Film

Onward

Onward is Pixar's suburban fantasy about two elf brothers on a quest to spend one more day with their dead father. It's warm and funny, shot through with genuine melancholy about absent parents and sibling bonds. Made for families, but it lands hardest on anyone who's lost someone and wondered what they'd say to them now.

TMDb rating3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love animated comedies where a fantasy world has been quietly swapped for car parks and cul-de-sacs, and a quest turns out to be a story about siblings still working out how to be brothers.

Skip it if you want spectacle or sweeping wonder; this keeps things small and domestic, and its jokes can lean on the familiar.

What it asks of you: Brisk and busy, just over a hundred minutes of quick gags and steady momentum; it wants attention on the banter as much as the action.

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Gravity Falls2012

Two siblings uncover supernatural mysteries in a strange town. Sharp-eyed, genuinely creepy in places, and oddly moving about family loyalty and growing up. It's smart enough to respect your intelligence while being fun enough to rewatch.

But It wraps up its mythology in one season and ends definitively. If you want ongoing mystery rather than a complete story, this will feel too tidy.

Gravity Falls poster

Inside Out2015

Pixar at its best: a premise that's clever enough to carry the whole film, animation that makes you gasp, and genuine emotional weight beneath the comedy. About a girl processing loss and change through her inner life.

But It's emotionally heavy in places and moves quickly between feelings. Some viewers find it exhausting rather than cathartic.

Inside Out poster

Over the Garden Wall2014

A miniseries about two brothers lost in a woods that's partly fairy tale, partly horror, partly meditation on mortality and innocence. Autumnal, beautifully drawn, haunting. Every episode earns its ten minutes.

But It's darker than most family entertainment and refuses easy comfort. The tone is deliberate and sometimes melancholic.

Over the Garden Wall poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Onward

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Craig of the Creek2018

Both are about young characters finding magic and meaning in the present world rather than an impossible quest. Both understand that the real magic is in who you're with.

Kids explore a creek, solve small mysteries, make friends. It sounds slight and it is—there's no world-ending stakes—but it captures the actual texture of childhood friendships and adventures with such warmth and specificity that adults often tear up. Pure comfort.

But Nothing much happens in a conventional sense. If you need plot momentum and high stakes, this will feel like filler.

Craig of the Creek poster
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The Owl House2020

A human girl befriends a demon and learns magic in a demon realm. Funny, gorgeously animated, and sneakily heartfelt about found family and the courage to be yourself. It expands beyond its premise into something genuinely moving.

But Early episodes feel lighter-weight than later ones. Starting it requires patience before the emotional stakes become clear.

The Owl House poster

Moana2016

An island girl sails across the ocean to save her people. Music that soars, animation that takes your breath away, and genuine mythology woven through. The relationship with the crabby demigod is the whole movie's heart.

But If songs in films make you tune out, this one leans very heavily on its musical numbers as emotional beats, not decoration.

Moana poster

Spirited Away2001

A girl enters a bathhouse for spirits and must navigate impossible magic to save her parents. Studio Ghibli at peak weirdness and beauty. It trusts you to understand without explaining, and rewards that trust with wonder.

But It's paced strangely by modern standards and assumes you'll sit with confusion. The logic is dream-logic, not plot-logic.

Spirited Away poster

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake2023

A boy and his magical dog go on adventures in a post-apocalyptic magical land. Starts silly and bright, then gradually reveals it's about trauma, friendship, and holding onto goodness in a broken world. Absolutely worth your time.

But The early seasons are genuinely uneven, and it takes real commitment before the emotional core becomes apparent. The animation is deliberately rough.

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake poster

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power2018

A soldier discovers she has godlike powers and must fight an evil empire. It's funny and gorgeously designed, with genuine stakes and complex characters. The last season especially—no spoilers—is something special.

But Relationships and character development matter more than action-movie pacing. If you want constant forward momentum, it'll feel slow.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power poster

The NeverEnding Story1984

A boy reads a magical book where he discovers he's the hero the story needs. Weird puppet creatures, genuine stakes, and a meditation on the power of imagination and presence. A cult film that deserves more credit.

But The practical effects are dated and sometimes creepy rather than comforting. The second half moves into dreamlogic territory that alienates some viewers.

The NeverEnding Story poster

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