(The Disneycember logo is shown, before showing clips from Luca)
Doug (vo): Sometimes, the best word you can use to describe a movie is "delightful". Luca is friggin' delightful. I think everyone's made a comparison that this is kind of like a Studio Ghibli film, well, more the smaller ones like Kiki's Delivery Service and Neighbor Totoro. Hell, it takes place in the town Portorosso. (The poster for Porco Rosso is shown) And while I definitely agree, I think it also has that Pixar charm to it as well. This is a funny, charming, smaller story that doesn't have quite as much at stake, but I really see that as a plus. You don't always have to travel to the Land of the Dead, sometimes, a little sea creature boy wanting to win a race is enough. Why did I say that like it was supposed to sound normal?
Story[]
Doug (vo): Okay, the story centers around Luca, a little sea monster who lives underwater with his family, but has a yearning for the human world. Yeah, sound familiar, right? (An image of The Little Mermaid is shown) But trust me when I say that's where the comparisons to Little Mermaid end, because this really takes on its own identity. Though his family tells him he's not allowed to go on dry land, he comes across another sea creature named Alberto, who reveals that when they're not underwater, they take on human form. This already is such a unique idea. It reminds me a little bit of Gargoyles, like how when the sun is up, they turn to stone, and when it goes down, they turn into real creatures. I really like fictional characters that once you do blank, it results in blank, if that makes sense. Like, you can't just shapeshift whenever it wants or has wings so it can fly, like, something has to cause something else to happen. It makes the variety of problems and adventures they go on all the more unique. Luca forms a strong friendship with Alberto, who constantly acts like he knows all about the human world, but even he would admit out of nowhere, maybe he doesn't. Luca becomes obsessed with a certain device he sees called a Vespa, a scooter that, upon first seeing it, he imagines can kind of fly. I love this childlike imagination and innocence. Later in the movie, Alberto tells him that the stars are actually little fish in the sky, so he imagines flying the Vespa up into the night sky where fish are swimming next to him. My God, this is so imaginative. And it turns out there is a way they can get one, by winning this very bizarre race where you have to swim, eat, and bike in that order. They befriend a girl named Giulia, who tried doing the race herself but kept throwing up, resulting in maybe my favorite line in the movie.
Ercole: When you quit in the middle of the race?
Giulia: I didn't quit. They made me stop.
Doug (vo; chuckles): God, that's good. While training for the race, they do meet a lot of the town locals, Giulia's father and cat, who are intimidating but get on their soft sides, an egotistical bully who always wins the race, his henchmen or...henchboys, because all bullies have henchboys, and a town of oddballs that, quite frankly, don't like sea creatures. Oh, not that they're sure any exist, but they've heard stories and just assume they're bad. So while trying to win the race, they try not to out themselves, avoid Luca's parents who are searching for him, and maybe, just maybe, discover what they truly want and understand how to accept and be accepted.
Review[]
Doug (vo): I'll be honest, when the movie started, I really didn't think it was gonna be good. It opens with Luca as a fish shepard, and the fish actually go "baa".
(The opening scene, showing Luca struggling to control a fish, which is baaing like a sheep, is shown)
Luca: Well, I've got news for you.
Doug (vo): This is some lame-ass world-building, man. The parents are stereotypical dummies that don't want him interacting with anything new, and, yeah, you know what the lesson's gonna be. "You should be allowed to interact with something new and different and..." Oh, man, just move on with it. Very quickly, Luca gets to dry land, and almost instantly, it becomes entertaining. Just watching him trying to learn how to walk as opposed to swim is really hilarious, and I love the way it's explained.
(A scene showing Alberto attempting to teach Luca how to walk is shown)
Alberto: Point your feet to where you want to go, okay? And then you just...catch yourself before you fall.
Doug (vo): It's like as soon as these two polar opposite boys get together, the film comes alive, which is so weird. You would think the fantasy world underwater would be more exciting and imaginative, but you can tell this movie's passion is really on dry land and showing off this unique town that is beautiful, but is not really grand. There's something really small and cozy about it, and it's really welcomed. Luca and Alberto, obviously, are very weird, but everyone in the town is a little weird, too. It kind of reminds me of 3rd Rock, where it would get really old if it was just the aliens acting odd and the people going, "What? That's odd." But, no. It acknowledges that people are strange, too, and that, in many respects, we're not that different in our oddities.
(Several clips focusing on the characters are shown)
Doug (vo): A large part of why this movie works is the acting. Everybody is so on-point and so likeable and bring such a unique energy. No two characters seem exactly alike, so they can work off each other really well. It reminds me of Simpsons or Parks and Rec, like, when something happens, I want to see every character's reaction to it. Jacob Trembley, who plays Luca in this, has become such a phenomenal talent. It's funny, because I kind of made fun of him in one of these Smurfs movies, where, yeah, he was just a little kid, and you can't expect him to really act that fantastic, he's just a little kid. But he's become one of the great child actors, and it really shines in this role. He is so timid, so afraid, but also so polite and so excited for what he's passionate about. I really like how what he's interested in kind of changes in this movie. Usually in films, a character wants something and they try to get it and they either do or they don't achieve it, but in this, he actually kind of changes his mind and goes after something else, kind of pissing off his friend. That's interesting. It's not a major end-of-the-world thing, but it's still something we all go through and can be done in a dramatic as well as funny way.
(Clips focusing on Luca and Alberto are shown)
Doug (vo): Speaking of which, let's talk about that relationship between Luca and Alberto. There's been a lot of talk that this film is an allegory of being homosexual or bi or any kind of unique sexual identity. And while I guess Pixar said that wasn't the intent, for me, it's really hard not to see. I honestly thought everyone was gonna be like, "Wow, they're really putting it out there and making this big leap and kind of spelling it out", but a good chunk of the people didn't see that, they just saw a little story about a kid who wanted this scooter. But that's what I really like about films like this, you can see it either way. You can look at X-Men as these mutants that are trying not to be persecuted against by humanity, but you can also connect it to race, sexuality, or just being anything different that people have been persecuted for. I really feel like that's a strong way to do a film like this. Everyone can see it and get something a little different, and it can have different meanings for them. So, yeah, whether you think there is an allegory or there isn't an allegory, it works either way. I always say, if there's a scene in a movie that makes me gasp, it's doing something right, 'cause that's not something I do often in film. And there is a scene where one character quote/unquote "outs" another one, and it legit surprised me, and I felt the heartbreak over it. But at the same time, they don't give you a third act where the character just mopes and dopes and you know everything is gonna be better, they legit talk about it and they try to figure it out. It still has the same cliches a smaller story like this would have, but it focuses on what's the most interesting about it, and emotional, and funny, and it just really, really works.
Final thought[]
Doug (vo): I'm really hoping this film gains an audience similar to something like Kiki or Neighbor Totoro, because it really does deserve it. I really hope it doesn't get forgotten or cast aside because it wasn't as large as some of these other big, bombastic animated films. Sometimes, smaller is better and more personal. So, if you're in the mood for something that has a little bit of a slow start, but really pays off in every way a family film should pay off, then dive right in and have a good time.
(The film's final scene, showing Luca heading off on a train to Genoa, is shown)