Luca

[D82]

New Chinese poster:


Source: https://weibo.com/2302411050/KgsAkhCNp? ... =weibotime

[D82]

New TV spot, promo and more articles:

Enter the World of Portorosso with a Deep Dive on the Art and Character Designs in Luca!
https://news.disney.com/luca-characters-art

Dialing In the Stylized Italian Riviera Waters of Pixar’s ‘Luca’
https://www.awn.com/animationworld/dial ... ixars-luca

Pixar's Luca: Bringing Sea Monsters to Life in the Italian Riviera of the 1950s
https://www.ign.com/articles/luca-itali ... 950s-pixar

Pixar, Italian Style: Why Luca is Set in 1950s Italy
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/pixar- ... y-setting/

Is the Vespa the True Star of Pixar’s ‘Luca?’
https://www.awardsdaily.com/2021/05/25/ ... xars-luca/

Is Pixar Prioritizing Personal Stories Over Sequels? The Luca Filmmakers Have Thoughts
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/256785 ... urning-red

'Luca' Director Enrico Casarosa and Producer Andrea Warren on Their Collaboration and How the Story Evolved
https://collider.com/luca-pixar-intervi ... ea-warren/

Italy of Our Dreams: How ‘Luca’ Director Enrico Casarosa Drew From and Went Beyond Hayao Miyazaki’s Distinct Style [Interview]
https://www.slashfilm.com/luca-enrico-c ... interview/

Pixar's Luca Interview: Daniela Strijleva
https://screenrant.com/luca-movie-danie ... interview/

Pixar’s ‘Luca’ Signifies a Shift In Storytelling
https://insidethemagic.net/2021/05/pixa ... lling-at1/

An Early Look at the Making of Disney and Pixar’s ‘Luca’
https://allears.net/2021/05/25/an-early ... xars-luca/

All About the Stunning Transformation in Disney and Pixar’s Luca
https://d23.com/all-about-the-stunning- ... xars-luca/

How 'Luca' once again challenged Pixar to delve into the worlds of monsters and humans
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/luca-pixa ... man-worlds

Summertime Splash: A Q&A with the Filmmakers of Pixar’s ‘Luca’
https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/25/ ... xars-luca/

Diving Further into the Depths of Pixar’s ‘Luca’
https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/05/25/ ... xars-luca/

[blackcauldron85]

^ I need to find time to read some of those articles- I'm really excited for this film!

At least one US theater will be showing Luca:

“Luca” Heads to El Capitan Theatre for an Exclusive Theatrical Engagement From June 18 – 24
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/20 ... n-theatre/

[thedisneyspirit]

More queerbaiting. I thought Pixar was above this but forgot the same evil overlord that leads Disney is also in charge of this.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

More queerbaiting. I thought Pixar was above this but forgot the same evil overlord that leads Disney is also in charge of this.

And releasing it during Pride month makes it even worse...

[Farerb]

Clips:

Land Monsters :
https://youtu.be/jrzPjf-2znY

Meet Alberto:
https://youtu.be/nr8I3_f7gDQ

[D82]

^ Interesting that Luca's parents also go to the surface to look for him and we'll see their human versions. I wonder if Luca will recognize them and vice versa.

Here's another clip titled "Sea Monsters" and a featurette about the film's setting.

By the way, critics have already posted their first reactions on social media. Here are some of them. They're quite positive, but more than one critic says Luca is not top-tier Pixar, so most likely it won't be the film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature next year. I guess it's a bit smaller in scale than usual for Pixar, probably more similar to Onward, for example, than to Soul. I loved Onward though, even more than Soul, and I kind of expected this, so it doesn't make me any less excited for the film. The embargo for the full reviews lifts on June 16, just two days before the film is released. That's exactly the same they did with Cruella.

At least one US theater will be showing Luca:

“Luca” Heads to El Capitan Theatre for an Exclusive Theatrical Engagement From June 18 – 24
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/20 ... n-theatre/

It's great that some people in the US will have that option. I envy those lucky moviegoers.

