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  • Warning: Spoilers
    Luca is a great Pixar movie! It may not be groundbreaking or revolutionary for its genre, but it is still highly enjoyable. The story is interesting enough to make one care about what will happen next, even though one should not expect events that are outside of Pixar's comfort zone.

    I did not cry at several highly liked movies of Pixar (e.g., Coco, Inside Out) and, fair enough, I did not cry at this movie either. However, I had a lump in my throat during the emotional scenes of Luca. For me, it is one of the more enjoyable Pixar movies, but I guess it is just a matter of personal taste in the end. So, please watch it yourself, and then decide whether the abundance of 1-star reviews is justfied! :)

    P. S. I really like the Roman Holiday references in this movie! Maybe Luca shares some similarities with Elio? ;)
  • Stop it Pixar! Just stop it! Even the simplest stories are becoming masterpieces in the hands of Pixar. I don't know how they do it. It doesn't take the emotions risks like an Inside Out or Soul, nor is it a masterpiece of a screenplay like the Toy Story franchise, but boy oh boy I love it. Probably, its biggest flaw is also it's strength. It doesn't try to be the next masterpiece. It's Luca. It's a fun crowd pleaser with the typical Pixar emotional moments. It doesn't brake boundaries, but that's okay for me. For what it is, it's perfect! The story is sweet, and the characters are charming and lovely with real development. Yes, the story is a little predictable at times, but it doesn't bother the story much for me. I also love that the villain is the complete opposite of a twist villain. From the moment he pops on screen, you know he's the baddy, and he fits the movie very well. What makes this movie stand out, are the visuals. Holy crap, this movie is gorgeous! Literally the most beautiful movie I've seen this year so far. Also, the score, holy crap. Everything fits with the beautiful country that is Italy. I already know a lot of people will think it fits too much in the Pixar formula, but what can I see. The formula works, so why change it. It has his flaws, and it probably is not the next Pixar masterpiece, but it does work perfectly for what it is.
  • "Luca" isn't one of the deeper Pixar releases but it did have one thing that made it stand out for me...I liked it. The characters were enjoyable and the story, though simple, was delightful.

    The plot is actually much like Disney's "The Little Mermaid". It's about some undersea creatures much like Selkies from Norse mythology...though the story is set in Italy. Luca is one of these creatures and although he doesn't know it, like a Selkie, he can turn human when he leaves the water. At first, he's scared when he discovers this, but when he meets Alberto, another such creature who has chosen to live on land, the pair become friends and soon go to the town of Portorosso. There, they make friends with Giulia as well as meet the town bully and all around jerk, Ercole. What's next? See the film.

    Slight is definitely the word for this film. But its sweetness and characters made it a hit for me...and I nearly gave it a 9. Well worth seeing and a story with a nice message.
  • Beautiful animation and a story of live and friendship. This is a wonderful film with a somewhat predictable plot but at a short runtime, it's a pleasure to spend time in this universe. Appeals to all ages and has a unique story telling perspective.
  • Such a good story! Honest, Kind and simply Intelligent! Nothing irrelevant, nothing boring or whatever what makes people upset about any movie. Great plot and characters, lots of valuable significations. Also, good fun, not like a lot of jokes, but when they come - it's right at the point. Moreover, lots of pleasurable warm summer feelings. And yeah, I'm here not to glorify a motion picture, I'm here since I liked and enjoyed it fully and truthfully.

    "Well kaka" :)
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Pixar never ceases to amaze me, every story they do is different and follows a different way to tell the story, and I like this one pretty much!

    I really enjoyed Luca's and Alberto's friendship, but it can start a little weird, but at the end, it's all worthy. Later, when Guilia appears, it also shows a beautiful friendship between her and Luca, sadly Alberto kind of never fit in that friendship, but the story needed this.

    I like Ercole very much, it's not a classic villain, he's just a bully that wants to be number one and that's it, some people are like that, but at the end, he gets what he deserves. I can see how people may not like him because he's simple, but he was different from other Pixar's villains, and it was a way to make a change from the classy villains that we normally see.

    I was grateful that Massimo's character was like Pixar delivered, in the sneak speak I saw him a little tough and I thought he would stay like that but luckily he did not, he really love Alberto, he even went to look for him, I think he kind of represented the father Alberto never had, and this makes me so happy, because after seeing him in the island telling how his dad abandoned him, was just too heartbrokening (also that part was really good, because we got to go a little deep into the character and understand where he is coming from, which made me emotional) I personally didn't like too much when Luca started imaginating things in his head but it was necessary to look how his interests change or the part that his parents played, they were funny, but it's like they changed theirs minds too fast from the beginning to the end, but after all, I don't think any part of the film is unnecessary.

    The comedy was great, the animation stunning, and to see how Luca and Alberto became friends and went through being scared of who they were and to finally let it go to reach their goals, was worth the one hour and forty one minutes.

