Plot Summary – Two young boys experience an unforgettable Italian summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

★★★★

 Watched on 18 Jun 2021

Luca is definitely the most different Pixar film I’ve watched. It’s so calm and easy-going that you sometimes forget that this is a movie at all. It has the Ghibliesque atmosphere to it that makes it feel so breezy. It goes without saying that the animation is absolutely beautiful. Every frame is gorgeous, every character design is so perfect for their roles. The storyline is so cute and wholesome and I love that this isn’t some life-or-death story, the stakes are low but that’s only because these stakes are internal, not external. The biggest flaw of the film for me is also it’s biggest strength weirdly. The worldbuilding is somehow both perfectly minimal but also leaves you wanting more. Let me explain. The film doesn’t waste time with exposition about how this universe works and this huge world to set up because that’s not the point of the movie and I really appreciate that. On the other hand, I would have loved some more set-up in the first half of our protagonists and their friendship with each other and their internal conflicts because it feels a little brushed over. This is Pixar’s shortest film since Toy Story and it definitely feels like an extra fifteen minutes could have been added to make the story a little stronger. I absolutely loved the villain and I just found the entire premise to be so entertaining. Jacob Tremblay was brilliant as Luca and the entire cast were top notch. The ending is a proper Pixar ending and had me on the brink of tears but in the most wholesome way possible. The message of the film is also beautiful and touching. I had a great time with Luca and my only complaint was that I wanted more of it! I recommend this for a good, fun time!