Luca review

LUCA:

LATEST PIXAR FILM ISN’T JUST A BEAUTIFULLY ANIMATED, FUNNY, AND HEARTFELT STORY ABOUT BROMANCE, BUT ALSO A LOVING TRIBUTE TO ITALIAN CULTURE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

DISNEY/PIXAR

Luca and Alberto are about to enter a strange, new world in Pixar’s Luca

 

            A young sea monster goes on land for the first time and experiences life as a human boy in Luca, the new film from Pixar Animation Studios and their second film to be released exclusively on Disney+ following 2020’s Soul. Originally intended to be released in theaters and even having a trailer attached to theatrical showings of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, the film ended up being dropped onto Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

            Whether theater or streaming, there’s no way I’d miss Pixar’s next animated film despite not being extremely hyped for it. I thought the movie looked good and I’d probably end up really enjoying it, but the trailer wasn’t quite grabbing me as much as something like Soul, Coco, Inside Out, or even the Toy Story movies.

            Upon seeing the movie, I can gladly say that it’s another great Pixar movie…though I wouldn’t call it one of their best personally. Like every Pixar film, Luca is absolutely gorgeous in the animation department, tells a strange but sweet story about friendship and learning to be yourself, and it fully embraces Italian culture the same way Ratatouilleembraced French culture and Coco embraced Mexican culture. 

            The film follows Luca (voiced by Jacob Tremblay-Room, Good Boys, Doctor Sleep), a young sea monster living off the coast of the Italian city of Portorosso (Which I guarantee is not named after the Hayao Miyazaki film, Porco Rosso…actually, it is!) who desires to go to the surface because herding goatfish day after day is making him bored. One day, he meets another sea monster named Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer-It: Chapters 1 and 2, We Are Who We Are, Shazam!) who takes him to dry land and Luca realizes that he can transform into a human when on the surface…just don’t get him wet, and I’m not talking about the Gremlins rule!

            What follows is an unforgettable summer for the boys with lots of gelato, pasta, and scooter rides to the point where scooters become a plot point. Specifically, the boys want to get a Vespa so the two of them can leave their worlds behind and travel the world, and they decide to enter the Portorosso Cup Race in hopes of winning the cash prize so they can buy a Vespa. 

            They befriend a young girl named Giulia (voiced by Emma Berman) who is also participating in the race and encounter the egotistical, Ercole Visconti (voiced by Saverio Raimondo) as they race to the finish line and hopefully get their Vespa while also hiding their secret about being sea monsters. 

            The film also features the voices of Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Big Hero 6) as Luca’s mother, Daniela, Jim Gaffigan (Mr. Universe, Hotel Transylvania 3 and 4, Peter Pan and Wendy) as Luca’s father, Lorenzo, Sandy Martin (Napoleon Dynamite, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Big Love) as Uncle Paguro, and Sacha Baron Cohen (Madagascar franchise, Borat, The Trial of the Chicago 7) as Uncle Ugo. 

            Overall, Luca doesn’t quite have the same emotional punch as other Pixar films, but it offers a gorgeously animated, funny, and heartfelt story about friendship and being who you are, as well as a loving tribute to Italian culture. Pixar really got Italian lifestyle down in this movie, from the architectural designs of the buildings to the colorful characters, food, and dialogue, it’s often charming (and at times humorous) to see Luca and Alberto interact with their environments and people inhabiting it. 

            The film got a lot right, but it isn’t without its flaws, for starters, the beginning feels very rushed and aside from a few glimpses we don’t see much of Luca’s life in the water, I would have liked a little bit more of a stronger reasoning as to why he wants to leave. Had the film established more of Luca’s life underwater, I think we would have had a much stronger literal “Fish out of water” story, but as is, it’s perfectly fine and cute enough. 

            Another disappointing element is the villain who is this egotistical, self-obsessed race winner who is constantly taunting Giulia. While he is animated in a funny way and he has some laugh out loud moments, he doesn’t pose much of a threat nor are there any stakes raised because of him, he’s just a one-note comedic villain and nothing more, I would have preferred someone a little more threatening. 

            The chemistry between Luca and Alberto is very strong, I could believe those two were actual friends or brothers talking to each other. While it does have a bit of a misunderstanding cliché, it doesn’t go for too long and both characters are devoted to get a Vespa which is basically the ultimate Italian luxury according to the characters and while they don’t always agree with each other they try to help each other out when possible. 

            While Luca isn’t perfect, it has enough appeal to make any family happy, it’s got beautiful animation, likable characters, funny jokes, and a thought-provoking and heartfelt script. This is a trip to Italy that’s definitely worth checking out.