Onward In cinemas on Friday

IT’S 25 years since Pixar changed the world of animation with Toy Story – the first feature film entirely made on computers. Onward isn’t as revolutionary. The plot is a standard quest, the animation is flawless but forgettable, the fantasy setting is familiar and the hero is a boy wizard.

But there’s plenty of Pixar magic in this little charmer.

The movie begins with an announcement: “Long ago, the world was full of wonder.” We’re then shown a fantasy realm filled with elves, trolls and all manner of fantastical creatures.

But casting spells was hard work. And once they developed smartphones and fast food, magic faded into myth and Middle Earth turned into a bog standard American suburb. It’s here that we meet two pointy-eared brothers – shy 16-year-old Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt channelling Jack Black), a boisterous slacker. The siblings are shaken when Ian receives a letter and a staff from their dead father.

By waving the thing around, Ian will be able to summon up his dad for 24 hours. But the staff’s magical gemstone shatters when Pops has only half materialised. To replace it, the brothers and Dad’s legs must embark on a quest. First stop is a fantasy-themed restaurant where Octavia Spencer’s Manticore labours under a strict health and safety policy.

From here, the film turns road movie, filled with chases and sight gags. Like Pixar’s best films, this brilliantly written adventure keeps kids and adults under its spell. The tear-jerking ending could turn grown-ups into babies.