Luca

"Prepare for an unforgettable trip."

2021 1h 35m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 9,162

AnimationFamilyFantasyDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Luca and his best friend Alberto experience an unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

“Prepare for an unforgettable trip.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jacob Tremblay
Luca Paguro (voice)
Jack Dylan Grazer
Alberto Scorfano (voice)
Emma Berman
Giulia Marcovaldo (voice)
Saverio Raimondo
Ercole Visconti (voice)
Maya Rudolph
Daniela Paguro (voice)
Marco Barricelli
Massimo Marcovaldo (voice)
Jim Gaffigan
Lorenzo Paguro (voice)
Peter Sohn
Ciccio (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Enrico Casarosa
Writers: Nicolle Castro, Yon Hui Lee, Enrico Casarosa
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 26% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Enrico Casarosa, shot by Kim White. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dan Romer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jason Hudak shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer and Emma Berman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Enrico Casarosa directs. Kim White behind the camera. Dan Romer scores. Jason Hudak cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Earned back only 26% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 5 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5Directed by Enrico Casarosa, shot by Kim White. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dan Romer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jason Hudak shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer and Emma Berman carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Prepare for an unforgettable trip.".
10IMDB entry: tt12801262 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 19 themes, including "friendship", "monster", "italy", "villain".

The technical file

Cinematography: Kim White
Original score: Dan Romer
Editing: Jason Hudak
Production design: Daniela Strijleva
VFX supervisor: David Ryu
Sound: Chris Scarabosio
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000,000
Box office: $51,074,773
Return: 26% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Luca (2021)

Awards

People's Choice Awards

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Enrico Casarosa

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

garethmb2021-06-16
The artists at Disney and Pixar have returned with a new animated film “Luca” which will debut on Disney+ on June 18th. The film introduces audiences to Luca (Jacob Tremblay); a young Sea Monster who lives with his family and fellow fish off the coast of a small town in Italy. Luca is warned not to go on the surface and to avoid humans at all costs by his parents. When a rebellious Sea Monster named Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer); happens upon Luca and gets him to the surface; Luca discovers that he and Alberto appear as human boys when their skin is no longer wet. Fascinated by the rebellious life Alberto leads and amazed by what he sees upon his brief land excursions; Luca looks for new ways to find time on the surface which leads to him being more and more deceptive to his parents. In time Luca and Alberto head to the village and meet a spunky local girl named Giulia (Emma Berman); who is on a break from school and longs to win a local race in order to get back at the reigning champion and bully. Luca and Alberto see the race as a chance to win money to buy their own Vespa which they see as the key to exploring the surface world which sets a chain of events into motion as their two worlds are about to collide leading up to the race. The film is visually appealing, but the story for me dragged and did not have the spark and heart that have made countless PIXAR films enduring classics. While the characters were fine; they did not have the appeal or charisma that I have come to expect with the PIXAR brand. There have been reports that after “SOUL” was moved from a theatrical release to streaming during the Pandemic that some at PIXAR were upset with the decision to make “Luca” a streaming option. My take is that it was 100% the correct decision as while it is an entertaining film; it is not one that is likely to light up the Box Office and is better suited for a streaming debut. The biggest issue with “Luca” is that coming from a studio with such a long line of classics; it fails to reach the levels previously set and while entertaining comes up lacking. 3 stars out of 5
Manuel São Bento2021-06-16
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/luca-spoiler-free-review "Luca follows the studio's formulas of success closely without taking any unique detours, but it still tells a compelling story with relatable characters that gets to the viewers' heartstrings. From the detailed animation that makes the Italian coast look realistically astonishing to Dan Romer's rich score that hits all the right notes, without forgetting the outstanding voice work, every Pixar's trademark technical attribute is present in an admittedly less complex, unsurprising narrative. Enrico Casarosa takes Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones' light screenplay through a generic structure, where the "feeling/being different" theme is efficiently developed but closed in an underwhelming manner. Nevertheless, predictability means nothing in a movie where fully-developed characters spend the summer creating genuine friendships with an impactful emotional weight that might induce a couple of tears in the last few powerful minutes. It's not my favorite Pixar flick, but it's definitely a good film that I wholeheartedly recommend watching." Rating: B
Kamurai2021-06-21
★ 7/10
Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend. This is full of fun and child-like wonder, with a surprising edge to it as there is an usual amount of violence directly related to the main characters. This has a very wholesome feel to it as it has the romantic aspect of searching for new frontiers and adventures, but not necessarily for romantic relationships. The story does a good job of pacing out the events of the movie allowing for each aspect to take the focus it needs. While this is a movie about a triatholon, it's a better story about freedom and acceptance.