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Luca
(Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)
By Lucas Allen
Much like the Oscar-winning “Soul,” the new Pixar animated film “Luca” is, sadly, not playing in theaters, but it’s instead streaming on Disney+, adding to an already exhaustive library of the animation studio’s most memorable titles. Though it’s part of the studio’s continuing commitment to making original films, this film has shades of “Finding Nemo” and “Ratatouille” that any Pixar aficionado can surely spot. Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, your kids will surely not mind it as long as they are simply entertained.
Somewhere underneath the ocean, there exists a race of sea monsters. One of them is a young kid named Luca (Jacob Tremblay) living on the family farm, working hard for his strict mother Daniela (Maya Rudolph) and father Lorenzo (Jim Gaffigan). One day, he finds some human belongings scattered around, then meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), who collects them. Alberto quickly introduces Luca to life above the surface, where they can transform into humans when on dry land. Now friends, the twosome enjoy the joys of living on the land especially when they dream of travelling the world on a Vespa (or motorbike).
But when Luca’s parents find out about his little adventures, they want to send him down to the ocean floor with Uncle Ugo (Sacha Baron Cohen) as punishment. Soon enough, he and Alberto decide to hide out in a nearby Italian village called Portorosso among the other humans. But once there, they’re already bullied by Ercole (Saverio Raimondo), who’s always boasting about being the most popular citizen of the town. They’re then saved by Giulia (Emma Berman), who befriends them before having them live with her father Massimo (Marco Barricelli). However, they don’t realize they’re living in a fishing village with the town constantly hunting for sea monsters.
There’s plenty to like about this film, especially when it once again follows the Pixar formula. It has some likable characters, a simple story, and enough funny moments that makes it a fun experience. But if you stop to think about the story, you’ll find yourself poking holes in its plot as deep as the ocean itself. For example, if the sea monsters knew they can transform into humans on dry land, then why they’re always afraid to live among humans? Sure, it’s just a kids’ film, but even the people behind Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. at least found some semblance of cleverness in such fantastical plots.
The literal fish-out-of-water plot does take a backseat to focus on Giulia’s quest to compete against Ercole in the Portorosso Cup, which is a triathlon consisting of swimming, eating pasta, and bike ride down a treacherous hill. The problem is it doesn’t gel well with the main character’s arc when it crams so much humor, drama, and Italian cuisine into much of the movie. It’s made even worse by the presence of Ercole, who is without a doubt the worst villain in the history of Pixar. He’s just an ego-maniac who annoyingly makes people bow to his feet and prefers greed above all else, which is the type of villain audiences do not care for anymore. If you fondly remember the likes of Sid, Randall, Syndrome, or Al from Al’s Toy Barn; even they would tell him he’s ruining the good name of evildoer.
On the upside, the movie is gorgeously animated with some good voice acting, which is exactly what you can expect from Pixar’s commitment to quality entertainment. Watching the Italian countryside come to life makes you appreciate part of the world we’ve been missing out for the past year. Tremblay, Grazer, and Berman each bring a level of joy and innocence to their performances, while Rudolph, Gaffigan, and Cohen bring their comic styles nicely to their characters.
After “Soul,” “Luca” is simply lesser lightweight Pixar fare that’ll likely disappoint many long-time aficionados. It’s in no way a bad film, but there are some flaws that almost ruin an otherwise entertaining and heartwarming film. It’s on Disney+, so it doesn’t hinder the fun experience it was going for. Let’s hope the next Pixar film will be something special and worthy of seeing it in theaters.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG (for rude humor, language, some thematic elements, and brief violence)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 2.75 Stars (Out of Four)
