The standout though is Giulia's lovable father Massimo (Marco Barricelli) who instantly goes into the all-time list for best animated dads. Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan are excellent as Luca's parents Daniela and Lorenzo and get a hilarious subplot, while Sacha Baron Cohen brings a dose of weird as Uncle Ugo who lives in the deep and survives on "whale carcass". There's a nice balance between the anxious Luca, the overconfident Alberto and the headstrong Giulia that makes you root for them, but you'll end up finding your favourite character in the colourful supporting cast. With its relatively straightforward plot, Luca relies on its characters to bring the laughs and the heart.
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Casarosa is more keen to just let us hang out with the trio and have fun, adding a delightful underdog sports movie vibe with their challenge to beat the villainous local bully Ercole (Saverio Raimondo) in the Portorosso Cup race. This slight friction leads to Luca's most dramatic moment, but as with most of the conflict in the movie, it's swiftly resolved.
It's his ego that's bruised when Giulia comes along, not his heart. Up until then, Alberto is Jay from the Inbetweeners without the sex references, sharing his false knowledge with Luca while being supremely confident he's right. Romance just isn't on the cards in Luca though, even when Giulia enters the picture and starts to show Luca the wonders of learning. You could definitely read into it that way, though, with Luca and Alberto being 'outsiders' who are unable to show their true selves. For some, it could be seen as a missed opportunity in not making the movie an explicitly queer coming-of-age tale. It adds a peril to their summer adventures, but conflict and darker moments are kept to a minimum.Ī lot was made pre-release that Luca could be the first Pixar movie about gay characters, but as Casarosa said earlier this year, it's about friendship, not romantic relationships. One big difference is that we probably weren't hanging out with sea monsters at Butlin's, although maybe they just transformed into a human as Luca and Alberto do. There's a relatability to our own life in Luca, as there is in the best Pixar offerings. We might even have taken part in a local competition, as Luca does. Ours might have been at a Butlin's resort, rather than the Italian Riviera, but we've all made an instant best friend – the duo also meet Giulia (Emma Berman) to make it a trio – and tried to do as little as possible with our parents. Luca and Alberto's summer isn't too different to one we'd all have experienced at some point in our childhood. That's it really, but it's not a criticism – it allows a focus on the characters that elevates the laughs and tears. By Pixar's standards, the setup for Luca is refreshingly simple as we follow Luca (Jacob Tremblay) on an unforgettable summer with his newfound best friend Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) in the fictional seaside town of Portorosso.