IN BRIEF: The book may be a letdown, but the visual look of the film is stunning.
JIM'S REVIEW: (RECOMMENDED) Enrico Casarosa makes an impressive directorial debut in his animated film, Luca, which celebrates an Italy of long ago. With its nostalgic yearning of a simple small town life and its cultural traditions, the film, circa the mid-50's, tells its sweet story of two misfits who happen to be sea monsters masquerading as humans, that is, as long as the conditions are dry. It seems that water thwarts their disguises and seems to convert them back to their fluorescently-colored scaly selves. No, they won't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, but H2O is still a dreaded enemy, although they dry awfully quick.
The screenplay by Jesse Andrews, Simon Stephenson, and the director follow their misadventures in our real world of land monsters. One summer, Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) befriends another sea monster teenager named Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) and they spend their days exploring the sun-drenched coastal town of Portorosso, dreaming about owning a Vespa and traveling the Italian Rivera. As luck would have it, they meet an outsider named Giulia (Emma Berman) who is entering a local race, a triathlon with enough prize money to buy this retro scooter. The film's main flaw is a story so slight, with some detours into Luca's dream world that do little to advance the plot, except pad the screen time.
Fortunately, the Pixar artistry is there. With wonderful details to the Mediterranean setting and underwater world, the film is quite lovely to behold. Seas glimmer, tides ripple, and fish scales move with the ebb and flow. The color palette is alive with vibrant aquas and greens and the town contrasts with its russets and orange tones. Character design is also strong and expressive. While Luca is a tad bland as our cute hero, the mostly colorful character happens to be the town bully and Luca's chief competitor in the race, Ercole Visconti (a scene-stealing Saverio Raimondo). Other characters' designs are memorable as well.
Voiceover work remains good but uneven. The thick Italian accents come and go depending on the characters, which seemed too inconsistent for this reviewer. The aforementioned Mr. Raimondo and Ms. Berman are terrific, as is Mr. Grazer and Mr. Tremblay, but other vocal duties are only adequate and fail to bring their characters to life. As Luca's worrisome parents, the usually reliable comedians, Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan, could have delivered more color to their brightly-hued counterparts. Sacha Baron Cohen has a small but indistinguishable part as a creepy Uncle Ugo that lacks real humor.
Luca is a good sentimental family fare for young and old. Its positive view of diversity and inclusion might be rote, but its message is still timely. This fish out of water tale truly entertains and will captivate the younger set. But as ground-breaking and innovative as most Pixar movies usually are, Luca doesn't make waves. In fact, the filmmakers play it too safe in their storytelling. But it is a simply told tale with enough visual beauty to satisfy most moviegoers, including me. (GRADE: B)
JIM'S REVIEW: (RECOMMENDED) Enrico Casarosa makes an impressive directorial debut in his animated film, Luca, which celebrates an Italy of long ago. With its nostalgic yearning of a simple small town life and its cultural traditions, the film, circa the mid-50's, tells its sweet story of two misfits who happen to be sea monsters masquerading as humans, that is, as long as the conditions are dry. It seems that water thwarts their disguises and seems to convert them back to their fluorescently-colored scaly selves. No, they won't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, but H2O is still a dreaded enemy, although they dry awfully quick.
The screenplay by Jesse Andrews, Simon Stephenson, and the director follow their misadventures in our real world of land monsters. One summer, Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) befriends another sea monster teenager named Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) and they spend their days exploring the sun-drenched coastal town of Portorosso, dreaming about owning a Vespa and traveling the Italian Rivera. As luck would have it, they meet an outsider named Giulia (Emma Berman) who is entering a local race, a triathlon with enough prize money to buy this retro scooter. The film's main flaw is a story so slight, with some detours into Luca's dream world that do little to advance the plot, except pad the screen time.
Fortunately, the Pixar artistry is there. With wonderful details to the Mediterranean setting and underwater world, the film is quite lovely to behold. Seas glimmer, tides ripple, and fish scales move with the ebb and flow. The color palette is alive with vibrant aquas and greens and the town contrasts with its russets and orange tones. Character design is also strong and expressive. While Luca is a tad bland as our cute hero, the mostly colorful character happens to be the town bully and Luca's chief competitor in the race, Ercole Visconti (a scene-stealing Saverio Raimondo). Other characters' designs are memorable as well.
Voiceover work remains good but uneven. The thick Italian accents come and go depending on the characters, which seemed too inconsistent for this reviewer. The aforementioned Mr. Raimondo and Ms. Berman are terrific, as is Mr. Grazer and Mr. Tremblay, but other vocal duties are only adequate and fail to bring their characters to life. As Luca's worrisome parents, the usually reliable comedians, Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan, could have delivered more color to their brightly-hued counterparts. Sacha Baron Cohen has a small but indistinguishable part as a creepy Uncle Ugo that lacks real humor.
Luca is a good sentimental family fare for young and old. Its positive view of diversity and inclusion might be rote, but its message is still timely. This fish out of water tale truly entertains and will captivate the younger set. But as ground-breaking and innovative as most Pixar movies usually are, Luca doesn't make waves. In fact, the filmmakers play it too safe in their storytelling. But it is a simply told tale with enough visual beauty to satisfy most moviegoers, including me. (GRADE: B)