So, travel venues are finally opening up just in time to escape those sweltering Summer temps. Someplace with a beach sounds ideal, though you may want to get some sand between your toes virtually while waiting for the world to get a tad more stable. Last week Israel was our getaway in SUBLET. This weekend we’re headed to sunny Italy for a “va-cay” put together by some incredible travel agents (yup there are some left) out of Emeryville, CA. Yes, those titanic talents at Pixar are whisking us away to the Italian Riviera for a magical adventure. But how does it stack up against their excursions to Ireland (BRAVE), France (RATATOUILLE), and Mexico (COCO)? Well, to find out you’ll be introduced to a young lad. To borrow from the Nat King Cole classic “Nature Boy” (rather than the obvious Suzanne Vega ode to a second-floor dweller), “There was a boy. A strange enchanted boy”. And his name is LUCA.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the time period is maybe the mid-1950s or so. That’s when a fishing boat, ignoring the local tales of scary sea beasts, lowers its net into the waters near the Isola De Mare. Of course, ‘something” is out there, and several objects are lost to the deep during the “interaction”. And just what is going on beneath the surface? It’s then that we meet Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay), a pre-teen sea “monster”. But he’s a good kid, closer to a “merboy”, but without the fleshy top half, his body’s covered in bright florescent scales and fins. And he’s helping, starting his daily chores as a sort of “fish-shepherd” to a herd, or is it a school, of small fish. His routine is disrupted by the discovery of some of those “lost” items from above. But his discoveries are soon scooped up by something (is it one of those murderous humans) in a diving suit. Luca follows and is stunned when he finds that the “thing’ is another boy like him, but when he leaves the water he becomes an air-breathing flesh-covered human (kinda’ like how Madison dried off in SPLASH). Later at his sea cave home. Luca tells of his adventure which prompts harsh warnings from mother Daniela (Maya Rudolph) and father Lorenzo (Jim Gaffigan), though Grandma (Sandy Martin) is not as concerned about it. But curiosity gets the better of him and Luca climbs out of the water (and a green leafy swim shorts form during his transformation) and meets the “collector”, a slightly older boy named Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer). The two become fast friends, exploring his decaying lighthouse, and daydreaming about cruising the globe on their very own Vespa scooter. But when Mom spies the “scarecrow”, Luca has erected to “guard the flock” she threatens to send him off to live on the ocean’s floor with his creepy Uncle Ugo (Sacha Baron Cohen). This scares Luca so badly that he agrees to join Alberto in his plan to get a real Vespa in the nearby seaside fishing village of Portorosso. There they become targets of the town bully Ercole (Saverio Raimondo) while befriending a girl around their own age, Giulia (Emma Berman), and eventually working for her fisherman father Massimo (Marco Barricelli). Soon the trio team up to enter the annual race (sponsored by a food company) in order to use the cash prize to buy one of those adored scooters. But can they keep their true origins a secret before they’re discovered, perhaps by the mysterious older couple that keeps tossing water balloons at kids?
In their vocal casting, Pixar continues their knack for tapping just the right talents, rather than going after the big media “flavors of the month”, which too many of their competitors rely on (big name>best fit). Case in point, Tremblay, six years after his ROOM breakthrough, hits just the right notes as the boy whose world is so quickly expanding. Unlike many family fantasy heroes, he seems perfectly content in his “part of the pond”, not wanting to burst into an “I Want” song. Tremblay balances the curiosity and yearning for adventure with healthy bits of fear and worry. Maybe his folks, which he really misses, are right about these pasty savages. He’s a great counterpoint to the always-confident Alberto, who’s given the correct mix of bravado and swagger by Grazer, who knows when to “dial it down” for the complex and emotional final act. Completing the pre-teen trio is the energetic, feisty Giulia voiced with vigor by the talented Berman. Another terrific trio, real comedy vets, also get their chance to shine in the major adult roles. Rudolph is the passionate “mama grizzly’, well maybe “mama shark’ as the forceful but very caring matriarch Daniela, while Gaffigan exudes his “laid back” charm as the bumbling papa Lorenzo, who’s often the “softie” to his “lay down the law’ spouse. And Cohen gives Uncle Ugo, a weird off-kilter tone that matches his nightmarish appearance (you can see through his chest and observe his heart pumping). Relative screen newcomers Raimondo and Barricelli are superb as the arrogant. preening, pompous Ercole (“You can have the pleasure of watching me eat a sandwich”) and the intimidating, gruff, but warm-hearted Massimo, respectively.
Speaking of newcomers, how about this fabulous feature film directing debut by Enrico Casarosa. Talk about hitting one out of the park your debut turn at bat (perhaps scoring a goal would be more in the film’s spirit). The tone, the emotional shift, the pacing, well everything lands (and swims). Of course, a great deal of credit for that must go to screenwriters Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones who deliver a tale that comes close to the emotional wallop of an UP, with a dash of COCO and INSIDE OUT. This literal “fish out of water” fable tackles prejudice and acceptance, as the villagers’ fears really match the “monsters”. More prominent in the film’s climax are the themes of friendship, going from selfish to selfless as BFFs realize they must let go to allow others to “spread their wings”, or fins, despite the pain of losing them. Somehow these deep emotional concepts never get in the way of the inspired slapstick and frenetic action sequences. Perhaps the biggest inspirations are found in the phenomenal visuals, the gorgeous worlds these endearing characters inhabit. We know that Pixar can do the deep blue sea (you almost expect to see Nemo and Dory zipping past), but the dazzling look of the sea folks are delicious “eye candy” with vibrant cool blues and shimmering yellows. Equally stupifying is the village of Portorosso, a dusty sun-baked town right out of post-war Italian classics. Around one corner you may nearly get run down by THE BICYCLE THIEF, around another your eyes could drink in a sultry young Sophie Loren (if you’re lucky). It’s really a love letter to that era (weathered LA STRADA posters adorn many walls). There are even local variants of Disney staples. This brings me to my only negative. Aside from LA’s El Capitan Theater, this film isn’t playing on any big screen venues. This happened last year with SOUL, but most screens were shuttered. Last March RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON from Disney Animation Studios was given a theatrical release along with Premiere Access (a big one-time upcharge) on the Disney Plus+ streaming service. This film should be available in multiplexes everywhere to bask in its beauty and to appreciate the gifted artists that worked (often at home) to craft this work. Any rumblings out of Emeryville are truly justified. Off the soapbox, and back to the positives. The lead kids have a nice exaggerated facial structure (those teeth-filled mouths), but the most interesting designs may be the adults (Massimo and Lorenzo sport impressive facial hair), and the silent, scowling kittycat Machiavelli (look forward to the stuffed toys). The music score from Dan Romer never overwhelms or dominates. This is primo Pixar, a glorious feast for the eyes and heart, as satisfying as a family pasta Sunday supper. Bravo and brava to all involved in creating one of the year’s best films, the triumph that is LUCA. So dig in, mangiare! And stick around for the end credits for a dessert as tasty as tiramisu!
4 Out of 4
LUCA streams exclusively on Disney+ beginning on Friday, June 18, 2021
