Luca (2021)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, June 17

PG Running Time: 95 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

Regardless of whether it debuts in theaters or premieres on Disney+, this is a Pixar movie and it deserves a look.
This is a sweet-natured story, which speaks to acceptance and inclusion and will speak to lots of people in likely lots of different ways.
The animation is often stunning, especially in beautiful backgrounds, visual effects, and detailed set design. Pixar really is unparalleled when it comes to their presentation and Luca is just the latest example.

NO

This might leave some viewers underwhelmed, because it lacks the significance narrative power some may be expecting when watching a film with the Pixar name.
The only thing Luca asks for is patience and something of an open mind. If you lack either of those, do us a favor and stay away.
There is a bit of an imbalance in how we get to the conclusion. Comedy and message, at times, clash together and for some viewers - Luca may appear to be unsure of what kind of movie it wants to be.

OUR REVIEW

Debuting on Disney+, and somewhat surprisingly bypassing theaters, Luca is the 24th Pixar Animation Studios feature-length film to be released. Arriving on the heels of two-time Oscar winner Soul, the film is being touted as a wonderful bonus addition to the popular streaming platform. Heartfelt, endearing, if somewhat slight in its overall impact, this coming-of-age tale of two friends wrestling with secrets, personal truth, and the need to live prideful and authentic, does prove to be another worthwhile entry in the Pixar filmography.

Luca is a story of two sea monsters, one camouflaging as human on earth and another curious about “the change” - the process which enables these creatures to morph into human form. With his human form taking shape as a teenage boy, Luca (Jacob Tremblay) defies his parents and travels to the surface. He meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), also a teenage boy, and the two become fast friends. Soon Luca begins sneaking away from home, time and again, to hang out with Alberto and embrace his newfound human existence.

On the one hand, Luca celebrates identity and coming to terms with living without fear or worry. Alberto, comfortable as a human, helps Luca’s anxiousness that he will somehow be discovered as something other than as he appears. In the Italian village which provides the film’s setting, Portorosso, its residents want to kill the sea monsters, fearing them as a dangerous threat. Naturally, this amplifies the reasons why Luca’s parents (Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan) want him to remain home and safely underwater.

Set in the 1950s, director Enrico Casarosa’s feature-length directorial debut has an abundance of energy and youthful characters who grab our attention. Tremblay embodies Luca’s skittish demeanor through terrific voiceover work and articulates emotional unrest and a sense of confidence quite effectively. Grazer’s Alberto is the confidence Luca is trying to gain within himself and the two boys form a close-knit bond.

In addition to some low-key teenage angst and suffused rebelliousness, Luca addresses overcoming fears and hesitations. This is handled, in part, with Portorosso’s annual triathlon/bicycle race, which finds teenager Giulia (Emma Berman) itching to win the event by defeating the arrogant town bully, Ercole (Saverio Raimondo).

Casarosa’s film is beautifully crafted. The signature elements of Luca are found within the picturesque animation and photoreal backgrounds which allow us to escape into this distinctive vision of the Italian Riviera. An all-Italian music score by composer Dan Romer adds nice depth to the overall tone of the film. As it grapples with more complicated themes and ideas, Luca is going to wow younger audiences and parents from a visual standpoint, even without the benefit of a theatrical presentation.

The question ultimately becomes what audiences will take away from the storytelling. Written by Jesse Andrews (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Mike Jones (Soul), Luca does seem to carry two parallel stories next to one another that never quite gel completely together. Casarosa has mentioned that the film, to him, is about making that one summertime friend that changes your life before girlfriends or boyfriends complicate everything.

Anyone watching can connect the dots that Luca at least hints at drawing. Quite frankly, Luca feels routinely like something of an olive branch to LGBTQ+ youth, or other marginalized communities struggling to come to terms with who they are and how they carry and present themselves outwardly to the world.

Admittedly, that might be a lot to put on Luca. Despite tiptoeing into those waters of acceptance and living confidently, the film may not be as deeply moving and profound as other Pixar films. Then again, not all movies can deliver the emotional impact of Up or Inside Out or Toy Story 1, 2, or3.

While I admit to scratching my head as to why Disney didn’t move forward with even a three or four-week theatrical run, Luca is now out into the world. And in the end, the film’s kindness, enthusiasm, and big heart will win over most audiences and stand up to plenty of repeated viewings on the Disney+ platform over the course of the pending summer.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Emma Berman, Marco Barricelli, Saverio Raimondo, Sandy Martin, Marina Massironi, Sacha Baron Cohen

Director: Enrico Casarosa
Written by: Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones
Release Date: June 18, 2021
Walt Disney Studios/Disney+

Regardless of whether it debuts in theaters or premieres on Disney+, this is a Pixar movie and it deserves a look.

This is a sweet-natured story, which speaks to acceptance and inclusion and will speak to lots of people in likely lots of different ways.

The animation is often stunning, especially in beautiful backgrounds, visual effects, and detailed set design. Pixar really is unparalleled when it comes to their presentation and Luca is just the latest example.

This might leave some viewers underwhelmed, because it lacks the significance narrative power some may be expecting when watching a film with the Pixar name.

The only thing Luca asks for is patience and something of an open mind. If you lack either of those, do us a favor and stay away.

There is a bit of an imbalance in how we get to the conclusion. Comedy and message, at times, clash together and for some viewers - Luca may appear to be unsure of what kind of movie it wants to be.