In a long line of unforgettable animated feature films Disney/PIXAR brings Luca to Disney+ for a truly wonderful experience. Adventure for the whole family, the movie features a coming of age story set in the shallow waters and on the beach by the cliff side of a small Italian town. Nicely depicted, the story has excellent family values including friendship, choosing a desirable future and achieving a sense of belonging.
Luca (voice Jacob Tremblay), a sea creature somewhat like a mermaid, lives underwater near a forbidden island. Fishing boats carrying humans, “land-monsters”, have been known to fish close to the island and Luca wonders what it would be like to be human. It’s not long before his curiosity gets help when he bumps into Alberto Scorfano (voice Jack Dylan Grazer), a seacreature like himself, who pulls him from the sea and reveals Luca’s human features.
Astonished, Luca likes Alberto’s impulsive ideas and becomes friends with the boy. Especially going to the town across the water. But, the town is filled with land people who are afraid of sea creatures and there’s a danger of being discovered. Alberto tells Luca how wonderful it would be to see the whole world on the seat of a Vespa motor cycle and he becomes all in. While in there human form they meet Giulia (voice Emma Berman), a young girl who helps her dad Massimo (voice Marco Barricelli) when not away at school. The three bond and they start an exciting adventure.
So begins a friendship that causes a lot of challenges for Luca and Alberto as they take dangerous chances among the villagers that if caught, could spell disaster. Director and co-screenwriter Enrico Casarosa keeps the film moving at a fast clip introducing Luca and his underwater family, how he does his chores and listens to the wisdom of his parents and grandmother. It’s a great set-up and plays out nicely to the exciting finale.
Luca has been rated PG by the MPAA for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence. Watch the film first before recommending it for immature children. Watch the credits as the drawings show more story development and there is a final comment by Uncle Ugo at the end.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli, Ciccio- Lornezo Crisci
Directed and co-screenwriter: Enrico Cassarosa
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
MPAA Rating: PG for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence.
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Opening Date: June 18, 2021
Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/ Disney +
Released on: Only on Disney+
