Luca
In a way, it feels as though Pixar is moving, largely, from complicated technical accomplishments to deeply personal storytelling. Their stories have always had heart, but it feels like more and more of them are reflecting the voices of their tellers, the worlds their tellers want to bring to life. “Soul” deals with the desires of a teacher to have that one moment on stage where they are the spotlight. “Coco” is about connecting with those who have passed on. And “Onward” is about trying to have one, last moment with your dad. Sometimes, these films dig deep into the emotions, but other times, they are light entertainments that just go along their way. “Luca” is very much the latter, and that’s part of why it works.
“Luca” feels a bit like a gender-reversed “Little Mermaid,” where the title character- a “sea monster” voiced by Jacob Tremblay- goes to the surface and lives as a human. He doesn’t find love, but he’s immediately won over by life, despite the warnings his parents (Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan) give him. Set along the shores of Italy, the film is beautifully animated to make us feel like we are right there with Luca as, in human form, he’s introduced to the human world of Vespas and pasta and soccer and just enjoying days laying out in the sun, hoping the rain doesn’t come to reveal his actual face. (OK, that last one is specific to “Luca”; in the water- which includes rain- a sea monster is revealed; in the sun, they take human form.) Starting Luca off on his adventures on land is Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), who’s on his own, and has lived on the surface for a while. The film is about how Luca will start to want that life for himself.
In his feature film debut, director Enrico Casarosa has put together a lovely coming-of-age story that feels as though it does come from a personal place. The screenplay by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones doesn’t really push conflicts for the sake of having drama; the film is ultimately a “fish out of water” story about a kid who is getting a chance to be off on his own for the first time. There is a bully in the egotistic Ercole (Saverio Raimondo), who has dominated a local race, and that gives Luca and Alberto an antagonist to match up with, while Giulia (Emma Berman) is someone that can team up with against him in the race. I noticed someone compare this to a Miyazaki film, and I can see the comparisons- there are not really major conflicts and dramatic stakes in this film; the world is not going to end. The big tension is whether Luca will be able to experience the world, or be sheltered by his parents, and that’s enough, right there, to keep us watching “Luca.” I love the film’s look, and the score by Dan Romer is delightful. I don’t know if I’ll watch it again anytime soon, but “Luca” has charm to spare, and we enjoy every minute of it.
