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ONWARD www.postmagazine.com 15 POST MAR/APR 2020 W hat do you get when you mix the fantasy world with the familiar? You get Onward from Pixar. Directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University), the film — the studio's 22 nd — takes place in a world once ruled by magic that has since become obsolete in favor of technology. It is here that two modern-day elf brothers embark on an epic quest to bring back their deceased father, if only for a brief time. The adventure begins when Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland), a high schooler lacking in confidence, receives a special gift from his mom on his birthday. It is no ordinary gift, though: It was left by his late father, whom he has never met, with instructions that it be given to his sons when the youngest, Ian, turns 16 years old. The present contains a magic staff, a rare gem, and instructions pertaining to a visitation spell that will resurrect the boys' father for a single day. Older son Barley (Chris Pratt), a history fanatic who is into role-playing, is more brash and daring, and immediately attempts to resurrect their dad, to no avail. Much to both boys' surprise, Ian tries and is successful…sort of. He only brings back half of his father, from the waist down. Thus, the boys em- bark on their journey in Barley's van, which he has dubbed Guinevere, to find another gem so they can try again before their time runs out. "It is such a character piece, about two brothers, very one-on-one," says Michael Stocker, animation supervisor. "The pair are in almost every shot. I think there was more dialogue between the two main characters than in any movie we've ever done." Pixar Animation Studios has taken moviegoers under the sea, into space, back in time, and into the toy box. But Onward marks the first time Pixar has explored a world that features all the conveniences of suburbia — except with vermin unicorns roam- ing the streets. Stocker describes the suburban fantasy world in Onward as a hybrid that's akin to a fractured fairy tale type of fantasy land, which, over time, has evolved into something totally different, something more modern and "human-like," as the creatures find magic too difficult to master, and technology much easier to use. However, as the brothers embark on their journey, that world be- comes more magical and fantastical. "Usually fantasy films take place long ago in a very noble time in a very beautiful land," says Scanlon. "There was something unique about seeing these characters in a world that's familiar to us. It's fun to imagine them riding skateboards, taking the bus, watching TV or playing video games. It's something we haven't seen before — it's such a juxtaposition watching an elf have to take his kid to soccer practice." The brothers live in the city of New Mushroomton, whose tract-style houses, freeways and strip malls make it appear like a typical suburban area. Almost. Here, houses are literally shaped like mushrooms. There are the usual locations, like a tavern and the lo- cal high school, and the inhabitants have typical jobs and hobbies. Yet, the residents are certainly atypical — mythical creatures who have "evolved" into a more modern-day existence. While designing this unique world, the group settled on a ratio of 70:30 in regard to the familiar and the fantastic elements — 70 percent familiar, 30 percent fantasy whenever possible. At times, though, the characters tipped that scale. Conjuring Up Dad Onward is filled with all manner of creatures — centaurs, trolls, goblins, unicorns, manticores, pixies, elves, dragons and a lot more — all with human-like emotions and internal struggles. Characters of every size and shape: bipedal, quadrupedal, furred and those that flew. Tools were developed to make the animation controls consistent across all the different body types. Even dad is quite unusual. "He was one of the most unique animation chal- lenges we've ever seen at Pixar," says Stocker. Through the magic of the spell, dad begins to appear slowly, starting with his shoes, then socks, khakis, belt…and just as a shirt begins to come into view, Ian is overpowered — and the spell is halted midsection. The boys then build a disguise for dad's missing upper body in an attempt to make him look "normal" while he accompanies them on their jour- ney, dressing him in a hoodie, hat and sunglasses (think a CG version of the character from Weekend At Bernie's). According to character tailoring lead Emron Grover, dad and his upper half was the most techni- cally complex costume ever done at Pixar. "We had a number of requirements to hit when creating Dad's upper half: it had to be funny, ap- pealing, physically plausible, look like a person at first glance, act like a person at times, but also act like a lump of cloth," he says. Pulling off the look, however, called for a co- ordinated effort among several departments, in particular, a delicate dance between the animation and simulation departments because the hoodie had to be simulated, but animation would control the movement for the acting, "and it turns out that was really hard to do," Stocker adds. According to Jacob Brooks, simulation supervi- sor, dad was his team's biggest undertaking. "He has a stuffed, fluffy pillow top," Brooks says Tools were developed to make animation consistent across all body types.