While the movie follows some overused tropes, it's still a fun kid film that the whole family can enjoy.
In Pixar's Luca, audiences travel through crystal clear waters, idyllic coastal towns, and dreamlike space landscapes to follow a sea boy named Luca (Jacob Tremblay) who spends his days tending fish until one day he ventures to the surface where he meets another young boy named Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer).
Luca's entire life, he's been told by his parents how dangerous the surface world is; when he accidentally ends up on land, he learns that his body can transform to make him a real boy as long as he doesn't touch any water.
As Alberto and Luca walk around as disguised sea monsters, audiences explore the idyllic city of Portorosso and meet an outsider, a girl named Giulia (Emma Berman). Together they train for the Italian version of the triathlon (swimming, cycling, and eating pasta ) to raise the money to buy a sleek Vespa.
While Luca may heavily rely on coming-of-age tropes we've seen plenty of before, especially in Pixar films such as arrogant parents and extroverted best friends, the story is still an extremely heartwarming tale about friendship and following your dreams.
While predictable, I feel that Luca stills show's Pixar at its best in the foray of kid films, not only because of the simple premise and likable characters but also because it delivers in every department. The premise is a realistic idea of how two boys go about real society when they are "fish out of the water" (or, in this case, two young sea monster boys, two fish in the water, because they don't know how human society works ).
While it may not be the best film Pixar has ever created, it's more than worth the price of Disney+ for a month to watch.
Rating: B+