I'm really excited for this film!

Me too. I can't believe it opens next week!

More queerbaiting. I thought Pixar was above this but forgot the same evil overlord that leads Disney is also in charge of this.

I think the fact that it's set in the Italian Riviera like Call Me by Your Name is what made people expect a gay romance from the film. If it hadn't been set there, probably it would've been treated like any other movie about a friendship between two kids. Also, both the story and the setting are very personal to the film's director, so I doubt it's queerbaiting on this occasion.

[Disney's Divinity]

I think there are a lot of reasons people wondered that. The story itself, that they are hunted creatures, perceived monsters, who have to "hide" in plain sight, for example. The fact that Disney themselves push diversity in everything these days is another reason people had hope that this might (finally) be the case of LGBT protagonists. Also, jmo, but a lot of it was the way the characters look and interact with one another in most of the pre-release material. *shrug* Both this and Raya feel like they're right there on the precipice, which makes it so bittersweet; I'm hoping that might change with Raya in a multi-sequel franchise / trilogy (similar to how Legend of Korra didn't reveal its romance until the very end). I didn't even think about how it's being released during Pride month. That almost makes me think Disney is queerbaiting in a way, intentionally hinting at something LGBT viewers would see in this film's advertisements while being too cowardly to go the full mile with the film itself.

[D82]

OK, you have a point there. The characters being perceived as monsters or having to hide in plain sight didn't occur to me, and you're probably right that now that Disney is pushing diversity people have higher hopes they could finally get LGBT protagonists. The way the characters interact with each other doesn't give me that vibe at all, but maybe it's just me. With Raya though, I do think they intentionally added that element and were queerbaiting, as even Kelly Marie Tran said in interviews she thought there was something between the two characters. Casarosa, on the other hand, has only denied it again and again, and as I said, since the two characters are based so much on him and his best friend growing up, I don't think he has included that element here. The characters in Raya also doesn't dress or act too femininely or have typical female interests (quite the opposite, actually) while Luca and Alberto are very into Vespas, for example, which is a typical male hobby. I'm not saying they couldn't be gay in spite of that or the opposite could be true in the case of Raya, but in my opinion, they aren't hinting at an LGBT relationship here as much as in Raya. As for it being released during Pride month, I think it's most likely just a coincidence, as most Pixar films are released in June.

[D82]

New Japanese trailer featuring lots of new footage, including some towards the end that I think might be a bit spoilery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE_6HCwwlao

Preview of the end credits song for Japan, which is a cover of a Japanese song from 1990 called "Boyhood Days": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grg8E2S8vFI

And new clip featuring the film's villain, Ercole Visconti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1ibFdg_jY

[blackcauldron85]

91% Fresh with 74 reviews!
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/luca_2021

The LaughingPlace.com review is out, and the movie sounds GREAT! ([MINOR] SPOILERS ALERT!)
https://www.laughingplace.com/w/article ... ie-review/

Not really a spoiler, but just in case: "there are so many laugh-out-loud moments in Luca that it leaves you feeling elated and content, one of Pixar’s funniest films."

*edit* Cartoon Brew says: "Easily The Best Pixar Movie Since ‘Coco’"
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/reviews-2/l ... 06095.html

[Farerb]

Luca was really good, it might be simple and not as "ambitious" as other Pixar films, but it's full of charm and innocence, and really funny too, especially the cat. I really loved it but I know some would look down upon it.. oh well.

The only thing I wished they did was they really had a great opportunity to do an easter egg of DISNEY's Pinocchio, but instead they did different designs.

By the way, there's a scene after the credits.

[D82]

I'm glad you liked it, Farerb! And thanks for the heads up about the end credits scene! I'm also glad the movie's getting such good reviews! I was fearing the Rotten Tomatoes' score would be lower, but thankfully I was wrong. I can't wait to watch it!

