Pixar's New 'Luca' Trailer and Poster Released

Earlier this year, it was announced that Pixar's upcoming Luca would be following in the footsteps of Soul and skipping cinemas in favour of debuting on Disney Plus instead. Enrico Casarosa (best known for short La Luna) makes his directorial feature debut on the film, taking us to a fictional Italian Riveria town based on where he spent his childhood years. In the film's world, however, a race of friendly sea monsters live beneath the Mediterranian waves. The titular Luca is one such aquatic critter, who disguises himself as a human to come and explore the town with his brother Alberto. There he discovers a fascination with the human world and forms an unlikely friendship with a human girl named Giulia.

The first teaser trailer introduced us to the town and established a wonderfully summery sense of atmosphere. The sea monster element was only just touched on. In the newly released full trailer we instead start in the underwater world and establishes the fact that the brothers' parents forbid them from going anywhere near the surface. It then follows them as they explore the beautifully realised coastal town, running into trouble with locals and discovering the delights of human life.

Casarossa's film has a very strong cartoony look to the character designs- at times I was even reminded of the look of Aardman Animation characters. It definitely leans much more to the cute side than last year's Onward and Soul.

We get a peek at several visually impressive sequences such as a bike ride down a steep hill, or through a field of crops. a nighttime rooftop adventure and ( in what is presumably some sort of dream or fantasy sequence) Luca running along the ring of a Saturn-like planet somewhere in space. These gorgeous looking shots only serve to make it all the more of a shame that won't be getting the cinema release it was so clearly made for.

Luca will be available on Disney Plus (at no extra cost to subscribers) on June 18.

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