Ladies & gentlemen, today, we are going to review the newest entry in the Disney/Pixar library. It was originally supposed to go to theaters originally. However, much like last year’s Soul, Disney/Pixar decided to jump the gun a few months ago, and release straight to Disney+ just a couple weeks ago. Why they didn’t just release it in theaters, with Disney+ Premiere Access like they did with recent films like Raya & The Last Dragon, Cruella, and upcoming films like Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise, is baffling. Regardless, let’s talk about Disney/Pixar’s Luca.
Plot: A 13-year-old sea monster boy named Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) lives in the sea off the Italian coast of Portorosso. He herds goatfish, and is warned by his parents warn him numerous times to never visit the human surface world. But one day, Luca befriends a feisty teenager named Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer), who invites him to the surface world. In the process, they discover that sea monsters can turn human, once their skin is dry. Not to mention that they realize that the human world is full of possibilities. Seeing as this will anger Luca’s parents, he must decide, will he continue to live in the human world, or go back to his life in the sea?
For those of you who have seen the trailers for Luca, you may think that it looks like it’ll be too similar to the popular 1989 Disney film, The Little Mermaid, yes? Well, if you do, that’s understandable. After all, both films have the main character starting off as sea creatures living underwater, as well as parents that forbid their kids from going to the human world. Not to mention certain events that may happen later on. However, that’s where the similarities seem to stop. Disney/Pixar’s Luca basically goes in a whole new direction than The Little Mermaid. I mean for one, we don’t have the Broadway style type of music in this film. However, though that may be the case, the soundtrack is still amazing. So much so that, especially if you like Italian music, or even want to hear a beautiful score by a composer named Dan Romer, then all the more reason that you’re bound to enjoy the music. Not to mention that he ends up making a different style of music from other composers of the past like Randy, or Thomas Newman, Michael Giacchino, or some of the other composers that made music for previous Disney/Pixar films. Additionally, the characters are fun to watch onscreen as well. That is with the possible exception of characters like the cat is owned by one of the humans on land, and Ercole Visconti. Okay, the latter may be good at being the jerk character that he’s supposed to be at points. Still, I’m not sure that he’ll be talked about as much as say Scar, Ursula, Jafar, Dr. Facilier, or even Disney/Pixar films like Hopper, Al, Mr. Waternoose, or some of those guys. Ercole is an okay villain, but he may also come off as a little too one-noted at times. Anyhow, the premise is very creative with the sea monsters being able to turn into humans WITHOUT having to make a deal with a sea witch, or anything like that of the sort. Kudos to Disney/Pixar for that creative idea! Oh, and as I said before, the characters are great, for the most part. That is especially since you have kids who are thinking about life more so than about getting married, falling in love, and things like that. Okay, it’s good to want to get married, but just not think about that until you’re an adult, or even a teenager, you know? As for the story, yes, it may feel predictable at times. But you know what, so have most other animated films made by Disney, or any other animation company for that matter. If the story is still good, why not give a movie like this one a chance, you know? In addition to all of this, the animation is phenomenal. First off, the designs of the characters seemed to differentiate from your typical animated characters from Disney/Pixar. Not only that, but if this film was in theaters, things like the ocean, the rain, and the underwater world would have been really amazing to see in 3D. Oh well! Anyhow, there’s another thing that I should mention. You know how many of Disney/Pixar films have had catchphrases, like “Just keep swimming” (Finding Nemo), “The storm provides” (The Good Dinosaur), or ones like those? Well, Luca is not exception to this rule, in this case, with the “Silenzio Bruno” line. Honestly, it’s most definitely a good one, especially within the context that it’s used in this film. Basically, the catchphrase is a good reminder that people need to learn to silence the voices of lies, discouragement, and any other negative aspects that may silence our hopes, and dreams in our lives. Wow, what an excellent reminder to take from this film!
Now, you may be wondering, if the two Disney/Pixar films that were released just on Disney+ six months from each other, which was better, 2020’s Soul, or 2021’s Luca? Well guys, I’ll be honest, it’s Luca. One of the main reasons why is because Luca had a more interesting, and engaging premise, more likable characters, a story was better paced, as well as more well-crafted, and better soundtrack. If these films had both been released in 2021, and both were to have gotten nominated fir Best Animated Feature, Luca would have most definitely deserved to win more so. Yes, Soul was good, but Luca seemed to overall be more fun in the end.
And that’s my review for Disney/Pixar’s Luca! While it may come off as being similar to films like The Little Mermaid, Luca does well with crafting it’s own story. Even if there were one, or two characters that were just okay, the characters are overall likable, and maybe even memorable, fantastic animation, a fun soundtrack, and some other elements that make this film fun to watch. Why Disney/Pixar didn’t just release this film in theaters, and Disney+ with Premiere Access is a mystery to me. Hopefully the company will go back to at least releasing their future films in theaters, if not do what the company has been doing with movies like Raya & The Last Dragon, and Cruella recently, and go with that format for however long that they ought need to. Definitely see Luca if you haven’t yet. And if you don’t have access to Disney+ yet, definitely try to see it first thing when it’s out on video. You may be surprised by how much enjoyment is in store for this film.
Final Grade: A
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 