Disney Pixar’s Luca came out relatively quietly. The film spent no time in the theaters and was free to watch as long as you owned Disney +, and didn’t seem to have much publicity in the lead-up. Needless to say, I was skeptical, but minutes into the film I fell in love with the beautiful scenic backdrops of the film, the amazing personalities of each of the characters, and a storyline that was equally engaging and stunning.
I have loved Disney for as long as I can remember, films like Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, and more made up my childhood. It seems like every film Disney Pixar releases gets better and better and involves a more inspiring storyline. Soul reminded us to live our lives to the fullest, Onward told the story of brotherly love, Inside Out taught us about emotions, and Luca taught us to see past the things we fear.
The story features the life of Luca and Alberto, two boys, who are sea monsters, and their lives going into the human world. In the film, Luca Paguro is played by Jacob Tremblay, Alberto Scorfano is played by Jack Dylan Grazer, and Giulia Marcovaldo is played by Emma Berman. The film also features some all-star adults like Maya Rudolph who plays Daniela Paguro and Jim Gaffigan who plays Lorenzo Paguro. The film is directed by Enrico Casarosa.
The story has a beautiful underlying theme that obviously speaks on the hatred and bigotry faced by communities based on fear, or the inability of people to work to understand those who are different from them. The story not only made me think of the hatred members of the LGBTQIA+ face from people who refuse to see them as people, but also members of different religions, races, and ethnicities that are judged and hated based upon their skin color, visual appearance, and more by people who don’t even know them.
What makes Luca so great is that the message is not overbearing, taking over every scene, but it ensures to be clear and understandable by the audience. The film not only covers this but also speaks candidly about anxiety, and pushing past the things that make us nervous like adventures or trying something new. They remind watchers to silence their anxiety or their “Bruno” and not let it take exciting and fun experiences away from you.
The other part that makes this film so fun is that the characters are so wonderfully lovable with great personalities that make you want to be friends with them, they also show characteristics that don’t always appear for their gender. They show Luca, a young boy, crying, they show Giulia having more masculine traits and being competitive. All of these things are parts of what makes Luca so wonderful, and Disney Pixar’s films so iconic because it’s different.
Overall, this film has become one of my favorite Disney Pixar films, which one should take with a grain of salt because I love nearly every Disney Pixar film I watch. Hopefully, they use this film as a jumping-off point to continue to talk about difficult topics.