Movie Review: Pixar’s Latest Release, Luca
I’ll make one bold proclamation about Pixar’s latest release, Luca. Vespa sales are about to go through the roof!
I’ll explain why in my review of Luca, a warm, optimistic movie that feels like the perfect tonic for post-pandemic society.
La Luna Meets Miyazaki
You may not know Enrico Casarosa’s name, but I bet that you’ve watched one of his shorts, the Pixar classic La Luna. It’s this one:
I mention this because Luca feels like a spiritual successor to La Luna in many ways.
The animation style hearkens back to this short, especially the round faces of the human characters.
However, Hayao Miyazaki’s influence permeates throughout the film as well. One of the Japanese director’s best movies is Porco Rosso.
The fictional Italian town in Luca is Portorosso. It’s more than just wordplay, as it reinforces that Luca takes place by the sea…and in it.
That’s the elevator pitch for this movie. A sea monster dreams of visiting the nearby human city, something that his community forbids.
The sea monsters have good reason to skip this town, too. The locals don’t cater to the “Creature from the Black Lagoon” types.
“No Sea Monsters” signs pop up all over the town, reinforcing the fact that this idyllic locale by the Italian Riviera isn’t very welcoming to outsiders.
Luca’s overprotective parents beg him not to visit the human settlement, but he can do so incognito.
These sea monsters appear as humans as long as they’re not wet. I keep joking that the story somewhat mirrors Gremlins.
You can make friends with these critters. You just can’t get them wet. Obviously, at various times in the film, the disguised sea monsters get wet.
The visuals lean heavily into this premise. The lush sea blue and green sea colors create a soothing backdrop, one that Luca willingly leaves to go on an adventure.
When he reaches Portorosso, the hills seem made of gold due to their shiny luster. Casarosa goes deep into the crayon box for this film.
Friends and an Enemy
As a pre-teen from a happy family, Luca has no need to go exploring. However, his grandmother encourages him to do so despite his parent’s wishes.
Almost unintentionally, Luca develops a friendship with another sea monster, the slightly older Alberto.
This boy desperately craves interactions with the nearby humans and pushes Luca to join him.
The first attempt reveals an unexpected storytelling delight. As a fish, Luca possesses no knowledge of walking and other human motions.
Part of the film embraces a decent amount of physical comedy, something I always admire Pixar for sneaking into its movies.
However, Luca’s primary mode involves earnestness. At its core, it’s a sweet story about tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of kindness.
Image: Pixar
Alberto and Luca adopt their human forms and interact with the residents of Portorosso, most notably a girl and her father.
Giulia doesn’t believe in sea monsters because she’s so learned and thereby skeptical about old fables.
Kindly by nature, she despises Ercole Visconti, the multi-time winner of the Portorosso Cup, an odd triathlon.
Apparently, Ercole claims the title of best biker, swimmer, and pasta eater in town. He’s also too old for the event but keeps acting like a kid to defend his title.
Ercole’s your run-of-the-mill cartoon bully and the weakest part of the film. He’s just there to remind you that closed-minded jerks are usually antagonistic.
Whenever Ercole’s around, the boys are in danger of turning back into fish and ruining their masquerade.
The Fisherman’s Daughter
Your enjoyment of Luca hinges on two relationships, the one between the boys and the pre-romance between Giulia and Luca.
The friendly girl invites her new friends into her home. Here, they meet her father, Massimo, and an oddly mustached cat named Machiavelli.
The one-armed Massimo is otherwise the spitting image of the muscular father from La Luna, which makes him instantly accessible.
Money is apparently tight for this fisherman and chef, but the sea monsters help. They show him where to catch a slew of fish.
To me, this seems like the height of betrayal, as they’re selling out fish to befriend a human, but I guess that’s why they’re sea monsters.
Like Luca’s parents, Massimo cares so much about his daughter that his affection borders on smothering.
Meanwhile, Luca senses a kindred spirit of Giulia and develops the precursor to feelings for her. Yes, it’s like a pre-teen The Shape of Water!
Also, yes, Alberto does struggle with feelings of jealousy as he watches his two closest companions start to click.
As far as stories go, Luca counts as one of the most straightforward Pixar movies to date.
About that Vespa…
You won’t care because of the characters, though. The sea monsters bond over their love of the greatest invention ever, the Vespa.
First, they build a fake one that only “works” thanks to the perils of gravity. Later, they learn that the Portorosso Cup winner receives prize money.
Humans exchange money for products….like Vespas. So, the three kids work together to master the three legs of the competition.
Conveniently, people may work together as a group, making Ercole’s dominance that much harder to swallow.
However, this storytelling device allows the three of them to bond and reveal their hopes, dreams, and secrets to one another.
For her part, Giulia isn’t in it for the Vespas, but those boys would do pretty much anything to own a real one.
Casarosa is a native of Genoa, Italy, and his boyhood passion for the lush background of his home shines through in the animation.
The director hasn’t forgotten the childhood wonder he felt about Vespas, either. They’re the fantasy method of traversing the Italian Riviera.
While watching this movie, I thought more about Vespas than I had in my entire life until then. And I’ve been to Europe, folks.
Final Thoughts
Seriously, though, the specifics of Luna border on irrelevant. You’ll watch the movie for the gorgeous visuals of the Italian Riviera and the story.
The latter part hearkens back to classic Pixar films, as it’s a tale about finding your family in the unlikeliest of places.
Two sea monsters invade a village, accidentally finding love and friendship and hope for a better tomorrow.
I cannot in good conscience place Luca in that pantheon of the greatest Pixar movies. However, it’s like Onward in that you’ll smile the whole time you watch.
Luca is the most comfortable Pixar movie since Ratatouille. It just feels right to watch. I’ll give it an A and recommend that you adopt its worldview.
I felt better about life after seeing Luca. That’s the type of escapism I crave from cinema.
