Jun
23,
2021
Luca is the heartfelt, fun for all summer movie we’ve been waiting for, and it’s only June.
Luca is set in the beautiful seaside town of 1950’s Portorosso on the Italian Riviera. The original animated feature is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto. The duo leaves the safety of the waves for this fun idyllic town, befriending Giulia along the way. But, all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: the boys are sea monsters from a world just below the water’s surface.
More than adventure, Luca truly shines with the message of childhood friendship, acceptance, and the joys of summer. A duo quickly becomes a trio when Giulia accepts them. The boys dream of far off adventures on a shiny new Vespa, while Giulia dreams of conquering her town’s bully. The story unfolds as we laugh and cry alongside the kids budding friendship. The trio faces off against bullies, cultural misunderstandings, and discovery. But through it all, Giulia and her father take in the boys. Her father, an avowed “Sea Monster” hunter, warms up to Luca and Alberto, leaving him a different man when they’re forced to reveal their true forms. Its a wonderful story of changing hearts and minds, how the small seaside town of Portorosso was forever changed by two kids one summer, when the inhabitants realized they were better off with the sea monsters, than without them. Perhaps we can all take a page out of this lesson. The movie is also rich with Italian culture. The Italian language is casually thrown into the mix of dialogue as effortlessly as breathing, while the music and food transport us to the Italian Riviera. Let us know your thoughts on this beautiful movie.
