First Look at Pixar’s Upcoming Coming-of-Age Film ‘Luca’

With Soul jazzing it up on Disney+, Pixar has recently released a new image for its upcoming original film Luca, according to Empire. Originally announced last summer, with some footage shown to audiences during Disney Investor Day last December, Luca is a coming-of-age tale about friendship between two boys, but one of them is hiding a dark secret.

Set in director Enrico Casarosa’s home country—Italy—on the Italian Riviera, the titular Luca befriends a boy named Alberto over the course of a summer. The catch is that his new friend is secretly a sea monster. The story is personal to director Enrico Casaroa (La Luna) who, as a child, became friends with someone very different from himself:

“I was born in Genoa, and my summers were spent on beaches. I met my best friend when I was 11. I was really shy and I found this troublemaker of a kid who had a completely different life. I wanted to make a movie about those kinds of friendships that help you grow up.” 

Empire

According to Game Rant, Pixar has stated that the animated film will be a period piece, set either before or after World War II, with inspiration taken from several classic Italian filmmakers and legendary director and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. On Twitter, director Enrico Casaroa also hinted that an official trailer will be coming the next few weeks.

So far, Disney is sticking to Luca’s initial release date—June 18, 2021—with the film premiering in theaters as originally planned despite the worldwide pandemic. Inside the Magic, however, pointed out the possibility of Luca simultaneously opening in theaters and on Disney+ like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon will do, but no official confirmation on that possibility has been made.

What do you think of Luca‘s first look? Let us know in the comments!