Movie review
February 29, 2020 · 102 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The story is a straightforward family quest about two elf brothers trying to spend one day with their dead dad using magic. The only woke element is one quick line from a minor cyclops cop character who mentions “my girlfriend’s daughter.” It is Pixar's first openly gay character. No identity arcs, no activist sermons, no girlboss messaging, no anti-colonial lectures, and no forced main-cast diversity. The tech-replacing-magic background is just fantasy world-building, not a modern political critique.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Onward.
Woke representation / casting
Deliberate inclusion of Pixar's first openly lesbian supporting character; main elf family casting fits the fantasy setting with no forced visible diversity.
Woke political dialogue
No political or activist dialogue of any kind.
Identity-driven story themes
None; narrative is 100% family quest and personal growth.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No modern activist critique of systems, patriarchy, capitalism, or identity politics; tech-vs-magic is neutral fantasy backdrop.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Production
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Real but contained conservative backlash and international bans over the one-line lesbian reference.
Creator track record context
Standard Pixar family-film history with no clear pattern of activist work.
