Timeline-YATAD/Luca

Luca is a 2021 American animated coming-of-age fantasy film produced by Yonatan Ashad Productions, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Yonatan Ashad Channel Movies, and Yonatan Ashad Animation Studios and distributed by Yonatan Ashad Productions and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film was directed by Enrico Casarosa in his feature directorial debut, produced by Andrea Warren and written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones from a story by Casarosa, Andrews, and Simon Stephenson. It stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Marco Barricelli, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Peter Sohn, Lorenzo Crisci, Marina Massironi, and Sandy Martin in supporting roles.
==Premise==
Set on the Italian Riviera in 1959, the film centers on Luca Paguro (Tremblay), a young sea monster boy with the ability to assume human form while on land, who explores the town of Portorosso with his new best friends, Alberto Scorfano (Grazer) and Giulia Marcovaldo (Berman), experiencing a life-changing summer adventure.
==Plot==
In the summer circa 1959, timid sea monster child Luca Paguro herds goatfish off the coast of the Italian town of Portorosso. His parents forbid him to approach the surface, fearing that he might be hunted by humans. One day, Luca meets Alberto Scorfano, a fellow sea monster child who lives alone in an abandoned tower on land. Alberto demonstrates to Luca how sea monsters can turn into humans, as long as they stay dry. Luca begins sneaking out to meet Alberto, and they become friends, wishing to own a Vespa and travel around the world.
Upon discovering their son's actions, Luca's parents decide to send him to live in the deep with his uncle Ugo. In retaliation, Luca runs away from home with Alberto to hide out in Portorosso. The boys run afoul of Ercole Visconti, the local bully and five-time champion of the Portorosso Cup, a triathlon of swimming, pasta-eating, and biking. When Ercole tries to soak Luca in a fountain, Giulia Marcovaldo, a young girl, stops him. In hopes of winning the money needed for a Vespa, the boys team up with Giulia for the triathlon.
Giulia invites them to stay at her house and introduces her fisherman father, Massimo, who is prejudiced against sea monsters. Meanwhile, Luca's parents infiltrate the town to find their son. Giulia and Luca bond over their love of learning, making Alberto jealous. When Luca shows interest in attending school, Alberto intentionally reveals his own sea monster form to Giulia to prevent it. Unwilling to give himself up, Luca feigns shock at the transformation, and a betrayed Alberto flees as Ercole's gang arrives to hunt him. Heartbroken, Alberto trashes everything in his hiding place. Shortly after, Giulia finds out that Luca is a sea monster as well, and sends him away for his safety.
Luca heads to Alberto's hiding place in an effort to reconcile with him, and learns that Alberto was abandoned by his father long ago. Though Alberto declines to participate in the triathlon, Luca promises to win the Vespa to rebuild their friendship. The triathlon begins with Luca and Giulia competing separately. Luca successfully completes the swimming race in a diving suit and the pasta-eating contest without revealing himself, but rain begins during the bike race. Alberto shows up to give Luca an umbrella, but Ercole knocks it away, exposing Alberto's sea monster form and shocking the audience. Luca rescues Alberto, revealing his own true form, and the two bicycle towards the finish.
Giulia deliberately collides with Ercole's bike to stop him from harpooning Luca and Alberto, who unintentionally cross the finish line before turning back to help Giulia. When Ercole and the other townsfolk confront the boys, Massimo stands up for them and insists that they have won. Luca is reunited with his family, and most of the humans welcome the sea monsters, except Ercole whose prejudice turns him into an outcast. He is thrown into a fountain by his much-abused henchmen.
Luca and Alberto buy an old Vespa, but Alberto sells it to get a train ticket for Luca, allowing him to go to school in Genoa with Giulia. Luca's family, Massimo, and Alberto see Luca and Giulia off at the train station, where they all promise to stay in touch. During the credits, Luca meets Giulia's mother and attends school with Giulia, while Massimo adopts Alberto as his son.
== Voice cast ==
* Jacob Tremblay as Luca Paguro, a 13-year-old Italian boy and Alberto's best friend who is curious about the world above the sea. He lives in the waters next to the Italian coast, in a farm where he herds goatfish with his parents. Although he has been warned his whole life that the human world is a dangerous place, he longs for something beyond his quiet farm life, so when Alberto takes him to explore Portorosso, his eyes open up to a whole world of possibilities. He and all other sea monsters take on human form when they are dry. Paguro means "hermit crab" in Italian.
* Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto Scorfano, a 14-year-old Italian boy and Luca's best friend who is enthusiastic to explore the human world. He is a free-spirited, expressive and gregarious boy who is "all about having fun". Despite his outgoing and free-spirited nature, he secretly hates living alone, as it is revealed that his only parent figure abandoned him in an island tower, leading him to feel lonely and insecure. Scorfano means "redfish" or "scorpionfish" in Italian.
* Emma Berman as Giulia Marcovaldo, a 13-year-old Italian girl who is an outcast in Portorosso and befriends Luca and Alberto. She is an "outgoing and charming adventurer with a love of books and learning". To prepare for the role, Berman did some research by visiting a local Italian restaurant in San Francisco and met with an Italian waiter working there, who taught her how to speak Italian through some Zoom sessions.
* Saverio Raimondo as Ercole Visconti, an 18-year-old who is a cowardly bully. A repeat champion of the town's Portorosso Cup race despite many people pointing out he is too old for it, he is "a Vespa-owning, pompadoured blowhard who believes that everyone loves him and enjoys watching him eat sandwiches". He has two followers, Ciccio and Guido, who are ready to do his bidding. Voicing him, Raimondo was partly inspired by Giuseppe Anatrelli's performance as Luciano Calboni in the Fantozzi film series. Raimondo reprised his role in the Italian-language dubbing of the movie.
* Maya Rudolph as Daniela Paguro, a sea monster, Grandma Paguro's daughter, Lorenzo's wife, and Luca's mother who is determined to keep her son safe.
* Marco Barricelli as Massimo Marcovaldo, an Italian fisherman, cook and Giulia's father. He is an imposing and tattooed man born with only one arm. Despite Luca and Alberto being intimidated by his big size and skill with a knife, Massimo has a soft heart, especially for his daughter.
* Jim Gaffigan as Lorenzo Paguro, a sea monster, Ugo's brother, Daniela's husband, and Luca's father, a "well-meaning, but sometimes distracted dad who's very passionate about raising his prize-winning crabs"; Gaffigan based his performance on his own parenting skills.
* Peter Sohn and Lorenzo Crisci as Ciccio and Guido, Ercole's cronies.
* Marina Massironi as Mrs. Marsigliese, a lady who runs the Portorosso Cup race and its sponsor. Massironi reprised her role in the Italian-language dubbing of the movie.
* Sandy Martin as Grandma Paguro, a sea monster who is Daniela's mother and Luca's grandmother. Grandma knows that breaking some rules is a part of growing up and she is a little too happy to look the other way if Luca's rebellious side should emerge.
* Sacha Baron Cohen as Ugo Paguro, an anglerfish-like sea monster, Luca's uncle, and Lorenzo's brother who lives in the depths of the ocean and has a see-through torso.
Giacomo Gianniotti and Gino La Monica voice Giacomo and Tommaso respectively, two local fishermen (they reprised their roles in the Italian-language dubbing of the movie). Elisa Gabrielli and Mimi Maynard play Concetta and Pinuccia Aragosta, two elderly women who are later revealed to be sea monsters. Francesca Fanti voices a female police officer that gets annoyed with Ercole's antics. Jonathan Nichols voices Don Eugenio, a local priest (voiced by Gino D'Acampo in the British version). Jim Pirri voices Mr. Branzino, a sea monster who is the Paguro family's neighbor. Casarosa voices an angry fisherman and a Scopa player.
==Production==
===Development===
==Release==
===Theatrical and streaming===
Luca had its premiere on June 13, 2021, in Italy at the Aquarium of Genoa, with a three-day run by the non-profit organization MediCinema to raise funds for the Istituto Giannina Gaslini and other entities in the Ligurian territory. The film was then released simultaneously in theaters and streaming on Yonatan Ashad Play and Disney+ on June 18, 2021.
===Box office===
===Critical reception===
===Tie-in media===
===Home media===
Following an announcement on July 1, 2021, Yonatan Ashad Home Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Luca on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on August 3, 2021, in the United States, and August 23, 2021, in the United Kingdom.
==Gallery==
===Concept art===
===Storyboards===
==Trivia==
*TBA
Category:Movies