Luca - What We Know So Far
Pixar is a household name beloved by audiences of all ages. While not every Pixar movie is a rousing success, you'd be hard-pressed to find a truly bad Pixar film — except Cars 2. Thanks to this near-spotless legacy, it's easy to get excited for a new Pixar work. Thankfully, you won't have to wait long.
On Feb. 25, Pixar released the teaser trailer for its latest film, Luca, which takes place in an Italian seaside town and adopts a unique art style unlike past Pixar films. Furthermore, the movie will star two boys who turn into sea monsters whenever they get wet. Did we mention that the town apparently has a history of hunting sea monsters?
Since Pixar just revealed Luca's trailer, odds are it is the first time most audiences have heard of the film, so questions are bound to race through most viewers' heads. When will the movie release? What is the plot of the film? And most importantly, are the boys were-mermen or kid-friendly Lovecraftian Deep Ones?
Here's everything we know so far about Luca.
When will Luca release?
The end of the trailer states that Luca will release "Summer 2021," which is a solid but large release window. This year, summer will start June 20 and end Sept. 21, which is about 93 days. Time might fly when you're having fun, but it slows to a crawl when you're waiting for the next Pixar film. There has to be a more solid release date.
If you case the trailer's YouTube description, you will notice the movie is scheduled to release in June. However, Variety narrowed that release window down to June 18 — which is technically two days before summer officially starts, but that's splitting hairs.
Moreover, Variety claimed Luca will release in theaters, which is potentially problematic. Even if Pixar commits to the purported June 18 schedule, the movie theater market is currently volatile. Theaters have closed left, right, and center due to COVID-19, and even gargantuan chains aren't immune. Last October, Regal Cinemas closed all 543 of its theaters due to the pandemic — and because James Bond: No Time to Die was pushed back to April 2021.
Because Pixar opted to release its previous film, Soul, on Disney+, Luca might abandon theater plans and dive straight into streaming services.
Who will star in Luca?
Since Luca's teaser trailer is too preoccupied with demonstrating the upcoming movie's visuals — set to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine" in italiano – it doesn't have enough time to rattle off the film's cast. But, that doesn't mean we don't know who will lend their voices to the project.
According to D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, the movie will star Jacob Tremblay (Rory McKenna in The Predator and Robin in Harley Quinn) and Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie Kaspbrak in It and Freddy Freeman in Shazam!) as the shape-shifting deuteragonists Luca Paguro and Alberto Scorfano. They will be joined by Emma Berman (no prior roles; this is her first gig) as Giulia.
D23 also revealed that Maya Rudolph (Lillian in Bridesmaids and Judge in The Good Place) and Jim Gaffigan (Henry Haber in Bob's Burgers and Van Helsing in Hotel Transylvania 3) will voice Luca's parents, Daniela and Lorenzo. Meanwhile, Marco Barricelli (Tony Vaporelli in The Book of Daniel) will provide the voice of Giulia's father, Massimo.
The rest of Luca's cast has yet to be announced, but you can look forward to hearing the above actors more than others.
What is the plot of Luca?
The teaser trailer provides the basic hook for Luca. Luca and Alberto visit an Italian seaside town with adventure in mind for summer vacation. However, the boys are secretly sea monsters who transform whenever they get wet, which is a problem when you're next to the sea — and when the locals have a history of hunting sea monsters. That's good for the premise, but what about the plot?
Many Luca narrative beats remain as elusive as Bigfoot, which is fitting since that is actually a tangential theme of the film. According to D23, Luca is a "coming-of-age story" that revolves around the main characters' ability to hide their true selves by staying dry, which director Enrico Casarosa described as a "coping mechanism." As for why the locals hate sea monsters, Casarosa gave the same reason why many people would gladly attack Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster: fear.
According to Casarosa, Luca is inspired by his early life in the Mediterranean seaport of Genoa, Italy, and the lore of the Liguria region of Italy. Moreover, the movie will carry themes of friendship and identity. Audiences can look forward to discovering the story that lurks below Luca's surface when the movie releases — or when a new trailer is unveiled.