he bad talks Barley
to his coworkers. It's easy to understand his frustration, but degrading your stepson
behind his back is a low blow. Next, we have Officer Avel, the man in charge
of questioning the Manticore after she burns the tavern down. Now he's a nice enough guy
considering the situation. He has to be no-nonsense and straight to the point. But the reason
he's this low on the list is that while he's trying to do everything by the book, he doesn't
do anything when Laurel is in a panic trying to find her sons. The Manticore does state
that the boys aren't in the building, but that still means they're missing kids and
he probably should have shown more concern about that.
Next, we have Fenwick, the male construction worker that stops Barley. He isn't seen often,
but from what we can gather, he's just a guy trying to do his job. He doesn't have any
patience for Barley or the teen's passion in preserving history. It makes sense that
he needs to follow orders on what to demolish, but he could have heard Barley out when the
teen was in obvious distress. Next up we have the legendary Manticore. First
name The. A once epic fighter she gave up the life of quests to man her own restaurant.
Now, we can all agree that customer service is a nightmare. And being in charge of a bunch
of people who hate their jobs only makes it worse. But it doesn't justify her having a
breakdown and burning the place to the ground, endangering a bunch of people. So why is she
this high on the list? Because she also shows immediate concern for Ian and Barley's safety,
revealing that there will be a curse once the gem is retrieved. She teams up with Laurel
to save them and participates in the final battle with the dragon, helping to save the
day. Rounding out The Grey Area, we have Officer
Gore, Spector's partner. She isn't given many lines and seems okay at first, but soon reveals
that she has no problem degrading Barley to who she thinks is Colt. It makes you question
how much smack she's spoken about the teen with Colt in the past, insisting that Colt
can't deny Barley is a screw-up. Not the most evil thing that a person can do, but it's
hard to say how much her judgement has affected how she treats people when on duty.
Now getting into the worst of the spectrum, we have the very short list of the very worst
characters. This is the Silver and Gold for Bad and Evil.
Taking second place as the most wicked is Dewdrop, the leader of the biker sprites.
She's quick to anger, leads her team to create chaos, and has no issue chasing teenagers
through a packed freeway. She is clearly proud of who she is and won't tolerate anyone bad
mouthing sprites, modern or ancient. It's too bad she doesn't show to aid in the conflict
at the end, but at least they give up the bikes when they regain the ability to fly.
And finally, our most evil character is Grecklin, the pawnshop owner. Greedy and unapproachable,
she's only interested in the biggest dollar amount she can get out of people. Upon hearing
Curse Crusher is a rare sword (thanks for that, Manticore) she is quick to take advantage
of Laurel's desperation and charge a ridiculous amount of money. We get that she's running
a business, but hearing a family is at stake makes Grecklin's actions heartless. We're
glad she gets punished for her greed. Admittedly, a pretty low bar for evil. Certainly doesn’t
compare with Syndrome or Lotso Huggin’ Bear -- but it just shows how great Pixar is. They
don’t even need to have to showcase much evil to tell a great story.
So that's our ranking! Do you agree? What were your thoughts on this newest Pixar creation?
Remember to hit that notification bell and binge our Good-to-Evil playlist, where we
break down the morality of your favorite shows and movies.
But most importantly, Stay Wicked!