Half Dad is the best gift for his sixteenth birthday – review of the animation “Forward”

Once upon a time magic existed. The heroes went on adventures, and manticores gave hints on how to survive them. Everything has changed, however, and now unicorns rummage in garbage cans, pixies ride motorcycles, and centaurs get out of breath even after a slight jog. This is the world where the elven brothers Ian and Barley (in the Polish version, Janko and Bogdan) live. Their father died several years ago, so only their mother takes care of their upbringing. The everyday life of the boys is fairly normal, until Ian’s 16th birthday reveals an unexpected gift for him and his Barley: a wizard’s staff and a spell that allows the brothers to return their dad to the world of the living for a day! But what to do when neither of them know how to use magic?

Help! Dad has no head!

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I liked Forward , although the idea for the plot is quite standard when it comes to fantasy. The heroes set off on a mission, the effect of which is to save the not-well-summoned father. The viewer accompanies Ian and Barley during a visit to the inn in search of a map, a fight with minor adversities (e.g. escaping from a pixie) or while learning new spells. Sounds familiar, right? The only thing that is not in this story is a great villain that threatens the heroes. The only thing that hurts the boys is the passage of time, because if they do not live up to their mission, they will not be able to meet their father. So it is a pleasant fantasy film in which the most important thing is the journey, and then the conclusions drawn from it.

Janko and Boguś on the trail of an adventure

What I liked about this story was the maturation process of both boys. Ian was shy, quiet, and cowardly when he took up his mission. He did not want to stand out from the crowd, and he wanted a father. Barley, on the other hand, was not very responsible, loud and pushy in his behavior. In order to complete the planned task, the brothers had to work on their characters and, additionally, learn to cooperate. I don’t want to spoil the whole message, but I will reveal that especially what Ian realizes in the finale of the events is an important message in this film.

Dungeons, dragons and marshals

When discussing this animation, it is worth mentioning the fact that in addition to basing on the standard fantasy convention, it also refers to RPG sessions (Barley is an avid gamer and expert on the subject; there is also at least one inside joke related to D&D). So if someone is planning or already playing role-playing games with their kids, this story may appeal to them and help increase their interest in RPGs.

Should a centaur wear pants?

I’m not a big fan of dubbed animations, so I was glad that the Blu-ray version from Galapagos gives you an additional opportunity to watch the adventures of the elf brothers with the original soundtrack and subtitles (especially since Chris Pratt and Tom Holland were voiced). The additions on the CD were also very interesting. I have the impression that if it were not for them, I would not have realized how much conceptual work the creators had to do, inventing all the fantastic inhabitants of the presented world. The story of what inspired this animation is also very interesting. After the screening, I strongly encourage everyone to read the bonus materials, because they are a great complement to this title (I’m really glad that they were included on the board).

And for mum and dad, and for every young person

Forward is not an outstanding production, but in my opinion it is definitely one of the interesting and nicely graphically realized ones. Despite the fact that it is classified as a fantasy, it presents quite life problems and also contains an important message that is worth talking to children about. In my opinion, it is a good title both to present to the youngest and to watch with the family.