Sometimes animated movies have the most lasting effects on a society, and Pixar’s impressive catalogue of films is proof. Movies like The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. and Toy Story are worth watching over and over, and Luca, which is the most recent addition to Pixar’s impressive collection of films, seems to be well on its way to following in the footsteps of greatness.
During its first week on Disney+, Luca racked up 1.57 billion minutes of viewing time, according to Nielsen’s Top 10 list. That equates to the movie being watched nearly 16.6 million times in a week, and it’s clear that Luca didn’t lose a step after that. Nearly a month later, and Luca still garnered 809 million minutes of viewing per week, which puts it in fifth place of everything being streamed across all platforms. It’s par the course for a Pixar film, but the question of what’s causing people to watch Luca multiple times remains. So, here are the best aspects of the film that keep calling viewers back to the town of Portorosso.
Luca Is Visually Immersive and Authentic
The most important part of a movie is, undoubtedly, the visuals. That’s what makes movies so immersive, and that’s the first reason why Luca is so successful. The setting of Portorosso is simply beautiful. It’s a quaint, seaside town in Italy, and a lot of work was put into making it authentic. Pixar's featurette, "Evolution of a World," shows location scouts going around and taking pictures of the smallest details. At the same time, Producer Andrea Warren explains how they wanted the film to feel like a postcard of an Italian summer, with culturally authentic details.
When describing Luca’s setting, many of the voice actors and animators used words like "colorful" and "texture." It’s an animated film, but it’s brought to life so well that it feels real. One of them even described it as the perfect vacation spot. Clearly, viewers of the film must appreciate how transportive it is because so many people keep coming back to see it.
Luca Is Nostalgic
So many people talk about looking back to old times and wishing that things could go back to the way that they used to be. It’s just a fact of life that things are different as an adult, but Luca is a callback to childhood. In Pixar's "Friendship Featurette," Jim Gaffigan, who plays Lorenzo in the film, said, “Luca is a story of friendships that are authentic and only found around a certain age.” With its focus on new friendships and trust, Luca is reminding adults of what it was like to be a kid, and some viewers can’t get enough of that.
Luca Pushes Children To Discover Themselves
Entertainment, and film especially, is one of the best ways to educate children. Luca's themes are based around budding friendships, the conflicts that arise and the lessons that are learned in the process. As a coming-of-age story, most of Luca’s main characters are children. This provides the perfect way for many of its younger viewers to identify with the characters and, by proxy, learn the same lessons.
One of the main themes that the story explores is allowing children to be themselves. When Luca leaves the ocean and comes onto the land, he is completely out of his element – literally. However, his new friend, Alberto pushes him and allows him to discover that he loves being a human. Maya Rudolph plays Daniela in the film, and in the "Friendship Featurette," she says, “I love this moment in a young person’s life, having someone push you out of your comfort zone to discover yourself.” It’s a great lesson for kids to learn because they can only grow when they're uncomfortable and showing an example of that in Luca is a great way to see that growth in action.
Luca Is Believable
The best stories are based on reality, and while sea monsters may not be real, certain qualities about Luca feel super relatable. One example of this is how Director Enrico Casarosa based Alberto’s character on his childhood best friend, who was also named Alberto. “He had a ton of passion and was constantly testing his own fears,” Casarosa said about his friend in the same featurette. He even credits Alberto for pushing him in a way that helped him find his calling as a director. That authenticity is what makes Alberto’s character feel so real as he pushes Luca into a whole new world.
Alberto's passion, however, is just one example of believability in the movie. Luca's vulnerability while attempting something new and difficult is extremely relatable, and the way he refuses to give up is inspirational. Of course, it doesn't end there. The themes of never giving up and searching for belonging also hit home for a lot of people. The list could go on and on because Pixar films always have a way of finding the most universal themes even in the most fantastical stories.
Luca is now available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD or to stream on Disney+.