“Luca” might have “subtexts” that are unhealthy, but its “text” is about outsiders finding acceptance, fatherless children finding fathers, and young people whose talents fit them for things other than goatfish-herding being given the opportunity for school. None of those things belongs to one group exclusively. They belong to all of us who are human.

Pixar’s new summer offering is a charming film that returns Pixar to some of its traditions. But it brings up one of the problems of art that has always been present but ever more so: can art that has been embraced by a bad cause be enjoyed or shown? Let’s begin with a general view of Luca and what I think are its successes and then turn to what many are making of it.

Four years ago, Christopher Orr wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “How Pixar Lost its Way.” Writing in the wake of Cars 3 and Toy Story 4, which I’m pretty sure I saw but of which I retain no memory, Orr noted that what had made Pixar an almost unmitigated success from 1995-2010 had been two factors: incredibly high quality and a very consistent ability to tell stories that could be enjoyed by both adults and kids. The most common theme mined was that of parenthood. But the 2006 purchase of the company by the Walt Disney Corporation had dragged the company down with its relentless focus on sequels at any cost, toy merchandising, and theme park ride-ification. By 2017, Orr believed, creative genius John Lasseter’s company lay a-moldering in the commercial grave.

It was probably too strong. Even Pixar’s bombs usually did OK; the market research firm CinemaScore has never given a Pixar film a grade below A-. And Toy Story 4 became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Those masses and their tastes! But Orr’s general view was largely correct. The genius of the Pixar movies found in Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, and Up was not just wonderful animation but a view of the characters as human beings. I’ve often thought that one of the most profound film sequences ever is the opening of Up, which tells the story of Carl Frederickson, who dreamed of adventures and fatherhood with his childhood love and later wife, Ellie, but was denied them both. This brief sequence is powerful in and of itself, but sets the stage for now elderly Carl’s experience of them both in the main story.

John Lasseter is no longer with Pixar, but a viewing of this summer’s hit Luca, available streaming on Disney+, indicates that Pixar, however much they lost their mojo, seems to have it back to some degree. A first full-length film directed by Enrico Casarosa, based on a story he wrote with Jesse Andrews and Simon Stephenson and scripted by Andrews and Mike Jones (screenwriter for Pixar’s recent Soul), it tells the story of Luca Paguro, a young sea monster and goatfish herder who dreams of going up on land but has been warned never to do so by his mother. When he follows another sea monster named Alberto up to the surface he learns that sea monsters, when dry, take human form. The movie is a bit inconsistent about this device, given that the first time the monsters pop up they seem to instantly transform even though they would still be soaking wet. Later in the movie it seems a few drops of water on their skin will turn them to sea monster form. But the animation, inspired by old-fashioned hand-drawn and stop-motion pictures, is entertaining even if, like time-travel devices, it makes a bit of Swiss cheese out of the plot.

Alberto, it turns out, lives alone on a small abandoned island. At first he claims that his father is simply not around much, but Luca, who wants to be above the surface more and more, eventually discovers that Alberto has been hiding the fact that his father abandoned him. Luca, who seems to be largely ignored by his own father, has been threatened by his mother with being sent to live in the deep sea with his Uncle Ugo. He decides to go and live above the surface with Alberto, and together the two, who have posters of Vespas, dream of riding a Vespa around the world. Luca decides to go to the nearby human town. When they dare to do so, they end up encountering the town bully, Ercole, who tries to push Luca into the town fountain—something that would expose the sea monsters to a village afraid of them. A young tomboy named Giulia, whose parents are divorced and who spends time with her father in the summers, rescues them and tells them about the Portorosso Cup, a triathlon for kids that involves swimming, bicycling, and, amusingly, eating pasta. Knowing that the prize is enough money to buy an old Vespa, they agree to be on Giulia’s team and her father, Massimo, a fisherman born with one arm, takes them in.

Alberto finds in Massimo a father figure, while Luca finds in Giulia a deep friendship. The rest of the movie centers around the participation in the race, Luca’s parents’ attempt to find their son (whose human form they do not know) in the town, and Luca’s growing friendship with Giulia, which causes difficulty with his best friend Alberto. I will not spoil the plot entirely, but will say that the two boys are exposed as sea monsters, leading to the discovery that there are other sea monsters who have been living in the town. And Luca, a shepherd boy, is allowed to go and study in the human world while Alberto finds in Massimo the father who has left.

This is a coming of age story that centers on growing up, the feeling of being out-of-place that is a part of growing up and interacting in society, and the changes that happen with growing up. And insofar as it tells this story well, it is a success.

