Onward Budget

What is the budget of Onward?

"Onward," a animation released in 2020, was directed by Dan Scanlon and stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt. The production budget was $200,000,000, placing it in the blockbuster range for animation productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a animation production like this include:

• Animation Production Pipeline: The bulk of an animated film's budget funds the multi-year production pipeline: storyboarding, character modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing.
• Voice Talent: Celebrity voice casting has become standard for studio animation, with A-list actors earning $5 to 15 million for voice roles.
• Music, Songs & Sound Design: Original songs and orchestral scores are central to animated storytelling. Sound design for animated worlds must be created entirely from scratch.
• Casting: On December 12, 2018, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer were announced as starring in the film.

What were the major cost factors in Onward?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Onward."

• Animation Production Pipeline: Animation Production Pipeline is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.
• Voice Talent: Voice Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.
• Music: Music, Songs & Sound Design is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.

How Does Onward's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $200,000,000, Onward sits in the blockbuster range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• 2012 (2009): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $791,217,826
• Alice in Wonderland (2010): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,025,467,110
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023): Budget $200,000,000 , Gross $476,071,180
• Argylle (2024): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $96,221,061
• Black Adam (2022): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $393,452,111

The median budget for wide-release animation films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Onward Box Office Performance

"Onward" earned $61,555,145 domestically and $141,888,276 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $200,000,000, the film faced challenges in theatrical release. Home video, streaming, and ancillary revenue may have contributed to its overall performance.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Onward," that break-even threshold was roughly $400,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $141,888,276, the film did not reach break-even in theatrical release.

• Production Budget: $200,000,000
• Worldwide Gross: $141,888,276
• Net Return: −$58,111,724
• ROI: approximately -29.1%

At -29.1%, "Onward" did not recoup its production budget through theatrical release alone.

Onward Production History

On December 12, 2018, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer were announced as starring in the film. While having recorded most of their lines separately, Holland and Pratt had some of their recording sessions together since, according to Scanlon, "they've worked together before and hung out together." Rae stated that Holland and Pratt improvised some of their lines while recording together. On December 17, 2019, Ali Wong, Lena Waithe and Mel Rodriguez joined the cast of the film.

On April 16, 2019, Mychael and Jeff Danna, who both previously worked with the studio on The Good Dinosaur (2015), were revealed to be the film's composers. On February 12, 2020, Brandi Carlile revealed she recorded the song "Carried Me With You" for the film's end credits, co-written with Phil and Tim Hanseroth. The film's soundtrack was released on February 28, 2020, seven days ahead of the film's release.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 4 wins & 64 nominations total

Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "It may suffer in comparison to Pixar's classics, but Onward makes effective use of the studio's formula , and stands on its own merits as a funny, heartwarming, dazzlingly animated adventure." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.