I also wanted to apologize if my comment regarding the possible queer elements in the film offended anyone. My intention wasn't to discoutage the people who were hoping to see those elements in the film, but to defend Pixar, as I thought they were unfairly accused of queerbaiting in this case. And that was just my opinion; I could be wrong about it.

By the way, if there are some spelling mistakes in my post it's because I'm writing with my phone (for the first time) and I'm not used to it. I think you once said you write all your posts on your phone, Farerb. Is that right? I don't know how you can do it, I personally find it quite difficult. I've lost count of how many times I've yelled at my phone writing this post.

[Farerb]

I really hope you like it

I don't know how I do it... I guess ever since I had a smartphone I got used to do almost everything with it, especially forums and social media, I sometimes use a computer for it, but not much. I usually use a computer mainly for programming and ripping video and audio files.

[Marce82]

I literally JUST now finished watching Luca. I will keep my comments spoiler free.

Hmmm... it was ok. It wasn't great. I found the first act particularly weak... there is such little world and character development, so little happens in the first 20 minutes. It's especially jarring cause the themes are very similar to The Little Mermaid... only that film handled the entire plot and internal logic much better than this one.

The film gets a lot better as it goes... by the third act, it's pretty good.

Needless to say, visually the movie is BEAUTIFUL. Animation, art direction... the score is also great. When I got to the ending, there was one plot element that felt like a missed opportunity. And the ending kinda doesn't make sense.

I think it's tough to mix such fantastical elements with a film so set in our contemporary reality. Sadly, it falls into similar traps that Onward did... can't explain cause... spoilers!

Now, I have heard many reviewers compare it to The Good Dinosaur... and no. This movie is WAY WAY WAY better than that. It's sort of on the lower end of mid-ranger Pixar. But better than Cars 2 and 3, Brave, TGD... heck, I will probably watch this movie again before I re-watch soul.

[Clindor]

Just saw the movie, and I'm kind of in love that it!!! It is very atmospheric. It is very centered around children (adult parts are intentionally really secondary when not nearly forgettable). I really wonder how comes Pixar is sooooo good at depicting children? It's amazing, really good and faithful: their qualities, their behaviours, their relationships with others, and their flaws. I was already very respectful with what was done with Coco, but I think Luca goes even beyond that. This film will bring you memories of your past childhood! The dialogues are very well written, efficient and sincere especially towards the end. Surprisingly (and not surprisingly) this movie is a tearjerker (or at least it works on me when other Pixar movies don't).
As speculated, this movie is also queerbaiting but I mean it in a good way! (those who want to see it and draw parallels can, this is an open door!): at some point and almost until the end the plot reminded me a lot of DreamWorks' The Road to El Dorado (those who saw the film know what I'm talking about )
At first I thought that the resolution (I'm only speaking here about the part when the sea monsters become accepted among the humans) is a tiny bit rushed, but actually, from an artistic point of view, it totally fits the rest of the film with its tone! --> This is a world seen through the eyes of children! So, on second thought it actually works somehow. And it's done with a nice sense of humour too
It isn't epic as other recent animated films but clearly it isn't the point here. The choice here is to create a great atmosthere, and an emotional path for the characters who live in it! That's a great choice, and it's safe to say they really succeeded in that!
I'm impressed with Enrico Casarosa work, and I'm looking forward to see what he'll do next!
The visuals, what can I say? the backgrounds are mindblowing, just as the trailers promised it would be, the camera movements are delightful! The feels of summertime in Europe are incredible and realistic! This is the kind of movie I could be regularly rewatching with pleasure every year at the same time around summer
If I had one criticism towards the film, it would about the underwater world: it is pretty lame (I guess one can say it is the point as we experience it through Luca's perspective and we need a reason to quickly move the plot forward so we may get rid of it, but even to that extend they could have tried a little harder to entertain us ^^: the audience ) and the daily routile of Luca being some kind of an underwater shepherd gave me some The Good Dinosaur vibes which is not too good ^^ yet luckily it doesn't last. It's a bit of a shame the film has to begin with this I think, it could lose some, but meh.

