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‘Luca,’ a warm and heartfelt film about a soft-spoken boy and his adventurous friend Alberto deciding to find out how people on the Italian Riveria live. Enrico Casarosa, whose last project, “La Luna,” was recently nominated for an Oscar, debuts as director. The movie, which airs on Disney Plus on June 18, 2021, looks inside his childhood.
Summertime in Italy is the backdrop for this “coming of age” movie, where the young boys explore the good and not-so-good things 13-year-olds go through. Without obtaining permission from their parents, the two roam the town of Portorosso. What makes these two different from other kids their age is that they are sea monsters who take the form of humans when they venture out of the sea.
Casarosa explained how he and his friend wanted to be included and understood but felt like outsiders. Though they experience many different emotions, friendship is the theme of this very personal story.
‘Luca’ was about my best friend, Alberto,” he explained in February. I was very shy and timid and sheltered by my family, and I met [Alberto], who was very free, his family wasn’t around a whole lot, and he was able to chase around and get into trouble.”
Jacob Tremblay (Room) stars as Luca, with Jack Dylan Grazer (Shazam! and It) playing Alberto and Emma Berman (Abby Hatcher) as Giulia, the young girl the boys meet on land.
Andrea Warren (“Lava,” “Cars 3”) is the producer. The voice cast consists of Maya Rudolph (as Luca’s mother, Daniela), Emma Berman (as Luca’s friend, Giulia); Marco Barricelli (as Giulia’s father, Massimo); and Jim Gaffigan (as Luca’s dad, Lorenzo).
Written by Brenda Robinson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Polygon: Pixar’s Luca Trailer Dives Into A Summer Sea Monster Adventure; by Petrana Radulovic
IndieWire: Pixar Goes to the Italian Riviera for a Coming-of-Age Sea Monster Movie; by Kate Erbland
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Michelle Friswell’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of NASA APPEL Knowledge Services’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License