Giulia Marcovaldo

Giulia

**Giulietta 'Giulia' Marcovaldo** is the tritagonist in the Disney/Pixar animated feature film, Luca. An teenage, Italian girl, who lives with her father in Portorosso during the summer, she befriends Luca and Alberto whom both join her team to win the Portorosso Cup.

## Background

Giulia initially lived in Portorosso with her father, Massimo, and her cat, Machiavelli, during the summer season. When it’s not summer, she lives with her mother in Genova, also the location of the school she attends. Spending only a quarter of the year in the fishing town, Giulia struggled to form friendships with other kids her age and became a target of Ercole’s bullying because of that. She participated multiple times in the Portorosso Cup, but she was outdone by Ercole’s team every time. Once Luca and Alberto arrived in town searching for teammates to help them obtain a Vespa, she accepted their help as a potential gateway to beating Ercole in the Cup.

## Physical Appearance

Giulia is a short, tan-skinned girl with curly red hair. She wears a blue beanie, dark seafoam-green pants with one pocket on the back and a blue patch on the right knee. She also wears a white a light red-orange striped tee-shirt and brown sandals.

## Personality

Giulia described herself as an underdog who was different from the rest of the crowd as a way to explain her reasoning for standing up for Luca and Alberto; her dislike for Ercole because of being bullied by him often also helped fuel her actions. She tried to paint herself as someone independent at first, as she was reluctant to accept help from runaways but began to open up to the two boys when they helped dislodge her bike from an out-of-place stone brick.

As she gets to know Luca better, she tells him more about herself, including her interest in stargazing and her school in Geneva. Her giving her book on the universe away to Luca suggests that those she meets earn her trust after a period of time spent together with the person.

Giulia had a fear of sea-monsters, which changed at the end of the movie when she discovered the true identities of her new friends and understood that they meant no harm. She decided to think no different of Luca and Alberto even though they were sea-monsters and their friendship strengthened.

## Appearances

### *Luca*

Giulia is first seen when Luca and Alberto first arrived in Portorosso. As Ercole pesters Luca and Alberto, Giulia rescues them while declaring that she will finally win the oncoming Portorosso Cup, in reference to her longstanding rivalry with Ercole. After getting Luca and Alberto to safety, Giulia continues her deliveries to earn money for the competition’s entry fee. Luca and Alberto, in an attempt to earn money for their own vespa, talks their way into forming a team with Giulia, who often works solo, but is inspired by the notion of “underdogs” sticking together. She thusly names their team, “The Underdogs”.

Giulia invites Luca and Alberto to dinner at her house. That’s where Luca and Alberto meet Massimo, Giulia’s intimidating, fisherman father. When Massimo asks where the boys are from, Giulia covers up, saying that they’re classmates from Genova, Luca and Alberto, who came for the race. Massimo talks to Giulia, not wanting her to enter the race due to her past experiences and their shortage of money. On the fly, Luca offers that he and Alberto can help, with Alberto stating that they know lots of fish. Massimo accepts. Later that night, Giulia offers Luca and Alberto to stay in her treehouse. Early the next morning, Giulia decides to wake Luca and Alberto by pretending to play the military wake up call. While she returns to the town to make deliveries, Luca and Alberto join Massimo on the sea to catch fish—which, due to their sea monster heritage, they are able to accomplish spectacularly. Giulia gets the money for the entry fee from her dad and the kids run off to sign up.

Giulia returns home to train Alberto for his part in the race, which will be eating pasta. Luca, meanwhile, is trained in bike-riding, while Giulia is tasked with swimming. During Giulia’s training, the trio are attacked by Ercole, though he is foiled by his sidekick Guido. Later that night, Giulia and Luca are left alone while Alberto goes to work with Massimo. During which, the two grow closer as Giulia teaches Luca about the world and the cosmos. Luca, enraptured by this new information, finds himself less interested in a vespa and more so on learning and knowledge. As Alberto arrives to collect Luca, Luca asks if he can borrow Giulia’s astronomy book for the night. Instead, Giulia gifts him the book, crossing out her name and writing his. Unknown to them both, Alberto is growing increasingly jealous of Luca and Giulia‘s relationship, which worsens as the two spend more time together—separate from Alberto—throughout the next few days.

Sometime later, while training for the bike race, Luca proposes that he and Alberto join Giulia in school at the end of the summer. This infuriates Alberto, who does not believe sea monsters will be accepted in school or even by Giulia. He reveals himself as a sea monster to prove his point, shocking Giulia. Luca pretends to be stunned, as well, betraying Alberto for the sake of keeping his cover. Afterward, Giulia and Luca return to Giulia's house. Giulia and Luca are silent, lost in their thoughts as to what had just happened. With Alberto absent, a worried Massimo goes out to find him. Meanwhile, Luca begins to panic, and as a means of calming him down, Giulia throws a glass of water at Luca, revealing his true form. Giulia, though accepting of Luca’s true form, voices frustration and concern over his decision to hide out in a town notorious for its hatred of sea monsters. Despite how happy she has become since meeting Luca, Giulia reluctantly urges him to town for his own safety.

The best day, Giulia attempts to complete the Portorosso Cup alone, though Luca arrives to compete as well, determined to buy a vespa. This aggravates Giulia, who is firmly against Luca risking his life. She nevertheless subtly aids him in the competition, as does a returning Alberto. Near the end, rain falls over Portorosso, revealing Luca and Alberto to be sea monsters. Ercole, wanting the reward money for their capture, hunts the duo down and attempts to kill them with his harpoon. He is foiled by Giulia, who sacrifices the race to save her friends. Massimo soon arrives and is initially hostile towards the sea monsters, until he realizes their identities as Luca and Alberto. He then proclaims the boys, and his daughter, the winners of the race. Ercole says that they can't have won, saying that they aren't “people”. Massimo has Signora Marssegliese determine if so or not. The bike that Luca and Alberto abandoned is across the finish line. She proclaims that technically and legally, they won. While Ercole and

the local fisherman attempt to kill the boys regardless, they are swayed in doing otherwise by the fearsome Massimo. As Ercole stares in disbelief, Luca, Alberto and Giulia grab and destroy his harpoon. Ercole orders for Ciccio and Guido to help, but the two refuse. Ercole insults them by calling them idiots and tells them to "be useful, for once in your pathetic lives!" Ciccio and Guido, fed up with Ercole's cruel treatment, throw him and his wool sweater into the fountain in revolt. Giulia happily declares the reign of terror over.

The kids are soon joined by Luca's parents, who transform in front of the crowd. Finally, the Underdogs are given their reward, a trophy as winners of the Portorosso Cup. The three begin rejoicing, jumping around, happy to have won. Meanwhile, they receive applause from the crowd. Many kids begin running up to them, congratulating them. Giulia laughs with joys as she looks on, happy to have made her goal a reality.

Later on, the three buy a Vespa with the prize money. While Giulia prepares for school, Luca and Alberto plan to stay behind and prepare their Vespa for travel. At the train station, Luca and Alberto prepare to send Giulia off. To Luca’s surprise, Alberto and Luca’s family have bought an extra ticket and packed for Luca to join Giulia and attend school in her hometown of Genova. The credits chronicle the following months, in which Luca lives with Giulia and her mother, enjoying his life as both a human and open sea monster while keeping in touch with his parents and Alberto.