In a small town on the Italian Riviera a  friendship develops between Luca (Jacob Tremblay), Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Giulia (Emma Berman). The only issue is that Luca and Alberto are the sea monsters the people in the town are so eager to hunt and kill. 

Pixar make great movies and Luca is another success for them. It was a little disappointing for me to hear this was arriving on Disney+ rather than the cinema but watching this sun drenched slice of the riviera on a lazy Sunday that was dull and drizzly was actually a perfect pick me up. 

Opening in Luca’s underwater world we see his life as a shepherd and his curiosity of the land above begin to grow. His parents want to keep him safe but risk smothering his freedom. When he meets Alberto a friendship blooms and they dream of that quintessential symbol of Italian freedom, the Vespa. Then they discover that a local race could fund their dream and they become friends with a local girl in need of some team mates for the event. 

What I loved so much about this quaint little story of a summer friendship is how much is packed into it. Both from a family movie message perspective and just simply the depth of the world created. Themes of friendship, growing up, feeling different from others, how families come in different shapes and sizes and racism are all gently simmering in the story and not thrust upon you. Whilst fish that behave like sheep, film posters that look like your strange uncle who lives in the deep and a cat that can definitely sense you are actually a fish give the film a warmth and humour that keep you engaged. 

As you would expect from Pixar the animation is sumptuous and you would definitely want to holiday in this little seaside town. The designs of the sea monsters are also fantastic and the transitions between human and monster are great. 

Stay till the very end as well to get another fun snippet of ocean life. This is the literal “fish out of water” coming of age film that will brighten your day.