Pixar's Luca

[Nick]

It’s not necessarily that the movie is going to Disney+ that they’re upset about, it’s that they aren’t being given the Premiere Access treatment. It’s creating a perception that Disney seems to view Pixar as a lesser brand that doesn’t deserve to be in the same category as Raya, Mulan, or Black Widow. And it's not really a good look to send two films in a row that feature different cultures straight to streaming.

I get that. I also get the thought on Disney's end that Pixar will be a big draw as an original for their four-quadrant audience.

I think there's a distinct difference on the part of Disney Executives, who now no longer care what the product is (even Black Widow is going Premier Access), they see everything as a possible streaming option now. The creatives however create these films for theaters and I get their frustration in it being a Disney+ original instead of at least being Premiere Access/Theatrical like Raya, though for sure.

 

[joelbryant11]

 

[Nick]

Don't get me wrong, i'm gonna watch it and it looks fine, but this reminds me wayyyyy too much of Onward. I know they aren't brothers, but the trailer is giving me that same buddy adventure vibe that Onward had. Hopefully it's not nearly as similar as the trailer looked like to me.

 

[TheGentTrent]

"Go start a club...for losers!"

BOOOOO! Jack Dylan Grazer is in this and they knew exactly what they were doing.

 

[Nick]

The RT score is 91% so far, but i'm hearing a lot of mixed things within the "fresh" reviews. From what i've read, it seems like the story is a bit thin and it's kind of more along the lines of The Good Dinosaur in that it looks great, but it's extremely forgettable and feels like it was from a lesser animation studio.

Luca | Rotten Tomatoes

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar's original feature film "Luca" is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures...

www.rottentomatoes.com

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

The RT score is 91% so far, but i'm hearing a lot of mixed things within the "fresh" reviews. From what i've read, it seems like the story is a bit thin and it's kind of more along the lines of The Good Dinosaur in that it looks great, but it's extremely forgettable and feels like it was from a lesser animation studio.

Luca | Rotten Tomatoes

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar's original feature film "Luca" is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures...

www.rottentomatoes.com

On a side note, I'd be really curious to hear what sites people mostly read their reviews from.

 

[kristenabelle]

The RT score is 91% so far, but i'm hearing a lot of mixed things within the "fresh" reviews. From what i've read, it seems like the story is a bit thin and it's kind of more along the lines of The Good Dinosaur in that it looks great, but it's extremely forgettable and feels like it was from a lesser animation studio.

Luca | Rotten Tomatoes

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar's original feature film "Luca" is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures...

www.rottentomatoes.com

On a side note, I'd be really curious to hear what sites people mostly read their reviews from.

Owen Gleiberman (Variety) basically said the same as the above. Though he also didn't love Coco, so I don't trust him entirely

 

[Tristan]

Pretty mid-movie: B+

 

[PlatinumFate]

Though it’s not my favorite Pixar film, this is probably the film of theirs with the most repeatability. Like, I feel like I could watch that film over and over and over without getting bored of it due to how absolutely gorgeous it is. The story is pretty run-of-the-mill once you take out the sea monster aspect. Intentional or not, this was absolutely a metaphor for being gay. I don’t know how it couldn’t have been, and as a gay person myself I connected heavily with that aspect of the story, which may contribute to the repeatability of it for me. And as always, Pixar made me cry. Definitely an “A” tier movie for me, I hope it’s successful.

 

[Clive]

I thought it was a triumph. And I'm really annoyed they 1) didn't give this a theatrical run and 2) aren't owning the obvious queer metaphor.

 

[Tobias]

I thought it was a triumph. And I'm really annoyed they 1) didn't give this a theatrical run and 2) aren't owning the obvious queer metaphor.

So regarding that aspect I can totally agree, but another reviewer who pointed the metaphor out made a couple observations about that. Any other time Disney has attempted to do something more obvious and owned to it, it's been done so small and easy to edit out in any fashion for other countries. (Rise of Skywalker, Onward etc.) When it's done like Luca, the metaphor is right there, but nothing's getting edited out or changed. Yes it still sucks they're not owning up to the metaphor, though if they did then the whole movie wouldn't be distributed in places...would be fun if the studio stood their ground and did, though.

Also, it's better than previous attempts where they were fully open and announcing there's a queer character/moment and...it's so tiny that the whole thing felt like a pandering slap.

 

[Tristan]

The message didn't personally hit me as much as Soul's did, but besides that, I thought it was one of Pixar's best. I loved how it had a distinct water-color art style and that there was no big grand quest the protagonists had to embark on. I still think it's a B+ just because of a few qualms like Alberto's unjustified reason for being jealous. Otherwise, this movie would be other studios' best.