    It was simple, nothing too elaborated, but sometimes is good to see a movie being simple, it doesn't drive you nuts to remember thousands of thing that will later reappeared in the film, so don't have TOO high expectations for it, just watch it on a Saturday when it's raining and you will truly enjoy it.
  • Sadly enough It's the same old Disney formula that we are used to, for some reason Disney/Pixar keep churning out these beautifully crafted pieces of animated art with the most wild and unique settings but somehow keep opting for the most predictable and cliche storytelling in their arsenal.

    And yes, you can have the argument that it is a movie primarily focussed for kids, but I'd say that's not an excuse to keep coming back to the same cookie cutter storyline. Not every Disney movie needs to be about friendship and acceptance.

    Having that said the movie is still beautifully made and even makes you crack a smile at times. I love the Italian setting they went for and the voice action is superb. I especially liked the voice acting of Giulia done by Emma Berman.

    It's a fun lighthearted movie, but that's about it. I'd still recommend it if you just want to sit back and relax or of course to watch with your children.

    7/10, if you play it safe, you will never stand out.

    Oh, and I loved the cat.
  • Coming from a place which is very close to Cinque Terre (where the imaginary Porto Rosso is meant to be part of) I watched the movie with a lot of expectations: well I must say that I have really enjoyed it: the story is nice, the main characters are enjoyable and both the location and the scenery have been well described (assuming we are talking about the '60s).

    The soundtrack in the Italian version of the movie was very nice as well.

    Well done Pixar!
  • AndreaWeaver122 February 2022
    This movie is so beautiful to watch, the colors and textures are outstanding. Everything about this film is heartwarming and poignant. Of course I cried when I watched it, I have a soul. Music? 100%. Message? 100%. Visuals? 100%. Kids and adults can watch this and appreciate something about it.
  • Just got out of a showing at the first day of screening of this film at a cinema in Israel with my family. Firstly, this film is perfectly made on the technical side. Everything looks beautiful and fully immerses you into the world created as if it were real. Underwater shots as well as shots of the city. The story is not completely unique, a "fish out of water", a story of a character learning and developing -- overcoming adversity as well as self doubt. A classic worth telling and it is a good feel good story with well defined characters, each helping the story move along. I think emotionally, this story gives a lot of things to think about and the communication between characters, Luca and his friends, are very well written and very believable even though we're dealing where the fantasy part (becoming a "sea monster") is an occurrence. If I have to nit-pick, I would say that the film on one hand shows that dangerous things could be dangers but also that it is important to confront your fears -- perhaps in an instance or two it might have been good to add a band-aid or something to make it slightly clearer that a character went a little too far. Overall, though, this is not an issue to worry about. I don't think any kid is going to jump off a cliff because of this movie and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for good character building with an arc. It is not Shawshank, or Empire of the Sun, but it is a lovely movie. Very happy this was my first film-house visit after the pandemic.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Luca is Disney's latest animated film from Pixar featuring the voice talents of Jacob Trembaly(Wonder),Jack Dylan Grazer(Shazam),Emma Berman,Staverton Raimondo,Maya Rudolph (Bridemaids) and Jim Gaffigan(13 Going On 30).

    Set in Italy the movie focuses on a young sea monster named Luca(Tremblay) who meets a mysterious boy named Alberto(Dylan Grazer) from the dry surface. However when its revealed that Alberto is also a sea monster in disguise, Luca decides to step out of the water and venture onto dry land as a human boy. The two later become best friends and they meet a young girl named Giulia(Berman) who has no idea that the two boys are sea monsters. The question though is will their secret get exposed?

    Overall I thought it was a nice film. The plot has been done to death as it reminds me of The Little Mermaid meets Splash as its a fish out of water film only the setting in this film Luca is in Italy instead of New York City or Denmark.

    Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan voice Luca's parents along with Sacha Baron Coen as Luca's uncle along with Saverio Raimondo who voices the villian Ercole Visconti.

    What I liked about the film was about acceptance in the world and not to be afraid to show people who you are.

    Keep your ears open for celebirty chief Gino D'Campo as the voice of an italian priest.
  • Pixar never fails to impress 👌🏻. Another Animated film with an interesting story that will make you stay interested, throughout the film.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    This cartoon is this easy to understand and not pretentious kind of stories which you can enjoy if you just want to relax. It isn't typical Pixar masterpiece which tries to blow your mind. It's just what it seems.

    Story about little kids with their little dreams. In the really cozy and bold decorations of a small Italian town near the sea. With this bold shiny and expressive animation which fits there very good. All of this parts create warm atmosphere and you just belive these drawn kids somehow.

    There are some problems with the plot. It's quite predictable if you have watched more than two Disney movies and sometimes there are questions. For example how people stopped hating their fish enemies so fast? But sometimes we can just forget about that and enjoy the atmosphere.

