Luca (2021)
A few minutes in Pixar’s animated feature “Luca” most viewers can’t help but immediately compare it with the Disney’s 1989 film “The Little Mermaid”.It has been decades since we watched Ariel collecting items at the bottom of the sea but still most of us remember those scenes. Luca on the other hand finds some items which triggered his curiousity about what are the things above the water. His curiousity led him to another sea monster boy Alberto. There are more similarities but once Luca goes out of the water and starts walking, the movie stands on its own. Luca as the people called them the “sea monsters” just magically turns into human being form when they are out of the sea and have dried up. There are no explanations on why they can do this, no background story montage or magic spells, we just have to accept it that they can do that. It is like accepting caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Alberto teaches Luca the ropes on how to live on land and tells him about The Vespa, an Italian branded scooter. Luca suddenly became obsessed with getting and riding on a Vespa. The Vespa has become their Holy Grail and is the premise of the movie. Their motivation forces them to go to the other side of the island where the town is and hope to find somebody who will build them a Vespa. With the threat of being sent to the deep dark part of the ocean with his uncle, Luca escapes to the land and stays with Alberto. At the town they meet the town’s bully Ercoli Visconti who owns a Vespa and the town’s underdog Giulia where they learn about the Portorosso Cup Race. Winning the race will allow them to buy that Vespa.
Pixar’s animation is amazing in this movie. Visually captivating especially the way the presented the town. The heart of this movie is about friendship. It is an enjoyable film and would not disappoint. The whole family will enjoy this movie.
Luca is now streaming in Disney +
