Luca, directed by Enrico Casarosa, is the newest addition to the Pixar family and comes splashing in with what seems oddly familiar. Although not the best Pixar movie, Luca proves to be a home run nonetheless. It has heart and brought me so much joy. In the end, it brings out important themes of family, friends and feeling accepted. I applaud this movie! A very wholesome movie from the very start. Hats off to the animation team over at Pixar for creating another beautiful, vibrant and colorful movie. It was pretty hard to disassociate this movie to Finding Nemo for several reasons, but the main reason is the story. Although the story is loosely about his parents trying to find Luca when he runs away, it actually correlates more with the same themes as Nemo goes through. We have now been introduced to so many different protagonists in the Pixar catalog that want to discover something new, dangerous and scary, in order to discover who they are and where they belong. Where Luca stands out, is the theme of be accepted in the world. It tackles this subject at a time that I think a lot of people will appreciate. There are numerous hard hitting lines that left an impact on me that came from the strong writing. The cruel reality of the world we live in is often exposed in this movie. Cleverly weaving a new perspective of Italian culture, Pixar charts these new uncharted territories with ease. From the music, architecture, dialogue and more, I was transported to this Italian coastal town. This movie seems to be a blend of multiple past Pixar movies as well. You definitely get the sense of Coco, in regards of the parents of Luca always wanting to teach him what they think is best for him. This did allow Luca to grow as a character and be able to have a more meaningful resolution at the end of the third act.
The thing I enjoyed the most in this movie is the relationships of friends. Many individuals will be able to determine how they feel about how connected these characters are together. The relationships were always very genuine and pure. Without a doubt this movie is a coming to age story and follows Luca's journey very attentively. This was an amazing element in the story that I thought was very strong. Luca is curious of the unknown and even though he has his own fears, he is able to push himself to new limits. The movie is filled with imagination in a lot of the scenes that I was presented with while watching this movie. The only downside of this movie is that it felt like they blended many different stories and elements that we saw in other Pixar movies. Although filled with a lot of charm, the movie wasn't as impactful as previous stories told before. The humor in Luca was another highlight and strong point in this film. There were several times that I had to burst out in laughter. Overall I think a lot of people will enjoy this movie and take away a lot of great ideology the film brings forth. Showcasing the risks and dangers of wanting to have freedom, really elevated the story to new heights. Fear is something we all live with and they portray the different types of fear people have. There are many lessons that can be taken out of this movie. The villain although bland in the beginning, really went full steam ahead with how bad he truly was. The stakes were raised at the right moment and glued me in for the rest of the movie. I got to see a powerful third act that wrapped up beautifully. Make sure the dive in the ocean to watch this one when it releases. It will not be a waste of your time.
Rating 8.2/10
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