Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Luca Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 3, 2021

Finally, a fish out of water story that is literally about a fish out of water. It just so happens that these fish are bi-habitation transformers, creatures who look like undersea dwellers when wet and somehow, some way, look human when dry. But they stay below the surface. Terror and hardship await them on the surface, they believe, should they be found out. This latest Pixar film lacks the emotional resonance, narrative creativity, high storytelling, and unforgettable characters as found in the studio's best, but it's a decent little escape with a sound story and beautiful support qualities.

Luca Paguro (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a young "sea monster" who lives off the Italian coast. He's eager to learn more about the world above him, but he's cautioned against travelling up top. But his young friend Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) tells him “everything good is above the surface." That's all Luca needs to hear to ignore the warnings and step foot on shore. When he does so, he learns that he magically transforms into a human. Alberto does, too. It's not news to Alberto but it is news to (and a new experience for) Luca who must learn how to walk if he's going to learn about the new world in front of him. The two seek to soak in the sights and sounds and find themselves in love with local iconic vehicles called "Vespas." They want one, but need the money to purchase one. They enter a local triathlon with a human girl named Giulia (Emma Berman) and their hopes of winning hinge on their identities remaining secret and their shared focus holding steady.

Luca shares more than a few things in common with Disney's The Little Mermaid, particularly in its establishing beats. The film posits that there is a thriving world of intelligent undersea creatures, not dissimilar to surface men beyond physical appearance. In both films, the protagonist finds lost and discarded human odds and ends and wishes to learn more about the world beyond their own. In both films, there's a magical transformation that allows the undersea creature to walk on land; in The Little Mermaid it's a spell, in Luca it's an innate ability that exists within every one of his kind. Both films follow various adventures above and below the surface and feature secondary stories depicting worried parents who must deal with the reality that their children might actually be happier above rather than below. Certainly there are a number of differences, too; for example The Little Mermaid is more a love story, Luca more a tale of friendship and self discovery.

Luca's tale is not one that is particularly novel, at least within its core. It offers a fun, but not necessarily robust, look at identity and confidence in oneself, prejudice, and self discovery. Throughout the film, the characters learn who they are in total; underwater they're only experiencing half of who they are and what life has to offer them. Much of that hesitation to learn more about themselves comes from the very real fear of rejection -- or worse -- from those who dwell on the surface. Where the film goes is ultimately not a surprise. It is not particularly inventive in how the story rounds into shape and considering the conclusion it draws, but the draw is in the adventure, the growth, the burgeoning friendships and the sense of awe and discovery: it's the joy in the little things that defines so much of the movie.

The characters are resoundingly well voiced and well drawn: literally on the computer and figuratively in terms of characterization (even if there's an overriding triteness to the larger story and broader strokes). The setting is a pleasure; it's unique, visually resplendent, and oozes authentic flavor. One can almost smell the sea and taste the food and soak in the culture. The digital animation is in top form and Pixar once again leads the charge in pushing the envelope. Luca borders on the photorealistic, at times, certainly with a playful, colorful edge that betrays reality, but it's astonishing to see just how beautifully the filmmakers and digital artists have painstakingly recreated a real world and built a new one under the sea. It's polished, perfect stuff.

Luca Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

To label Luca's Blu-ray as anything other than lavish would be to undersell its beauty. While the 1080p/SDR presentation lacks the UHD's dynamic color and textural finishing touches, the Blu-ray is a fully gorgeous presentation that brings out a superior image and reveals the animation's inherent beauty with dazzling care and attention to detail. Textures are firm and very well defined. Surface level sand and rocks on the beach, details around town, and other environmental odds and ends leap off the screen for grounded accuracy and pinpoint clarity. Viewers will appreciate the fine point sharpness, subtle detailing, and overall textural might in evidence throughout. Characters and clothes are the unequivocal highlights. The animation is filled with delightful detail and the Blu-ray clarity only brings out the absolute finest this format can find. Character models are complex and dimensional. Clothes reveal the most extreme fabric details and stitches. Everything the animators put into the film is seen on the screen. Colors are exquisite. While there's a decidedly blue tint underwater the expressive colors are on full display, particularly as the characters appear as various shades of green and purple and other brilliant tones that pop even through the watery filter. But the image springs to life on the surface. There's no mistaking the inherent brilliance in evidence across the full color array. Blue waters and sky, green vegetation, colorful clothes, and the cheerful tones around town just jump off the screen. Blu-ray could not deliver a more robust, fruitful, expressive, vivid color collection. Viewers with the sharpest eyes might spot a trace amount of aliasing in a couple of shots but it's not enough to substract from a perfect score. Digitally animated content on Blu-ray doesn't get any better than this.

Luca Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As per studio standard operating procedure, Disney brings Luca to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack; the companion UHD release includes a Dolby Atmos sound mix. This track is decidedly subtle though crystal clear, very detailed, and highly accurate. The front side is its playground. Surrounds are not frequently engaged to prominence, instead used as mild, if nearly often invisible, support structures that carry modest, supple sounds that help better define underwater and surface level environments, though they rarely, if ever, really, carry some of the musical and action/adventure and excitement loads; listeners should expect to find most of the information up front. The track's musical front stretch and detail are excellent. There is not a substantial low end present, but the track never sounds tinny or flat as have some Disney tracks from the past. The sound mix is reserved to begin with, so the lack of thumping bass is not a detriment, and with no feel for empty space where low end support should be, it's a rather solid listen in total. It also does not struggle with low volume output at reference level, either. Everything seems to be in good working order. Dialogue is clear and center positioned. The main drawbacks appear to stem from a hesitant, mild mannered source than anything else. This is not a dynamic listen by any stretch of the imagination but it's a solidly performing track as it is.

Luca Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Luca includes three featurettes, deleted scenes, and trailers. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Our Italian Inspiration (1080p, 14:21): Looking at Director Enrico Casarosa's Italian roots and the filmmakers' travels to Italy in order to find influence and inspiration for the film (can I work on the sequel?).
• Secretly a Sea Monster (1080p, 12:23): Looking more closely at the transforming characters and how Luca's physical changes influence his inner changes. It also looks at character design and the technical details involved in the on-screen execution.
• Best Friends (1080p, 7:15): Examining the film's look at childhood friendship and how the friendship directs and influences the film's themes.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 30:30 total runtime): Following a filmmaker Introduction are the following scenes: Starfish Hunt -- Alternate Opening, Isola del Mare -- Alternate Opening, Festa del Mare, Here Comes Giulia, Gelato Trouble, and Sea Monster Cannery. These are "scratch" or "temp" versions of the scenes as Enrico Casarosa calls them in the intro.
• Trailers (1080p): Included are Summer -- English Teaser Trailer (1:28), Liberta -- Italian Trailer (2:27), and Summer Days -- Japanese Trailer (2:18).

Luca Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Luca is no bastion of dramatic originality, and it lacks the emotional resonance and creative spark that define Pixar's best, but the film plays well for its charm, beauty, agreeable characters, and well versed, if not somewhat trite, themes. It's well worth a watch, even if it's far from Pixar's best. Disney's Blu-ray delivers perfect video, solid enough (though very front dominant) audio, and a few extras. Recommended.