Pixar announces sea monster animation 'Luca' for summer 2021

Pixar has announced its next animated adventure — and it’s set to feature a sea monster on the sun-baked Italian Riviera.

Luca is a coming-of-age tale about the titular young boy experiencing an “unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides”.

The synopsis reads: “Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water’s surface.”

Read more: Onward director on cinemas closing

The movie, set for release in summer 2021, will mark the feature directorial debut of long-time Pixar staffer Enrico Casarosa, who previously helmed the 2011 short La Luna.

Casarosa said: “This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship.

“Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca.”

Casarosa joined Pixar in 2002 after working at Ice Age company Blue Sky Studios and became a story artist for movies including Cars and Ratatouille.

Read more: Onward tops post-lockdown UK box office

The film will mark Pixar’s third consecutive original feature, following this year’s Onward and the upcoming Soul.

This is a shift back towards original properties after a focus on sequels including Cars 3, Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 in recent years.

The new Pixar movie has quickly drawn comparisons on social media to Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name for its idyllic Italian setting.

Presumably, though, there will be fewer scenes involving people doing unspeakable things to peaches.

Read more: Best animated shorts on Disney+

Luca is currently scheduled to be released in the USA on 18 June, 2021.

Pixar’s other upcoming movie Soul, meanwhile, moved from summer to November as a result of the coronavirus.