And Italy invited itself to Annecy… and to your living rooms.
Presented this Thursday, June 17 at the Annecy animated film festival, "Luca", the new Pixar, is shown here on the big screen, and was originally due to be released in theaters around the world.
The pandemic having decided otherwise, the film will finally be available only on Disney + from Friday.
At the edge of the Savoyard lake, we discovered an enchanting nugget, intended for the little ones - that had not happened for a long time with this studio, charming and removed ode to the "dolce vita italiana".
Luca is a little sea monster - sort of squid with googly eyes - who lives with his family in the depths of the Mediterranean, off a village in the Cinque Terre, in Liguria.
He discovers one day thanks to one of his congeners, the facetious Alberto, that if he comes to the surface - which his mother has strictly forbidden him - he turns into a little human.
And here is the shy Luca and the mischievous Alberto gone to make the four hundred blows in the village, where they get closer to a local inhabitant of their age: to them the Vespa rides, the delicious pasta of the fishing father of the kid, and the big annual race reserved for local children.
But each time they approach the water, they risk regaining their terrifying appearance ...
"I was inspired by my childhood on the Italian coast, by my friends"
If the film is so successful, it is because, as is often the case with Pixar, it is directly inspired by real landscapes and sets: the fabulous Cinque Terre region, on the Italian Riviera, south of Genoa.
To give a real local touch to the feature film, the studio hired a director based in the United States, but born in Genoa, Enrico Casarosa.
It was he who drew the main lines of the story: “I was inspired by my childhood on the Italian coast, by my friends.
For example, my best friend, whom I took as a model for Alberto, is like that in real life, while I was very introverted, like Luca, the filmmaker smiles.
This is one of the themes of the film: how relationships with others change you by bringing you challenges.
"
After which the animators of the studio made several trips on site to be inspired by the landscapes, the pastel colors of the buildings, “but also the inhabitants or the local cuisine. They drew a lot! ". Result: the graphics, faithful to the colors of the Cinque Terre, are splendid. And on arrival, the film amazes with its popular, light tone, which evokes a somewhat old-fashioned and carefree Italy: “We wanted to tell a popular story, as simple as the locals who are mainly fishermen, winegrowers or small traders. , specifies Enrico Casarosa. We pushed a little on the 1950s aspect, to make it clear to what extent this part of Italy, because of its topography, has remained intact ”.
The icing on the cake for the French public: the vocal participation of Chiara Mastroianni, in the role of Luca's mother, which creates a link with a tribute paid in the film to her father, the immense Marcello Mastroianni.
Moving, popular and funny: viva “Luca”!
EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5
“Luca”
, American animated film by Enrico Casarosa (2020), with the voice (in French) of Chiara Mastroianni… 1h36.
From 7 years old
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Available from this Friday on Disney +