From the animation team that brought you Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Inside Out, and, most recently, Soul, to name only a few of their famous films, Luca is the 24th feature-length movie from the geniuses behind Pixar, and it has the warm potential to be yet another winner from the Mouse House-owned company. Featuring the voice talents of Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Glazer, Maya Rudolph, and Jim Gaffigan, this Italy-based seaside adventure promises to be an original, likely poignant tale of nostalgic youth, all told from a unique perspective, and it serves as the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Enrico Casarosa (La Luna).
Now that the teaser has dropped, we have our first official look at Pixar's newest original movie, but what else do we know about this summer-set coming-of-age story? Details remain limited for the time being, but we do know some key bits of information about this upcoming family film. Here's what we know (so far) about Pixar's Luca.
Pixar's Luca Is Scheduled To Come Out June 2021 On Disney+
These days, it's hard to know for certain when anything will come out. Putting together a list of the year's upcoming movies is like playing a long-winded game of musical chairs, where everything keeps circling the calendar until, eventually, it comes out.
When it comes to Pixar's newest movie, Luca, there's an understandable (and desirable) appeal in putting it out during the balmy summer season. The warm oceanside movie fits this breezy season quite perfectly; in a normal year, it would be a no-brainer to release this movie during the crowded mid-year season. But 2021 is uncertain in nearly every respect, and there are no guarantees that this summer will be back to normal.
Disney has decided to deliver Luca straight to our TVs as the animated movie is set to arrive on Disney+ on June 18, 2021.
Luca Is A Coming-Of-Age Story About Two Teenage Sea Monster Friends Experiencing An Unforgettable Summer In Italy
Described as "a fun and heartwarming story about friendship and stepping out of your comfort zone" through its recent press release, Pixar's Luca will follow one summer in the young lives of Luca, our title character, and Alberto — two teenage boys who also happen to be sea monsters from another world. Their fantastical, fun-loving days filled with gelato, pasta, and endless scooter rides are idyllic and invigorating, but they're under the constant threat of the seaside town discovering their deeply-held secret — which threatens everything they hold dear during one unforgettable season in Italy.
The Luca Voice Cast Includes Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Glazer, Maya Rudolph, And Jim Gaffigan
One of Pixar's most undervalued strengths as a company is how good they are with their voice casting. Unlike some of their major studio competitors (looking at you, DreamWorks Animation) that often favor marquee names over the right talent for the job, Pixar is constantly good at finding the voice-only performers who best fit their personas, making their 3-D animated characters come alive with only their vocal cords.
When it comes to the voice cast behind Pixar's latest movie, Luca, the celebrated animation studio assembled another strong voice cast, with Jacob Tremblay (Room), Jack Dylan Glazer (Shazam!), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live), and Jim Gaffigan (Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation) as our leads. Additionally, the voice cast includes Italian theater actor Marco Barricelli and Emma Berman, making her debut.
Luca Is A Personal Story Inspired By Director Enrico Casarosa's Own Childhood
Most Pixar movies (or, at least, the best ones) come from the heart. They're enriched with the vibrant soul of their creators, and their core humanity — even within computer-generated frames — is a major reason why the studio is one of the best animation houses in the industry. Certainly, an autobiographical touch gives a great distinction, and Luca will be a vividly personal story, according to director Enrico Casarosa.
As the filmmaker noted in an interview with Yahoo!, this heartfelt story about youth, friendship, and self-discovery was inspired by Enrico Casarosa's own childhood, while also taking inspiration from Stand By Me, La Terra Trema, Stromboli, and the works of filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Federico Fellini. While many people have been quick to compare his animated family film to Luca Guadagnino's 2017 coming-of-age drama, Call Me By Your Name, Casarosa claims that any similarities between these two movies are coincidental, particularly as his upcoming film is centered on a platonic friendship.
Here's how Enrico Carasora described his inspiration for this personal new project:
The inspiration is my best friend and I, and our friendship. We met when we were around 11 or 12. I was shy, timid, a little sheltered. He was free to get in trouble, to run around, and it really kind of opened my world ... And those endless summers really can just encapsulate a friendship ... [I was] looking at old maps and listening to old legends of the area. That’s where the sea monster side came from.
It's Co-Written By Me & Earl & The Dying Girl's Jesse Andrews
While Enrico Casarosa drew from his personal experiences while creating the story for his first feature, the filmmaker isn't credited as one of Luca's screenwriters. Rather, the script comes courtesy of Mike Jones and Jesse Andrews, and the second name will probably sound familiar. More specifically, he's the author and screenwriter behind the Sundance hit, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl. He also wrote the adapted screenplay for 2018's Every Day, and he's the novelist behind The Haters and Munmun. Additionally, Andrews was the writer behind Nike's short-form 2016 comedy series, Margot vs. Lily.
Meanwhile, Mike Jones has worked with Pixar for a few years now. Most notably and most recently, he co-wrote Soul. Jones was also on the senior creative team for Coco, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4. While we're still waiting to learn more about this new animated feature, it's good to know that a Pixar mainstay and a writer known for his heartfelt and evocative young adult stories were involved in crafting this original story.
