Onward Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

By Jack Pooley / February 29, 2020

4. Octavia Spencer (Almost) Steals The Show

By far the meatiest supporting role in the movie goes to Octavia Spencer, who provides the voice for Corey, a domesticated manticore who runs her own restaurant and, unsurprisingly, ends up roped into Ian and Barley's adventure.

Corey spends most of the movie teaming up with the brothers' mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as she heads out in pursuit of her sons, and thanks largely to Spencer's excellent vocal performance, this subplot provide a welcome periodic diversion to the film's main plot.

Spencer ends up with many of the funniest one-liners, and though few will be surprised by the arc of her character, the ludicrously entertaining payoff makes it hard to much care.