Luca

[Sotiris]

Catherine Apple is currently editing Pixar’s Italy-set Luca, helmed by Academy Award nominated Enrico Casarosa (La Luna), slated for a June 18, 2021 release.

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behin ... -from-home

[D82]

There's an Easter Egg for Luca in the latest trailer for Soul. Here's the shot where it appears and some info about it:


Source: https://forum.pixarpost.com/post/luca-p ... 1319600548

One thing Pixar fans have also come to expect is an Easter Egg referencing the next Pixar film (in this case, Luca). This one is always harder to find since you often have to validate it after seeing the future film. But, wait no longer as the Easter Egg for Luca, releasing June 18, 2021, has been found.

In the second full-length trailer for Soul which was released on October 14, we spotted an interesting poster that rang a lot of bells in our minds. The seemingly ordinary poster with the words "Visit Portorosso" is featured inside the "Go Far Travel" travel agency as Joe walks along the New York Streets.

If you look at the poster, you can see what could be a seaside town along the Italian Riviera — with its bright buildings and proximity to the water (or, sea). Additionally, if you really squint and look, it appears to say, "Fly Luca Airlines" as a nod to the film as well.

But, what really sealed the deal for us was a recent copyright claim which Pixar filed in June (as spotted by an Eagle-eyed Forum user plantthe24) that included the phrase, "LUCA PORTOROSSO, ISOLA DEL MARE, THE PIAZZA."

It was speculated online that the title character's last name may be Portorosso, but the poster leans towards Portorosso being the name of the city — especially since Isola Del Mare translates to "Island of the Sea."

We couldn't help but wonder if the poster was painted by Luca director, Enrico Casarosa, who is known for his beautiful watercolors. He even painted many of the real backgrounds in his short film, La Luna.

Source: https://www.pixarpost.com/2020/10/pixar ... -soul.html

On Pixar's official website, the synopsis says that both Luca and his friend are sea monsters. Is this an error or is this supposed to be the twist in the story?

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s original feature film “Luca” is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

Source: https://www.pixar.com/upcoming

It seems it wasn't a typo:

We have confirmed with Pixar that the longline listed on Pixar‘s site is the correct announcement! They are both sea monsters - Whoa! Interesting!

Source: https://forum.pixarpost.com/post/luca-d ... 1312581639

[Sotiris]

There's an Easter Egg for Luca in the latest trailer for Soul.

It's a cute Easter egg. The director tweeted about it too.

It seems it wasn't a typo.

Is it me or is that weird? The way the premise is set up, it doesn't makes sense. Luca is supposed to be an average kid who makes a new friend that has a secret. How can this secret affect Luca and their friendship if he's also a sea monster? Unless, he's unaware he himself is a monster too and discovers it later in the story. That would be an interesting subversion of the trope.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Is it me or is that weird? The way the premise is set up, it doesn't makes sense. Luca is supposed to be an average kid who makes a new friend that has a secret. How can this secret affect Luca and their friendship if he's also a sea monster? Unless, he's unaware he himself is a monster too and discovers it later in the story. That would be an interesting subversion of the trope.

That's what I was thinking it might be, which would be fun to see for sure.

I'm actually kind of excited about this one (and to a lesser extent Soul). I haven't really been "engaged" with Pixar movies for several years now and so it's nice, for me at least, to be interested in some of their projects.

[Sotiris]

That's what I was thinking it might be, which would be fun to see for sure.

But if that's the case, why would they reveal such a twist in a synopsis?

[TheSequelOfDisney]

That's what I was thinking it might be, which would be fun to see for sure.

But if that's the case, why would they reveal such a twist in a synopsis?

It's 2020. There isn't any logic anymore, haha.

[D82]

Is it me or is that weird? The way the premise is set up, it doesn't makes sense. Luca is supposed to be an average kid who makes a new friend that has a secret. How can this secret affect Luca and their friendship if he's also a sea monster? Unless, he's unaware he himself is a monster too and discovers it later in the story. That would be an interesting subversion of the trope.

