The dead parent trope might be overused for Disney movies but Onward doesn't make the mistakes of those movies. The siblings fight like siblings though out, not just at plot critical moments. Their single mom has a boyfriend who is not an evil stepparent trope, and their mom is actually proactive during the events of the film, but the adventure still belongs to the boys. I've been tired of plots that have parents oblivious to what their kids are doing. I came for the DnD references but I cried for the well-rounded characters.
