Onward

Teenage elf brothers seek the magic spell that will bring back their late father for a single day in Pixar's sprightly animated adventure. It unfolds in a world that looks much like our own, except it's populated by unicorns, centaurs, and faerie folk - although wizardry is in short supply now that everybody has modern conveniences like phones and TV. Still, nerdy Ian Lightfoot (splendidly voiced by Tom Holland) has the magic touch, and his older sibling Barley (Chris Pratt) is a self-styled expert in ancient myths, making them a perfectly mismatched pair destined for a noble quest that hits various exciting bumps and scrapes. Yes, the plot follows an expected path, but what's fresh and hilarious is how the film honours the fantasy genre while also giving it a good ribbing, and the love/hate relationship at its centre is insightfully drawn. The blend of action, comedy and underling emotion proves unstoppably entertaining, and those who spent their youth playing Dungeons & Dragons will take special pleasure from it.