Ciao Alberto
Ciao Alberto is a 2021 American computer-animated short film written and directed by McKenna Jean Harris, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Set after the events of the 2021 Pixar film "Luca", the short was released on November 12, 2021, on Disney+. Plot. After receiving a new letter from Luca about how life at school in Genoa is, Alberto writes back about how he has become a good "employee" to Massimo and has been helping him with fish deliveries. Despite his enthusiasm, Massimo barely talks to him personally except to  warn him against being in their fishing boat without his supervision. It quickly becomes apparent that Alberto is seeking approval from Massimo, but is concerned about being "fired" for some of his mistakes. Alberto tries to deliver caught fish efficiently, but keeps tossing them to the wrong people. He tries to cook lunch for Massimo, but makes a mess of the whole kitchen. While Massimo tries to converse with a customer, Alberto tries to lift a whole barrel of fish, only to be pressured by the weight. Massimo rushes to save him, but ends up falling into the water with  the barrel; losing their day's worth of catch. Alberto sneaks out at night to catch more fish, but is followed by Machiavelli to the boat. After getting frightened by him, he drops his lantern and realizes that he accidentally set the boat on fire. They escape just as Massimo comes out to see the damage; He does not utter a word. Upset by his inability to impress Massimo, Alberto packs up his things to leave, but Massimo rushes out to stop him; admitting that it was a mistake. As Alberto tells him to leave him alone, he accidentally calls  him "dad", which shocks both of them. Massimo reveals that he once made his father so angry that he punched through a brick wall, but that they made up by patching it up together. The next day, Massimo and Alberto, now communicating a lot better, work on fixing the boat as they finally share stories with each other. Development. A short focusing on Alberto from the 2021 film "Luca", titled "Ciao Alberto", was announced to be in development. It was directed by McKenna Jean Harris and produced by Matt DeMartini with Enrico Casarosa as an executive producer. Music. Dan Romer , who composed the music for the Pixar film "Luca", composed the music for "Ciao Alberto". The score was released on November 12, 2021. Release. "Ciao Alberto" was released on November 12, 2021, as a Disney+ exclusive film. Critical response. Stephanie Morgan, of "Common Sense Media", gave the short a 4 out of 5, saying "the world could use more stories like this, that emphasize healthy communication in an age-appropriate way".