Pixar’s Onward: 5 Reasons Ian Is The Best (& 5 Reasons It’s Barley)

The brotherly duo that leads Pixar’s Onward is as charming as they are entertaining. Here’s 5 reasons why Ian is the best, and 5 why Barley is better.

You Are Reading :Pixars Onward 5 Reasons Ian Is The Best (& 5 Reasons Its Barley)

While Pixar’s Onward has a variety of different and fun characters, the main focus of the movie is very much on the Lightfoot siblings; Ian and Barley. They are the central point and the driving focus of the film as they go on a quest to try and bring their father back for one day.

While they are siblings and have some similarities because of that, there’s also a lot of differences between the two brothers. They have slightly different perspectives and go through the journey in different ways because of that.

Everyone is always going to have a favorite when it comes to the Lightfoot brothers, and within this list, we will reveal five reasons that Ian is the best character, and five reasons it is Barley.

10 Ian: He’s A Wizard

We will kick start with arguably the most obvious reason why Ian is the better of the two brothers, which is the fact that he is a legitimate wizard. Even though it is Barley who has all the knowledge of that magical world, it is Ian who has the magical ability to pull it all off with the wizard’s staff.

The magic that is used throughout the movie is one of the most exciting parts about it. Seeing him fight against a dragon or perform a variety of spells makes for a lot of fun and really brings the adventure into the movie, which is why he’s such a great character.

9 Barley: Provides Belief

Even though Ian is the one who can pull off the magic himself, it is Barley who has all the knowledge and belief about the topic. Without him knowing everything and wanting to keep magic alive, Ian wouldn’t have a clue what to do with himself and his ability.

But, even when Ian starts doing the different spells and tricks, things don’t go smoothly for him. However, Barley always believes in him and his ability to perform the magic. He never doubts Ian for one moment, which is why he is such a great person.

8 Ian: His Emotional Journey

While Barley is obviously desperate to see his father again, the film really is based on Ian’s desire to see Wilden. He never got the chance to see him during his life, and that is the emotional hook for the entire film. Seeing him try to get to the point of finally meeting his father and all the ups and downs that come with that.

He has huge emotional peaks of happiness and laughter, but also major lows as well. It makes him a much more compelling character for large chunks of the movie and that is why he will end up being the one who is best remembered.

7 Barley: Never Giving Up

When the brothers end up back at the school at the end of the movie, Ian gives up and doesn’t believe that they will be able to find the stone to bring their father back. He goes off and falls out with Barley, but instead of sulking as well, Barley keeps on believing in his gut instinct.

He breaks through a building site and battles the security in order to keep searching for what is needed. Because of him, they find the stone that is needed to work the trick, which is why he’s a great character, as without that they’d never have brought back their father.

6 Ian: Learning To Drive

One of the best scenes of the entire movie is when Ian learns how to drive. Early on in the film, he attempts to learn, and it ends in disaster as he is unable to merge onto the freeway. However, later on in the movie when Barley is turned into a tiny character, he is forced to drive to get away from the Pixie Dusters.

However, he manages to do exactly that, which is a huge moment for him personally, and is also hilarious at the same time. It’s a very funny scene that really works well, and him having that big moment is great for his character.

5 Barley: His Quest Voice

Barley is the character that loves the magical side of the world that he inhabits, and that is some of the best moments from Onward. It is clear right from the beginning of the film as he plays his Quest Of Yore role playing game that he loves that type of the world.

However, it ends up being very important and creates some hilarious moments as well. He uses a totally different voice when discussing anything to do with the game, and it leads to a lot of fun which helps make the character stand out.

4 Ian: His Sacrifice

While Ian is desperate to see his father just once, at the end of the movie he makes the ultimate sacrifice and opts to never meet him in order to allow his older brother the chance. He steps up to battle the cursed dragon in order to give Barley time to get one moment with his father.

It’s a huge decision for him, especially when you consider the fact he had never met his father, and would never get the chance to do so again. It’s the most emotional moment of the entire movie and it certainly shines Ian in a brilliant light.

3 Barley: He Is The Father Figure

The reason that Ian is happy to make the sacrifice of not seeing his father is that he comes to terms with the fact that Barley has fulfilled the father figure role in his life. Everything he wanted his father to be, Barley ended up doing, which is why he’s such a great character.

Barley is constantly looking out for his younger brother and tries to make his life as exciting as possible. Even though he can be embarrassing to Ian at times, he is only doing things out of the kindness of his heart, which is why he’s a great person.

2 Ian: We See Him Grow

Out of the two characters, it is Ian who is the outright ‘main’ character, mainly because the whole film is from his perspective. Because of that, we get to see more of who Ian is and he has some tremendous character growth throughout the movie.

Ian starts off shy, struggling to make friends and not too sure of himself. However, as we see throughout the film he grows, whether it is standing up to Corey or learning to drive. Therefore by the end of the movie, fans have enjoyed the full growth of his character, and that evolution is a lot of fun to watch.

1 Barley: He’s Funnier

While Pixar movies are never outright comedies, there is always an expected level of humor from one of the animation company’s films. Onward is no different in that regard, and it provides tons of laughs throughout and most of them are from Barley himself.

Chris Pratt is fantastic voicing the character, and the accent he puts on for his quest voice is hilarious in its own right. But Barley is just a very funny character generally, bringing a lot of the lighthearted moments to the film, which does deal with a heavily emotional topic.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pixars-onward-ian-vs-barley-best/