Pratt, Holland, and Louis-Dreyfus discuss playing a family in Disney/Pixar’s “Onward”

in Disney, Events, Inside the Magic, Movies, Movies & TV, Pixar

Onward panel at D23 Expo 2019

From left to right: Julie Louis-Dreyfus (voice of Mom), Dan Scanlon (Director of Onward), Tom Holland (voice of Ian), Chris Pratt (voice of Barley), and Kori Rae (Producer of Onward) Source: Disney

If the perfect movie family could ever exist, it looks like Pixar has found one that’s pretty darn close. Late this morning, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus took the D23 Panel stage to share a little bit about Pixar’s newest original movie, “Onward.” 

Pixar Onward
Credit: Disney-Pixar

Pratt and Holland play two elf brothers, Barley and Ian Lightfoot, living in the modernized fantasy world while Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays their elf mom, Laura. 

Holland voices Ian–a shy, skinny, awkward teenager–while Pratt plays the older brother, Barley–a burly, loud elf who romanticizes the past, longing for magic and quests.  

The chemistry between these three cannot be more promising, especially since this is probably the closest we will get to a Starlord/Spider-Man buddy movie. 

“I do feel like Tom is like a little brother to me,” Pratt commented, “and it’s really cool to see that reflected in this movie.”  

“Last time we were here, we were space buddies fighting on Titan,” Holland added, “and now we’re elf buddies fighting in LA.” 

“You know, we get to do a Pixar movie, which is awesome,” Pratt said, “but to be able to do that and share that with someone you love… that’s really cool and kind of amplifies the experience.” 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the last one introduced and added, “It was really fun to play an elf mom of these two bozos here.” This will be Louis-Dreyfus’ second Pixar movie, lending the voice to Princess Atta. 

Pixar Onward
Credit: Disney

However, these three characters are not without loss. Their father passed away before Ian was born, and their mother has raised these two boys on her own. As these two brothers embark on a quest to find real magic left in this fantasy world, Ian’s one wish is to have one chance to actually meet his dad. 

“It’s based on my experiences growing up,” revealed the director and screenwriter Dan Scanlon. “My brother and I lost our father at a young age. I’ve always wondered who my dad was and what he was like. Those questions became the road map of this film.”

So, yeah, it’s a safe bet to say this is going to be another visually-spectacular emotional roller coaster like every other Pixar film before it. 

D23 attendees were also treated with new concept art AND up to 8 MINUTES worth of exclusive movie content. 

But this session ended on a hard note with Tom Holland taking a moment to go from Pixar to Marvel to give what sounds like a final goodbye. “Everyone, listen,” he said, “it’s been a crazy week, but I want you to know that I love you from the bottom of my heart and I love you 3000.” Holland left the stage immediately afterward. At least fans have the chance to see this future Disney Legend one more time. 

Are you excited for Onward? Let us know in the comments. 

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