Onward: 'Onward' continues Pixar's apparent quest to make us cry – CNN

(CNN) Pixar’s enviable track record with original animation is a mixed blessing, creating sky-high expectations for each new movie.

“Onward,” an undeniably emotional and imaginative concept, joins that rich tradition, without reaching the upper rungs of the ladder set by its predecessors.

Still, hints remain of the magic that once ran rampant, we’re told at the outset.

And it’s a belief in those fantastic possibilities that lead an elf Ian, just turned 16, and his goofball older brother Barley on a quest to bring their dad back, if only for a day.

That’s right, the “visitation spell” that the pair invoke only lasts for 24 hours — enough time, they reckon, to bid him a proper farewell.