Disney Pixar’s Luca Movie Review written by the Elf.
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Know Before You Watch the new Luca Movie
Movie: Disney Pixar’s Luca
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 35 mins.
Age suggested: 5+
Release Date: June 18th, 2021
Streaming Service: Disney+
Themes:
Warnings: There are several insults and a good helping of the word ‘stupid’ as well as a fair amount of violent talk. But there’s very little actual violence or really scary moments. We’ve got a more specific parent warning in the “Is Luca Appropriate for Younger viewers” section.
Quick Summary of the new Luca Movie
Luca is desperately wanting to try out the surface life this summer. Guilia is an underdog determined to win a race and prove herself. Alberto is deprived of friends. Together, they might just make a great team and have the best summer ever! Disney Pixar’s Luca movie is a wonderful summer watch with a lot of great lessons and heart.
Luca Parent Review: **LIGHT Spoilers Below**
–Why Watch Luca-
One of the things I’m wary of is stories that try to normalize differences but end up dehumanizing different people in the process. (EG: The ZOMBIE movies, even though kids really like them and the storyline’s solid- more on that here) But the thing I liked so much about Luca is that everyone was a monster to someone. The humans were land monsters to the sea creatures. And the sea creatures were sea monsters to the humans.
There were different underdogs in both groups that you empathized with.
Kids from all different types of families will find someone to relate to in this movie- which is nice. One of the main characters struggles with spending the summers with her dad and the school year with her mom. She doesn’t really feel at home or connected with the kids in either place because she’s always going back and forth. Another character doesn’t know their parents anymore, one gets adopted, and another comes from a home with a helicopter mom.
And while it is certainly not my favorite Disney Pixar movie or story, Luca has a lot of great lessons and entertainment to offer. It’s a super fun summer movie with a lot of heart and a few really good laughs.
-Luca Story/Characters/Animation-
The animation is absolutely gorgeous, you want to jump in the water and walk along the Italian coastline, it’s so realistic. The director, Enrico Casarosa, worked on Up and The Incredibles 2 as well, did a great job on Luca, and was also a writer on this movie.
The story, as mentioned above, is good but not amazing. There are a lot of really beautiful moments and some pretty impressive side character development. As per usual- the music really adds a lot to the storyline of Disney Pixar’s Luca movie.
The characters are all well-voiced and there’s a lot of good character development- I was very satisfied with everyone’s storyline in the end. Maya Rudolph voices Daniela, the anxious mother, in a very relatable way. Jacob Tremblay does an excellent job voicing the timid main character. Jack Dylan Grazer plays the arrogant, adventurous friend well. Emma Berman is very new (only 2 IMBD listings) but does a fabulous job voicing the outcast Guilia. Jim Gaffigan plays the oblivious father in his typically hilarious fashion. And y’all- the grandmother, Sandy Martin, is so funny and relatable!
Keep reading for our review on if Luca is appropriate for younger viewers
-Is Disney Pixar’s Luca Movie Appropriate for Younger Viewers?-
There seemed to be a lot more language in this movie than in a typical Disney Pixar film. Lots of stupid, a couple of idiots, and a small handful of other insults. Plotwise, runaway movies are always iffy for me. I wish they would come up with other ways for kids to mature and learn lessons besides killing off a parental figure or having the main character run away. Running away from home in real life is no fairy tale. Adoptive, Foster and Guardian parents should be aware that while there are different types of families represented, one character was abandoned by his father and that could be triggering.
There are a couple of minor darker scenes and scary images (The scariest being within the first 2 minutes and at the 25 min mark), but the ratings more about language and the impressions of violence rather than actual scary violence. For example, people talk about harpooning the sea monsters (in fact there are images of it everywhere) but you never actually see anyone being harpooned or really injured. The only bloody image you see is the main character’s face after a tussle with a cat.
Keep reading for our Luca discussion questions
Luca Discussion Questions
1)What was the funniest scene to you?
2) Which character did you feel the most like?
3) The boys wanted to win a Vespa- what would you be willing to race to win?
4) Are there some more people you can invite to hang out with you this summer?
5) How can you be a really good friend, even when you don’t want the same things?
6) We all have Bruno’s in our head, how do you stop your negative thoughts?
7) What are some positive phrases you can replace Bruno with?
Keep reading for our list of lessons from Luca
3 Significant Lessons from Luca Movie
1)Your thoughts REALLY DO matter and impact you.
Alberto has to help Luca silence the ‘bruno’ in his head. He has to tell that anxious voice in his head to go away again and again before he can courageously jump into his many adventures. And Alberto has to be a little overconfident to survive, it’s a skill that serves him well for a lot of the movie and when it doesn’t, he has friends to pop his bubble. Guilia has to be confident in her ability to succeed even though everyone is telling her that she can’t. She also believes that the bullies are wrong and that eventually, they will face her justice. This is a great lesson for adults and kids- how do we positively manage our thoughts?
2) Letting people fear you isn’t a good way to rule or maintain peace.
The villain doesn’t have any true friends and no one actually respects him. They just fear him. And it never works out well in the end. It also doesn’t work out well for the sea monsters to be feared by the humans. Or for the sea monsters to fear the humans. Not that there isn’t good reason to fear them, the humans have been awful to the sea monsters in the past and some will continue to be. But there’s friendship, community and hope to be found when we’re more interested in living life together with people instead of fearing them.
3) We can’t succeed by ourselves. We’ve got to find good people and hang on to them.
Luca’s mom and dad are scared for Luca to go off without them, but his mom says that he knows how to find good people. Not everyone is going to accept or like Luca. Not everyone is going to accept or like us. It’s important to find and grow with community, also to invite other people into that community. It’s important to be good to others and find people that are good to you! A great thing to talk to your kids about.
Favorite Luca Quotes
“You and me, we can do anything.”-Alberto
“Hey, look me in the eye. You know I love you, right?” -Daniela
“Walking is just like swimming but without fins, or a tail. And there’s no water.”- Alberto
Alberto: “Don’t think about it.”
Luca: “I don’t know how to not think about something.”
“It’s a human thing. I’m kind of an expert.”- Alberto
Mom: “We’re a little worried about him right?”
Dad: “No thanks, I’m full!”
Alberto: “Hey, hey, hey, I know your problem. You’ve got a Bruno in your head…
Luca, it’s simple, don’t listen to stupid Bruno… Call it whatever you want, but shut him up… You have to say ‘Silencio Bruno.’ Can you still hear him?”
Luca: “Nope, just you!”
Alberto: “Ok, good!”
“The world is a very dangerous place and if I have to send you to the bottom of the ocean to keep you safe- so be it.”-Daniela
“Underdogs: ya know, kids who are different, dressed weird, and a little sweatier than average. Too much? Too much!” Guilia
Mom: “Run before it’s mother gets here”
Dad: “Turns out, I don’t got this”
Thanks for reading our Luca Movie Parent Review.
Before you go, check out these other posts:
–Family Friendy Disney+ Streaming Suggestions
–Onward parent review
-7 Lessons from SOUL
-5 Lessons from Raya and the Last Dragon + Parent Review
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