    I think this cartoon is a good choice if you want to watch something with kids or want to forget about your problems on a long and cold evening. Just try to give it a chance.
  • Disney rehashes pretty obvious story elements from its other oceanic based films The Little Mermaid and Moana as well as The Fox & The Hound; there just isn't much novelty to the story. While I love the actors involved (Jack Dylan Grazer really shines as one of Disney's most seamlessly funny comic relief characters), they did a much worse job than a film like Coco of blending languages in a way that is both appealing and purposeful, especially with the choice of American actors.

    While the film has some fun Studio Ghibli vibes in the style, it takes a half-baked approach to doing a more foreign style film because they still want to appeal heavily to their U. S. base audience. I love the director's work in this project, especially as the one whose personal life heavily influenced the interesting summer friendship dynamic. The design of the movie is pretty great, but the overly simple plot and overtly familiar story trends make it more narrowly appealing to a much younger audience than it could have been. It carries the extraordinarily dumbed down adult trope to a level I haven't seen since 90s Nickelodeon. While the aim seems to be to promote a theme of nondiscriminatory inclusivity, the simplistic nature of the film mostly serves to dampen a lot of credibility to the motivations of its characters.

    I have read comments from people elsewhere that they were unsure of the film's quality within the first 10 minutes, but soon came around to really enjoying it. However, the awkward and rushed start can definitely serve as an off-putting exposition that doesn't draw the viewer into the story.
  • Really enjoyed. Stunning animation. Loved colors and Italian style. Beautiful scene's.... especially Saturn scene. Story very simple but anyway it's worth it.
  • Have loved Pixar for years, well ever since seeing the first two 'Toy Story' films and 'A Bug's Life' when they first came out. Pre-2010 their films were consistently never less than very good and their best efforts outstanding. Pixar did start to vary post-2010, especially in the sequels, but the past seven years or so has seen some of their best work in 'Inside Out', 'Coco' and 'Soul'. Did like the concept for 'Luca', even if it was not a creative one.

    'Luca' turned out to be very, very charming and very high quality. It is not one of Pixar's best films by all means, other films of theirs are more creative conceptually and deeper and more complex emotionally and is not as good as their previous two films 'Soul' and 'Onward'. At the same time, there is more than enough to 'Luca' to stop it from being lesser Pixar, a list that includes most of the sequels post-2010 and 'The Good Dinosaur'.

    There is not an awful lot that is wrong with 'Luca'. It is very slight and takes its time to get going.

    Also thought that the portrayal of the bullies was overdone and on the stereotypical side.

    On the other hand, the animation is stunning. Especially the vibrant colours and beautiful Italian landscapes, while the characters expressions and movements are nuanced and natural. The music is a nice mix of stirringly upbeat and poignant-sounding in the quieter moments. As well as having an affectionately Italianate sound. The script is smart and knows its target audience without trying too hard to appeal to them or anybody outside it. The humour is genuinely amusing, while there is plenty of heart without being too sentimental.

    While the story is slight and not perfectly paced, it makes great nostalgic use of the Italian setting and doesn't resort too much to cultural stereotyping. Appreciated its handling of the messaging too, the messages are great and relatable ones that have a lot of resonance and relevance that could easily have been preachy but not once does the messages of loyalty, friendship and respect feel forced or condescending. There are plenty of sight gags that come thick and fast and they are genuinely funny, but there is a warm heart and poignancy too. Particularly in the friendship between the three leads. The characters are worth engaging with, only the bullies don't quite come off, while the climax has plenty of excitement. The voice acting is dynamic and emotive with the accents not coming over as too stereotyped.

    In conclusion, very good. 8/10.
  • gohannak10 February 2022
    Warning: Spoilers
    The main issue I have with Luca is that Ercole doesn't get the punishment he deserves. He not only harassed them the whole movie, but literally tries to kill Luca and Alberto multiple times and for some reason the only thing he gets is pushed into a fountain? I understand they're kids in the movie, but it's still feels very unjustified.

    Also it's never really clear why his mother specifically hates the surface so much? We can see they do try to kill him, but from how strict she was about it I thought it'd be more personal.

    And while it is a simple story about being yourself, I can see why people read it as a coming out story. Especially since it's mainly about having to hide yourself and having what you are conflict with everything you want to do.

