When Enrico Casarosa's film Luca begins, viewers may wonder if it is simply a gender-reversed version of The Little Mermaid. However, the films don't share too much in common, except that the main characters are sea creatures who want to explore more than they've been able to under the water. Other than that, Luca quickly finds ways to distinguish himself from his distant cousin Ariel.
Casarosa set the film on the Italian Riveria as the story is inspired by the director's childhood in Genoa, Italy. He also based the titular character (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) on himself as a child, feeling timid and uncertain in his adolescence. Luca's best friend, Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer), is based on Casarosa's real childhood best friend with the same name, who the director called a troublemaker.
It's the differences between the two boys that create the heart of the movie. Audiences see from the beginning that Luca can barely take care of his family's goatfish for more than a moment or two without daydreaming of a bigger life than the little corner of the sea where his mother lets him swim. Independent Alberto encourages Luca to swim out of his comfort zone and pursue adventure. Their deep friendship is reminiscent of what it's like to be an adolescent when friends start meaning more than family to many kids.
In this coming-of-age film, Casarosa depends on a lot of stock characters, such as the neighborhood bully, Ercole (Saverio Raimondo); the adventurous girl, Giulia (Emma Berman), who steals Luca's heart; and the strong silent type, Massimo (Marco Barricelli). These characters help to highlight the conflict between Luca and Alberto, which centers on facing rejection and the journey to self-acceptance.
The adults in the film are led by an all-star lineup of comedians, such as Maya Rudolph, who is playing her third motherly character in a Disney film. She's joined by Jim Gaffigan, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sandy Martin. Since this is a film all about the children, the grown-ups just pop in and out when they're needed to be critical or supportive.
Though the Disney-Pixar animated film may have some flat characters, the novel setting for a children's film is stunning. Casarosa sent many of the artists who worked on Luca to the Riviera. The time they spent in Italy is evident in every scene as the movie is imbued with special details that make viewers feel like they've truly visited Portorosso.
Of course, the friends will have a lot of misunderstandings, betrayals, and insults to work through-whether they're sea creatures or humans, they're still middle schoolers. At the end of the film, audiences will be saying, "Ancora, per favore," or "More, please." Upon the film's release, Disney anticipated viewers falling in love with these characters, putting Casarosa's short Ciao, Alberto on Disney+ for anyone who needs another trip to Portorosso.