Pixar has announced its next original animated movie called Luca, an adventure set in Italy, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Enrico Casarosa (for the short film La Luna), who is drawing inspiration from his own upbringing.
Pixar describes the film as a coming-of-age story about a young boy in Italy, who shares in adventures on the Italian Riviera with his newfound best friend. But a dark secret about his true identity seeks to threaten that bond.”
“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,” Casarosa explains of the film in a statement. “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. So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.”
Casarosa has been head of story at Pixar for nine years and has worked on a number of Pixar films like Incredibles 2, the Oscar-winning Coco, The Good Dinosaur, Up, Ratatouille, Cars 2, and Cars. Luca marks his feature film directorial debut.
The voice cast for the film is yet to be announced. Luca is set to come out 18 June 2021 as of now. It will follow the release of Pixar’s next film, Soul.