    But I gave Luca a 6 for the fact that they decided to stylize it different form the other Pixar movies. I love all the different textures and wacky shapes they used, I'm a sucker for stylization and I think it helps make a movie way more memorable when it can pop out from everyone else trying to be realistic.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    While normally I'm partial to Disney's happily ever after rather than Pixar's plot twists with happy but emotional ending Pixar has now created a beautiful picture that captured my laughter bitter sweet sadness and all while making me want to go to the Italy pavilion in EPCOT. Between Luca finding him self wanting to experience human things, Albertos troubled past, and Giulia's tenacity to win the race this heartfelt message was truly a must see!
  • theredsky26 June 2021
    Cute at the moment but ultimately forgettable. Luca is another big step in terms of visuals for Pixar. The movie looks and sounds absolutely phenomenal. This, Soul, and Coco are probably the best looking Pixar films ever. The score is really fun and works well with the film and the sound design is phenomenal. However, I can't let the animation blind me to the fact that the story and characters are very subpar. Luca and Alberto have good voice actors doing a good job with the material but their character development is thin and generic for a Pixar movie. I don't remember a whole lot about their characters other than they are fish people. All of the other characters felt one note especially the villain who is awful. The villain has absolutely no development, motivation, or interesting backstory compared to any other Pixar film and it sucks because Pixar has cranked out some fantastic villains. This story feels very generic and has very low stakes. There isn't anything wrong with a low stakes story but it needs to have a solid story built around it and this doesn't really have a solid story. Events just kinda happen and they form a story but there isn't anything deeper than that. It has some good themes of acceptance and belonging but they feel one note and not explored enough. I ultimately found myself getting bored at points which usually doesn't happen with Pixar. While Luca can excel in its visuals, music, sound design, and voice acting, it ultimately doesn't have a lot more to offer than that. If you like Pixar then check this out but don't expect it to be the next Ratatouille.
  • lesbians4luisa3 February 2022
    Easily one of the best movies I've ever watched in years! I love how the story manages to be adorable and innocent, yet touching at the same time!

    (Definitely gives me closeted queer vibes and I absolutely dig it!)
  • I absolutely loved Luca so much! The characters are fantastic! I loved Luca as a character and all of the characters are fantastic love all of them, expect for the villain. The villain is pretty weak. The plot is simple but fantastic. I love the whole Italian esthetic so much. Luca's parents are some of my favorite characters in this film. The film is kind of slow at the beginning but once they reach the town which is named after the Studio Ghibli movie Porco Rosso, the film really really picks up. The ending at the train station was one of the best Pixar movie endings ever and I loved it because I cared about the relationship between Luca and Alberto. I loved the ending and it made me sad but happy at the same time. The film looks absolutely beautiful like most Pixar movies but I thought that the entire film looks just beautiful. I just love that this film takes place in Italy. Luca is amazing and I loved every second of it. Please see Luca!
  • As always, today animation cartoon always bring so much great details.

    The story it self was great for me, they cover all of the aspect, bravery, comfort zone, friendship, a little bit parenting. The story succeed every-time they try to make this movie seems have increase tentions, they close it with a good portion of fun. Luca and Alberto shows all we been through with our best friend, separate. But, its not always a bad thing.

    That last scene also have powerfull feels. Good job, really good job.
  • The graphics and the landscapes are amazing. The staging of the Cinque Terre is perfect. Having been there several times, I can assure that everything is spot on.

    Having said that, I found the story unconvincing and predictable. The most interesting character (the antagonist, Ercole) is not described in depth; devoting more time to him, his two buddies and their motives could have made the movie better. The same could have been done for Alberto and the relationship with Luca. Where does Alberto come from? For most of the movie, scene after scene, the focus is the two protagonists trying to escape water not to be discovered and this gets boring very soon. On the other hand very little time is devoted to the final competition itself. The last part seems rushed and leaves you underwhelmed. The concept itself of these sea creatures becoming humans didn't impress me.

    Overall the movie has great animation skills, amazing artistic qualities but sadly a poor story.
  • This story is set at the coastline of Italy. The concept is, if these fish go onto land they transition from their fish form into what appears to be a human form. So a young fish, tired of the rules of his parents, goes on land and meets a similar young fish, but both of them take the forms of young boys.

    There are a number of interesting elements, most surrounding a yearly race, and the two young fish converts befriended a young red-haired girl.

    The story gets enough complex that it is hard to describe in a few words, but the writing and animation teams did a superb job of pulling it all together and keeping it interesting.

    My wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library, and we laughter often. In total it is just a super entertaining animated feature.
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Ok Luca: you made it to the end too easily. Ie BORING movie

    main thing: what does he want? To explore the world. Ok ok.

    Forces to stop him? His parents are too weak, he walks away easily.

    The boundaries of his world? Not a big deal, just jump on the surface and done.

    Need to learn walking? Sure.. in a few min and voila! Done.

    Then the Vespa. The antagonist? A laughable kid. Problems to solve? To win a race (which we know they will win, of course!)

    too predictable. It's funny here and there, but utterly shallow.

    The ending is weird: everyone in town accepts the monsters... really? No one tries to kill them?

    Also: the fact their clothes are wet but somehow this doesnt affect their bodies.
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