Onward upward and

IT TOOK HALF a decade to get Onward ready for cinemas. Dan Scanlon’s ripping Pixar yarn was made to bring families together in packed screenings worldwide, pitching elf brothers Ian and Barley on a fantasy quest for a brief magical reunion with their dearly departed dad — inspired by the father Scanlon never got to grow up with, and the big brother he always looked up to. But just as Onward finally hit screens, the world went into lockdown and the film was fast-tracked for an early digital release. It was a fate no-one foresaw — but it proved pertinent viewing amid rising tides of uncertainty. Empire catches up with a director who had the unique vantage point of releasing a film at the end of the world as we knew it.

Onward only just made it to cinemas. When did you realise its release would be cut short? How did you feel knowing most people wouldn’t see it that way?

To be honest, once theatres closed,