This Pixar film hides a tribute to one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved films – Cinema News

Pixar released one of the most colorful films in recent years, but its most characteristic element would not have existed without this legendary project from Studio Ghibli.

After producing animated film classics such as Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and Up, Pixar continued its list of films that delve into nostalgia and the emotion of unusual characters. It’s been three years since Luca, a film that is as colorful as it is funny, hit streaming. And it has a very curious detail!

Directed by Italian filmmaker Enrico Casarosa and featuring a voice cast led by Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer, the film portrayed a picturesque village on the Italian coast, but also took us to the depths of the sea. What if sea monsters could become human beings?

Luca (Tremblay) defies his parents’ orders and emerges from the sea only to realize he can take on the appearance of a human child. It is then that he makes friends with Alberto (Grazer), another ocean monster who has lived like this for a long time and invites Luca to rebel and enjoy what they cannot experience in the waters. Summer becomes different and a lot of fun, especially when tasting gelato and dreaming about riding a Vespa with friends.

Over the course of 1 hour and 35 minutes, we see Luca and Alberto race through the hills, learn to ride motorbikes, discover information about the stars and eat pasta with Giulia (Emma Berman), a little girl who joins the team to compete in a triathlon that will give them a prize that will allow them to achieve the goal of riding the Vespa trait.

If you’ve seen the film, you’ll probably remember the idyllic image of a summer in Italy, but this small town is inspired by one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved films.

Hayao Miyazaki released his most summery film in the 1990s: Porco Rosso. The Japanese film introduced us to a quirky World War I pilot turned bounty hunter who fights pirates in the Adriatic Sea. But he is not just any flight expert, but rather a bewitched pilot who has a face like a pig.

This animated feature film is also set in Italy, albeit during Benito Mussolini’s regime, and takes us along the hot coast, just as it does in Luca.

The inspiration that Casarosa had in the Pixar film is even more visible when we know the name of the village where Luca, Alberto and Giulia have fun, which is called Portorosso. Originally, this was going to be Luca’s surname, but the director decided to change it and give it to the village where the story takes place.

*Translation from a partner website of QuandoCinema.

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