But it has been embraced by many as a “representational” movie that affirms individuals who are “LGBTQ+” who have to hide in a society that thinks them dangerous monsters. In this interpretation, we are supposed to believe that Alberto and Luca are young gay boys. After all, this movie is set on the Riviera just as was the same-sex-desire coming-of-age movie Call Me By Your Name. And look at the cartoon characters’ clothing and their colorful—even campy—sea monster plumage! They imagine riding on a Vespa together! They seem to love each other. And when other sea monsters reveal themselves in the town, two older women living together are revealed to be sea monsters! Those two obviously can’t be sisters or friends. . . .

This “gay” interpretation was promoted by many early on, despite Casarosa, the director, telling the magazine Out that that’s not what he had in mind:

In my first picture, I realized we hadn’t done kids being kids. So that was kind of part of me thinking about that. It’s also specifically a little bit about pre-romance. That was something I was interested in as well because there’s just that moment that maybe we’re not thinking about boyfriends and girlfriends yet, which is really more about friendships.

While some interpret this response as showing a reticence on the part of Disney or Mr. Casarosa, the interpretation seems to me to be strained. The entertainment industry has no qualms anymore about showing their cards when they try to indoctrinate us. After all, the twenty-second season of the animated PBS series based on Marc Brown’s aardvark character Arthur began with the teacher, Mr. Ratburn, having a “gay wedding.” That’s pretty in your face. I think Mr. Casarosa was telling the truth. Moreover, the writer of the Out article seems to accept that this movie may really be about “platonic male friendship.”

I confess that when I saw the movie with my kids, I had not heard of the same-sex-attraction spin on it. As I watched, I saw how easy the movie could have turned to open advocacy of that as the meaning, just as Marvel’s X-Men did in the 1990s comic books. That’s why I watched Luca with some trepidation as it got going. But my own judgment was that though I could see many people identifying the situation as “gay,” the movie does not force one to this interpretation. Having grown up in a small town and having a father who worked on the floor of a factory, it spoke to my experience as I began moving in broader circles. The fear of being “outed” as someone who does not belong does not belong alone to those with same-sex attractions. Indeed, today, in most circles it is something that can be claimed to make one cool.

But if the movie really is about gay sexual awakenings, then it is not an embrace of the usual party line. Instead, it would pose some interesting questions: If Luca and Alberto are somehow young and discovering gayness, what is the significance of one being ignored by his father and the other being abandoned? Does this reveal that nurture, or the lack thereof, is actually part of this sexual desire? What is the significance of Luca choosing to go with Giulia and live in the city with her mother and study? Does that signify that same-sex attractions are part of the confusions of growing up, perhaps confusions that for most people are replaced as one matures? If this is propaganda, it would be interesting to figure out precisely what is being propagated.

The reality is that that age of pre-romance, but even beyond, is filled with close friendships and even an element of eros—the love that draws one to another—that do not necessarily have to do with sexual attraction or libido. We speak today of “bromance,” but such relationships are not usually sexual. I think it sad, but perhaps not unexpected, that works of art depicting friendship between those of the same sex—even of pre-teen boys—are always claimed as providing “queer subtext.” I want my kids to be able to see movies that depict such friendships without having the interference of such interpretations. I want them to see that they can love their friends of the same sex, but that love is not sexual attraction nor need it lead to that. I want them to see that Luca is about friendship and, importantly, the need for fathers who are present physically and emotionally.

But in the world of incessant internet chatter, is that even possible? Must we surrender to what everybody is saying about the books, songs, and movies… because everybody is saying it? When it comes to children, there is a certain amount of prudence necessary. But I want to declare independence of the herds of independent minds who all assert that Luca is gay, The Matrix was about trans identity (its creators think so despite, to me, its great lesson that reality is better than the alluring aspects of the mind), and Harry Potter is about the practice of Wicca or left-wing politics. The early Christian practice was to claim the stories, poetry, and philosophy of the pagan world as a treasure trove to be plundered just as the children of Israel treated the goods of Egypt.

Luca might have “subtexts” that are unhealthy, but its “text” is about outsiders finding acceptance, fatherless children finding fathers, and young people whose talents fit them for things other than goatfish-herding being given the opportunity for school. None of those things belongs to one group exclusively. They belong to all of us who are human.

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

The featured image is courtesy of IMDb.

All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Comments that are critical of an essay may be approved, but comments containing ad hominem criticism of the author will not be published. Also, comments containing web links or block quotations are unlikely to be approved. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email