[blackcauldron85]

I'm impressed with Enrico Casarosa work, and I'm looking forward to see what he'll do next!

Yes, I agree!

The score stood out to me- very well done, very fun music all around.

I really, really, really loved this film! In my Top 5 favorite Pixar films for sure. I laughed (a lot), a cried (a little), and I was on the edge of my seat (I avoided spoilers on this film, which I don't always do, so that contributed to the excitement I suppose). A very beautiful, colorful film, with so much humor and heart. So, so, so good.

[rodrigo_ca]

Whenever I watch a new Pixar movie, LUCA is what I hope to see. It doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to answer the most fundamental questions of our lives, but it has to be charming and so, so fun. Luca is so beautiful to watch and its story is not a grandiose thing, it's small and contained but it's so marvelous. It might be my favourite Pixar film. I cried lots and lots (ands LOTS) of tears because of this movie. The last few Pixar movies failed short for me because it always felt like they were trying to outdo themselves and go bigger and bolder and there's only so much big you can go. Luca is the other way around and that's what makes it practically perfect.

I was afraid of the competitionelement when I first heard about it, but it fits so nicely into the movie. Oh my gosh, I'm in love. And the three kids are so beautiful and cute I want their toys. I was afraid I was gonna dislike Giulia, especially as she was introduced so "late" on the marketing but oh gosh she's amazing.

I think male friendship like that are kinda not as represented on screen, so I get what Enrico was going for, but I can't help but to notice that the movie fits very nicely for a homophobia metaphore especially with Grandma's line at the end. I never expected any kind of actual romance between Luca and Alberto because kids wouldn't demonstrate affection like that (I certainly wouldn't at that age), and for me its fine if the director never actually intended to include that in the movie ot if other people don't see it like that, but for me that what it's about.

I actually prefer something that works like a metaphore but doesn't try to sell itself as a beacon of "woke representation" (for a lack of a better term) than a breadcrumb that does try that like Loki being gender fluid because that's what's written on a paper that appears on screen for 3 seconds.

It's interesting that you say you didn't see Luca like that, D82, but did with Raya, because for me it was exactly the other way around! I didn't notice anything between them on Raya and still have trouble figuring out what people meant by that haha

[Farerb]

I agree with everything you said, rodrigo_ca, and I also want to add that one of the things I really like about this film is that it has an original story but also an original execution. It doesn't follow the usual Pixar formula and I found it extremely refreshing, it's less calculated which makes the emotions much more sincere in my opinion. A lot of people mentioned the Miyazaki influence and it's there, but it also felt like something Walt Disney would have released back in the 50's-60's and just like he said: “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be six or sixty.” and this is what this film was. I love it.

[Widdi]

Just finished watching it. It was... ok. Very slow in the beginning, with no world building at all. I wanted to know more about the sea-monsters society. Why do they turn into humans on the surface, what is life like under the water, why are Luca's parents so anti-surface? They kinda answer the last one, but it's a very lazy answer, and it doesn't make sense with the actions of other characters like Luca's Grandmother. I found the borrowing from Little Mermaid and The Lion King to be extremely heavy handed. Alberto's storyline really left me wanting more, and not in the good way. I didn't find the race storyline to be all the particularly interesting. It definitely had cute moments and Luca and Giulia are likeable enough to keep watching in spite of a very weak story. The cat in particular was a delight. Pixar has really been nailing cats lately.

I don't get the queerbaiting criticism I keep seeing. Luca and Alberto are both fairly young children, definitely pre-pubescent, though they come across a bit older than they are because kids always do when they are main characters in a movie, but there is no need to put any sort of romantic twist on their friendship. Kids of the same gender are friends in real life all the time. If they were both adults I could maybe see it, but these are kids... stop sexualizing them.

I'd give it a 6/10. I don't think it will be a movie I revist anytime soon.