Onward heads to Disney+ this October
David Farnor | On 14, Sep 2020
Onward is heading to Disney+ this October, Disney has confirmed.
The animated adventure follows teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt), who get an unexpected opportunity to spend one more day with their late dad, embarking on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley’s epic van Guinevere. Like any good quest, their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. But when the boys’ fearless mom Laurel (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) realises her sons are missing, she teams up with a part-lion, part-bat, part-scorpion, former warrior – aka The Manticore (voice of Octavia Spencer) – and heads off to find them. Perilous curses aside, this one magical day could mean more than any of them ever dreamed.
Directed by Monsters University helmer Dan Scanlon, the film was fast-tracked to home audiences in the US, arriving on Disney+ far earlier than would normally be the case. In the UK, Disney released the film to buy online slightly earlier than would normally be the case, after its theatrical run was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the House of Mouse has finally confirmed when Disney+ users can watch it, with the film set for a subscription debut on Friday 2nd October in the UK and Ireland.
Pixar releases Onward on digital in UK
4th May 2020
Pixar has released Onward early on digital in the UK.
The film, which stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, follows two brothers who get to spend a day with their late date. The teenage elves Ian and Barley Lightfoot embark on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley’s epic van Guinevere. Like any good quest, their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. But when the boys’ fearless mum Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) realises her sons are missing, she teams up with a part-lion, part-bat, part-scorpion, former warrior – aka. The Manticore (Octavia Spencer) – and heads off to find them. Perilous curses aside, this one magical day could mean more than any of them ever dreamed.
Directed by Monsters University helmer Dan Scanlon, the film co-stars Lena Waithe and Ali Wong, and that star-studded ensemble – along with the fact that the film features Pixar’s first openly LGBTQ+ character – made Pixar’s latest one to watch for movie fans. Many didn’t see it at all, however, with the coronavirus pandemic prompting cinema closures across the UK just a few weeks after the film’s theatrical release.
Since then, the film has been released speedily online in the USA, even arriving on Disney+ for US subscribers. In the UK, Disney has hewed close to the traditional theatrical window, with the film set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 1st June. Before then, it’s been released on digital platforms from today, slightly earlier than would normally be the case – but, crucially, not as a Premium VOD rental, as per other significantly early releases, but as a standard EST with a purchase price of £13.99 (HD) and £9.99 (SD).
The move to release the film slightly earlier follows Disney’s decision to drop Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+ to coincide with Star Wars Day – only a couple of weeks after its on-demand release. Pixar’s Onward is available to purchase online from TalkTalk TV, Virgin Movies, Rakuten TV, Google Play, Sky Store and CHILI. The film will be available to rent online from 1st June, alongside its full home entertainment release.