Luca (2021)

Don't judge a book by its cover. That's it. That's the film. And you know what, when it's wrapped up in sunshine, gelato colours and the smell of a Mediterranean summer, I've got no complaints about the message being that simple.

Luca is a charming, warm-hearted little Pixar adventure set on the Italian Riviera, and it wears its heart on its sleeve from the first frame. The animation is genuinely gorgeous, all shimmering turquoise water and terracotta rooftops, and the setting feels like a love note to a specific corner of the world rather than a generic backdrop. There's real care in the way this place looks and breathes. You come away wanting to eat pasta on a hillside, which is not nothing.

The story follows a young sea creature who ventures onto land and discovers friendship, freedom and the wider world beyond what his family will allow him to see. It's a coming-of-age story in the most classic sense, and it hits those beats with warmth and a fair few solid laughs that work for kids and adults alike. The humour is gentle rather than sharp, but it lands more often than not. There's a real sweetness to the central friendship at the heart of it all.

But here's where I have to be honest: this isn't Pixar at its peak. The stakes feel low throughout, and I mean genuinely low, in a way that keeps the film from fully grabbing you. Pixar at its best makes you feel like something enormous is on the line, emotionally if not always physically. Think of the gut-punch efficiency of Inside Out, a film that operates on a completely different emotional frequency. Luca never quite reaches those heights. The characters are fun and likeable, but I don't think I'll still be thinking about them in five years the way I still think about some of Pixar's greatest creations.

That said, I want to be clear: "not Pixar's best" is not the same as "not worth your time." Far from it. As a film about prejudice, about hiding who you are to fit in with people who'd reject you if they knew the truth, it absolutely delivers on its promise. The theme of acceptance is handled with a lightness of touch that stops it ever feeling preachy. Kids will get the surface adventure, and adults will pick up on the deeper stuff without being beaten over the head with it. That's good filmmaking, even if it's not transcendent filmmaking.

I was also reminded, watching the Italian village come to life on screen, of No Dogs or Italians Allowed, which tackles questions of identity and belonging with a completely different tone and approach but shares that same core concern: what does it cost you to hide where you come from? Luca answers that question with sunshine and a Vespa. The other film answers it with rather more pain. Both are worth your time.

Luca sits comfortably in the middle of the Pixar catalogue. It's not a film that's going to rearrange your feelings about the world, and it's not trying to be. It's a film about a kid finding his people and learning that the things that make him different are the things worth celebrating. Done with warmth, done with beauty, done with enough laughs to keep the whole family on board. Three stars, and a warm three at that.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2021  | Watched: 2022-02-17

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Rakuten TV
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus · fuboTV
Rent: Fandango At Home
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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