At first glance, the simple premise of the animated film "Luca" may seem superficial. And yes, it is indeed extremely simple. Is that enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen?
Briefly About the Plot
Young Luca has a mom, dad, grandmother, many responsibilities, and a great imagination. And Luca is also one of those sea monsters that frighten provincial fishermen so much. His parents forbid Luca from approaching the surface, a rule the boy strictly follows all his life.
Everything changes when he meets the reckless and self-confident Alberto, who, although also a monster, shows him all the joys of life on land. And so Luca finds himself drawn into real adventures, meets the local fisherman's daughter Giulia, and even makes enemies.
The most important thing is that no one must find out their secret with Alberto.
"Luca" and Originality
The first thing that comes to mind when watching the trailer for "Luca" or reading its brief synopsis is the undeniable similarities with Disney's "The Little Mermaid." And it's not just that the focus is on anthropomorphic underwater inhabitants, but also the concept of forbidding any contact with life beyond the sea.
However, quite soon the story begins to develop in a slightly different direction, its emphasis shifts, and the focus moves from the stated conflict to the relationships between the main characters.
Is this original? Certainly not. And yet, this film is one of those pleasant and rare exceptions where you don't want to think about its secondariness, but simply enjoy the stunning visuals, interesting characters, and amazing atmosphere, which we'll discuss a bit later.
Is a Children's Film a Bad Thing?
Pixar and Disney have been delighting their audiences for a couple of decades by managing to create films for both children and adults simultaneously. In any of their animated films, you can find references, jokes, or cameos aimed at parents who are also present in the theater.
We don't need to look far – recall the recent film "". It's unlikely that very young children will understand jokes about Carl Jung or the failures of the Knicks basketball team.
"Luca" differs quite a bit from recent works in that it contains not a single vulgar joke or adult reference. The film is aimed at children from start to finish, and only at children. Moreover, quite young ones.
But moms and dads shouldn't be upset about this. Because sometimes there's nothing better than awakening the child within yourself for two hours and simply enjoying a naive and honest children's work that tries to make the world around a little brighter and better.
Moreover, you can argue for hours about how difficult it is to create good children's stories that don't consider their target audience as little idiots and yet don't unnecessarily complicate their message.
Italian Riviera
One of the film's greatest and undeniable achievements is its incredible atmosphere. The picture is simply saturated with sun and the smell of the sea, evoking feelings of nostalgia for places you've never even been to.
Here, credit must be given to director Enrico Casarosa, who admitted that he largely drew from his own childhood memories of Genoa, where he also had a friend Alberto – just like Luca.
The big picture is built from small details. Village pasta with pesto sauce that you want to grab with your hands, bicycle races, treehouses – all of this splashes from the screen into the audience; and suddenly it doesn't matter what and when you've seen in your long adult life – you're ten again, skipping over stones to meet your friends.
Conclusion
"Luca" does not try to claim high animation art. It cannot stand on the same level as works like "Spirited Away" or "Avatar: The Last Airbender." But there is a certain charm in that – when the creators realize this and simply do everything to tell their story.
This is a wonderful, kind, smart animated film that you can safely show to very young children and still enjoy yourself.
Because it's not shameful to enjoy children's works at any age. The main thing is that the work is made in a worthy manner. And "Luca" more than fits that description.
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