Personally, when I first read the new synopsis, what I imagined was that both are "disguised" as normal children in order to discover what it's like to be human, and they become friends, but none of them we'll know at first that the other is also a sea monster. I don't know what the conflict would be if that was what happened in the film, though. Either way, I'm more intrigued by this now that it seems the main plot won't be as conventional as it seemed.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I'm curious what "monster" means. Something that looks like the creature from the black lagoon? If they can have the shape of a human child, it can look that bad. Unless it's a gelatinous blob that has taken a human form. But it's still not larger than a child.

[D82]

I'm curious what "monster" means. Something that looks like the creature from the black lagoon? If they can have the shape of a human child, it can look that bad. Unless it's a gelatinous blob that has taken a human form. But it's still not larger than a child.

I don't know why, but I imagined a big creature that looked more monster than human, but probably it'll be something like what you said or like the sea creature in The Shape of Water. And I guess they'll be shapeshifters; otherwise, I don't know how they'll be able to pass for humans.

[UmbrellaFish]

I'm curious what "monster" means. Something that looks like the creature from the black lagoon? If they can have the shape of a human child, it can look that bad. Unless it's a gelatinous blob that has taken a human form. But it's still not larger than a child.

I’ve been thinking something more... well, almost serpentine. Like one of those Roman statues depicting a dolphin or something... which are scary enough to resemble monsters, IMHO.

[D82]

^The ones in the first two pictures do look scary to me. I wouldn't mind if they looked something like that.

[Sotiris]

ersonally, when I first read the new synopsis, what I imagined was that both are "disguised" as normal children in order to discover what it's like to be human, and they become friends, but none of them we'll know at first that the other is also a sea monster.

Oh, I like your theory better. That possibility never occurred to me. I hope you turn out to be right.

I’ve been thinking something more... well, almost serpentine. Like one of those Roman statues depicting a dolphin or something... which are scary enough to resemble monsters, IMHO.

Those are the stuff of nightmares.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

They could scare children, but I think the mosaics look more like they're furious and full of rage, or evil, than actual monsters. The monsters in this movie will be happy boys who eats lots of pasta and gelato. How evil and angry looking can they be? But if their true shape is very alien, it's understandable that some may be scared of them (or him, if it's just one).
It also depends on how much they plan to follow the laws of nature. Could a small boy actually be a monster the size of an elephant, or does the boy's body mass reflect its real size?

[D82]

We can finally get an idea of what the main characters will look like thanks to the new Pixar documentary series on Disney+ (source):

[Farerb]

It's cute. I like it.

[UmbrellaFish]

How cute! Those pics must be from pre-Covid, no?

Really looking forward to the upcoming slate of Disney and Pixar animated films.

[D82]

More images from this video:

[Rumpelstiltskin]

So it was some creature form the black lagoon thing after all, only a more child friendly version? Makes sense, real monsters would only have been scary for the youngest children (then again, Pixar made a short where a mother eats her surrogate son).

[D82]

Another image from the Pixar documentary. It seems a girl is also friends with Luca and the other boy.


Source: https://twitter.com/InfinitePixar/statu ... 3828687873


By the way, I thought Luca was the blond boy and his friend the dark-haired one, but it seems it's the other way around. Could the last picture be a concept art of Luca's friend in his monster form?


LUCA



LUCA'S FRIEND

[Sotiris]

Thanks for all the updates, D82! Luca's monster form looks cute, but I don't like his human form. I find it too plain and generic. The drawings (and the maquette) of Luca as a sea monster look much more appealing and expressive than the CG model. The model looks a bit uncanny, in my opinion. The other kid's human design looks like something out of Lupin the Third. The style very much reflects the director's artistic sensibilities. The influence of Italian comics and old school anime is filtered through modern trends in character design. I see those circle-shaped eyes and bean-shaped mouth in tons of animated TV shows. I have to admit, it's not my cup of tea, but at least it's something different from Pixar's usual fare. I wonder what Pixar fans think of it. Do they feel it deviates too much from the Pixar house style? Is there even such a thing? I feel like character design in Pixar movies is all over the place. There isn't something uniquely identifiable like there is with Disney.

The pictures you posted prove that Luca's friend is also a sea monster.