 

[Nick]

So regarding that aspect I can totally agree, but another reviewer who pointed the metaphor out made a couple observations about that. Any other time Disney has attempted to do something more obvious and owned to it, it's been done so small and easy to edit out in any fashion for other countries. (Rise of Skywalker, Onward etc.) When it's done like Luca, the metaphor is right there, but nothing's getting edited out or changed. Yes it still sucks they're not owning up to the metaphor, though if they did then the whole movie wouldn't be distributed in places...would be fun if the studio stood their ground and did, though.

Also, it's better than previous attempts where they were fully open and announcing there's a queer character/moment and...it's so tiny that the whole thing felt like a pandering slap.

I will say that Disney is getting better about "owning it". There's two, separate shows airing on Disney+ currently that are currently showcasing the LGBTQ community. Both are what I would describe as kid/teen shows (HSM:TM:TS and Big Shot). The HSM show depicts a relationship between two males and are a big part of the story and the other show has a relationship between two females. In both shows, the characters do kiss and openly express their love for each other.

I'm not saying they don't have a way to go still and doing this in a Pixar film would've been a major step for representation. i'm just saying i'm noticing Disney starting to change their ways more recently so hopefully we'll start to see it be shown in a bigger project sooner than later.

 

[quinnmac000]

I will say that Disney is getting better about "owning it". There's two, separate shows airing on Disney+ currently that are currently showcasing the LGBTQ community. Both are what I would describe as kid/teen shows (HSM:TM:TS and Big Shot). The HSM show depicts a relationship between two males and are a big part of the story and the other show has a relationship between two females. In both shows, the characters do kiss and openly express their love for each other.

I'm not saying they don't have a way to go still and doing this in a Pixar film would've been a major step for representation. i'm just saying i'm noticing Disney starting to change their ways more recently so hopefully we'll start to see it be shown in a bigger project sooner than later.

Luca is still getting theatrical releases in countries without Disney+ as well as those two shows they can easily take off. Also from former Disney talent.

'Gravity Falls' creator slams Disney over Pride Month tweet

Animator Alex Hirsch calls out Disney after the company allegedly forbade him from including any LGBTQ+ characters on his show

www.rappler.com

 

[Coasted]

Nice to see Universal’s Portofino Bay
as the setting for Disney’s Luca!

 

[Nick]

Luca is still getting theatrical releases in countries without Disney+ as well as those two shows they can easily take off. Also from former Disney talent.

'Gravity Falls' creator slams Disney over Pride Month tweet

Animator Alex Hirsch calls out Disney after the company allegedly forbade him from including any LGBTQ+ characters on his show

www.rappler.com

The movie was made for theaters, not Disney+, so if they limited it in any way for that reason then they deserve criticism. However, none of their original shows are being removed from their service. I know they "can", but it's not something that would go unnoticed, and with a show that's actually very popular like the HSM series, there would be outcry. It would be a senseless move on Disney's part. Bad PR for no reason.

I do think we need to take into account that these are kids in the movie so while there may be queer aspects, they would likely be more confused (still figuring it out) about their sexuality than anything at this point in life. I get people in the queer community have felt slighted for years and there's been a lack of representation, but sometimes a movie is just a movie. Disney never said that this was a movie about two gay kids. If they had said that I think i'd feel much differently than I do presently.

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

Great film!
It felt good for Pixar to step away from its usual formula and tackle something a little bit more slice of lifey.
Pixar has proved its worth to me this year with Soul and now this. I hope they put more coal into the original film fire because I am loving it!
8/10, would recommend.

But hot damn am I excited for Turning Red!

 

[JawsVictim]

I had the pleasure of seeing Luca at the El Capitan this weekend and am so happy I saw it on the big screen! To me, this is the closest Disney/Pixar has gotten to a Hayao Miyazaki film. Beautiful animation, lots of fun characters, and a great story with lots of heart. It’s a real shame this one isn’t getting a chance to shine in theaters (same goes for Soul).

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I had the pleasure of seeing Luca at the El Capitan this weekend and am so happy I saw it on the big screen! To me, this is the closest Disney/Pixar has gotten to a Hayao Miyazaki film. Beautiful animation, lots of fun characters, and a great story with lots of heart. It’s a real shame this one isn’t getting a chance to shine in theaters (same goes for Soul).

Ah, no idea it was at the El Capitan. And I was in LA this week too

 

[Nick]