Luca

It's time to take a trip to Pixar Italy. Their latest film is Luca, which debuted on Disney Plus a few weeks ago. It's free on the platform. So let's see what others have seen.

Luca Paguro is a sea-monster who lives under the Italian Riviera. His parents, Lorenzo and Daniela, forbid him to go to the surface. They fear "land-monsters" will hate and hunt him. But fellow sea-monster Alberto Scorfano takes Luca up-water anyway. Fortunately, sea-monsters will turn human when they're dry and change back when wet. Alberto wants a Vespa of his own. Luca's parents plan to send him to the deep with his uncle, Ugo. So Luca and Alberto head off to the town of Portorosso to procure a Vespa.

In Portorosso, the two meet Giulia, a girl who aims to win the local triathlon (swimming, pasta-eating and biking). They join Giulia's quest to unseat the reigning champion, an odious jerk named Ercole. They stay with Giulia and her one-armed fisherman dad, Massimo. They'll have to keep their true selves hidden from the sea-monster fearing townsfolks. Meanwhile, Lorenzo and Daniela surface to track down Luca. 

It's directed by Enrico Casarosa (Oscar nominee for the short La Luna) and written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones. The undersea world they conjure up is splendorous. The sea-monster designs are visually appealing. Ugo, in particular, is a delightfully weird see-through sea creature. The funniest part comes from the goatfish - which behave like actual goats - that Luca herds. The sea creatures turning human when dry is an interesting aspect. Luca and Alberto get into hilarity trying to hide their secret - even from Giulia's cat. It turns serious once the secret is out.

The film is all about Luca and Alberto's summer together. They meet, become friends, fight and make-up over 95 minutes. Giulia's involved too; her introducing Luca to such wonders as planetary science is nice. It's such an easy story that Lorenzo and Daniela don't ruin the summer. Instead, the third act problem is Luca and Alberto's fight and its fall-out. But they makeup in good fashion. The scariest parts might be when Ercole goes full villain. Overall, it's not much of an emotional roller-coaster.

Luca will make a great home matinee. You'll get to see the Italian Riviera with another set of great Pixar characters. You'll experience another great Pixar score, this one by Dan Romer. It's a soothing summertime story. Press Play on Disney Plus to see what I mean.