By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Former The Adderley School and Paul Revere Charter Middle School student Jack Dylan Grazer will star in “Luca,” billed as a computer-animated, coming-of-age fantasy comedy film.
“A young boy experiences an unforgettable seaside summer on the Italian Riviera filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides,” according to a synopsis on IMDb. “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 ocean’s surface.”
The titular character, Luca Paguro, is voiced by Jacob Tremblay. In the film, Luca is a 13-year-old sea monster who lives in the waters on a farm next to the Italian coast where he herds goatfish with his parents.
His best friend, Alberto Scorfano—also a teenage sea monster—is voiced by Grazer. He is described as a “free-spirited, expressive and gregarious” boy.
In a trailer for the film, the two are seen leaving the ocean together, against the wishes of Luca’s mother, at Alberto’s urging. Then begins their summer of adventure, starting with being picked up by a new friend, voiced by Emma Berman, and brought to her home.
Other starring voices include Marco Barricelli, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan.
“Luca” is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is directed by Enrico Casarosa, marking his feature-length directorial debut, and written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones. It is produced by Andrea Warren.
IMDb reported that originally, Casarosa wanted Italian film composer Ennio Morricone to score “Luca,” but he died before he was asked. The film will be dedicated in his memory.
The film was set to premiere at the Aquarium of Genoa on June 13 and then released direct-to-streaming on Disney+ on June 18. Plans for the film to be theatrically released were disrupted by COVID-19, though “Luca” is slated to have a simultaneous limited run at El Capitan Theatre between June 18 and 24.
“Luca” is rated PG for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence, according to IMDb. It has a run time of one hour and 41 minutes.
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