I had the chance to attend a virtual press junket for Disney and Pixar’s upcoming film, Luca. Before I go into the details of the conference (in a separate post), I figured I’d give you a rundown of what you need to know about this animated film.

Luca

What You Should Know About Disney and Pixar’s Film “Luca

  • Luca is a fun and heartwarming story about friendship, stepping out of your comfort zone, and two teenage sea monsters who experience a life-changing summer. 
  • The film is set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera. The Italian seaside setting was created in a stunning painterly style Casarosa championed and stems from his childhood. “I had the luck to grow up in Genoa—a port city on the Italian Riviera,” he says. “It’s a very specific coast because it’s really steep—the mountains rise up from the ocean. The towns are stuck in time—they’re so picturesque. I always imagined them like little monsters coming out of the water.”
  • Luca and Alberto are both sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface who have the ability to blend in with humans by transforming into human form when they’re dry.
  • The inspiration of their transformation was “sea life like octopuses that are able to camouflage and change the way they look.” – Enrico Casarosa
  • These 2 characters were inspired by the creatures they found in old maps dating back to the Renaissance, as well as scientific illustrations of fish from the region and Japanese dragons and serpents.
  • The voice cast features Jacob Tremblay as Luca Paguro, Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto Scorfano, Emma Berman as Giulia Marcovaldo, Saverio Raimondo as town bully Ercole Visconti, Maya Rudolph as Luca’s mom Daniela, Marco Barricelli as Giulia’s dad Massimo, Jim Gaffigan as Luca’s dad Lorenzo, and Sandy Martin as Luca’s grandma.

Be sure to check back for some fun facts from the director, Enrico Casarosa.

Pixar‘s LUCA will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ starting June 18th!