Pixar Reveals Details On Next Animated Feature ‘Luca’
Despite continuing uncertainty for movie studios and theaters amid the ongoing Coronavirus global pandemic, there is a ray of sunshine out there on the horizon. Pixar announced today its next animated feature film Luca will debut in the summer of 2021.
Luca continues Pixar’s recent trend of exploring new locales in its films by taking place in Italy. Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) directs the coming-of-age story, expected to open on the big screen on June 18, 2021. Casarosa said in a statement:
This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship. Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in ‘Luca.’ So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.
Luca focuses on a young boy living on the Italian Riviera, who shares adventures with his newfound best friend. But a dark secret about his true identity – he is a sea monster from another world just below the water’s surface – seeks to threaten that bond.
The statement makes it a bit unclear whether the young boy or his friend is the actual sea monster, but perhaps that’s deliberate. The voice cast has yet to be announced.
Pixar revealed the details of the film after they started to leak online. The pandemic hit Pixar hard, sinking the debut of Onward in March and delaying the release of their forthcoming film Soul to November 20th. Onward quickly debuted on Disney+ after the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down.
Luca looks like an interesting film with possibly some Porco Rosso vibes. Hopefully, it will roll out as expected next summer.
Darby Harn is a contributor for Screenrant, CBR.com, Star Wars News Net, and Movie News Net. He is the author of the sci-fi superhero novel EVER THE HERO. His short fiction appears in Strange Horizons, Interzone, Shimmer, and other venues.
