Pasta, sea monsters, and Vespas form the Italian wonderland of Disney’s new animated film “Luca.”
Disney movies are chock-full of bright animation, endearing characters, and heartwarming endings, and “Luca” presents yet another magical and colorful narrative, this time in the seaside town of Portorosso.
I sat down ready to relax and enjoy a cute cartoon story. But the heart-wrenching struggles and landmark decisions that title character Luca faced bubbled up memories of similar experiences that my friends and I faced during our first year of college.
“Luca,” released on June 18, tells the story of the sea monster Luca and his new friend Alberto. Both Luca and Alberto are creatures that live deep within the ocean, but when they swim up to the surface, the sun transforms them into human boys. Any drop of water that hits their skin immediately turns their flesh back into scales, but if safe and dry, they remain human.
At the start of the film, Luca is terrified to go up to the surface. He sees “human” objects, and though they light a spark of curiosity within him, his fear still holds him captive. Luca’s parents fuel his fear. They force him to stay close and never leave the deep. At the dinner table, Luca’s Uncle Ugo advises him to stay in the water, even if it’s boring.
“Sure, there’s no sunlight,” Ugo says, “but there’s nothing to see anyway, or do. It’s just you and your thoughts, and all the whale carcass you can eat!”
This line, though lighthearted, ultimately keeps Luca away from the surface. It’s not until his grandmother comes along, and gives him a nudge toward adventure, that he truly commits to exploring the shore.
The water is familiar to Luca, but he is missing out on so much more, and the same can be said to every student who chooses to stay in their comfort zone this semester. Though college is new, and you can tend toward what you are familiar with, the next four years can be so much more than residing in the deep, comfortable waters. Apply for a new job, wear those cute overalls, or go explore the Slayton Arboretum. There is sunlight all around, you just have to be brave enough to go searching for it.
Once Luca and Alberto decide to stay on shore, they are dead set on building their own Vespa. I laughed out loud watching their obsession with the fancy Italian scooter.
“It’s just the greatest thing that humans ever made, the Vespa!” Alberto says.
But Alberto is more headstrong than Luca, and Luca begins to spiral into all the things that could go wrong with their plan. What if they turn back into sea monsters? What if they never find a Vespa? What if Luca’s parents find him?
Though Ugo is in favor of Luca existing with just himself and his own thoughts, this only breeds a cycle of overthinking and repeatedly holds Luca back from trying new things.
Don’t let yourself get stuck in this same cycle. With new places, new people, and new experiences, it’s easy to overthink what you’re doing. What will they think about my haircut? What if I don’t get a spot in this class? What if there’s no seats in Saga tonight?
In moments like this, Alberto rushes in with his iconic phrase, “Silencio Bruno!”
And Luca ends up doing just that. He stops overthinking, and ventures to Portorosso with Alberto in hopes of finding their dream Vespa.
Luca and Alberto befriend Giulia, a feisty red-headed Italian girl who has her heart set on winning the “Portorosso Cup,” a competition consisting of three legs: pasta, swimming, and biking. These comrades commit to each other and compete together in order to beat out the villain Ercole Visconti, or as Alberto affectionately calls him, “Signor Vespa,” who already has his own sweet ride.
These friends team up together and take on the world through the course of this movie, and every freshman gets to do just that.
“We underdogs have to look out for each other, right?” Guilia said.
In college, you meet hundreds of new people, but you need to trust that you will find your people, your Alberto and Guilia, and together you can take on your freshman year, one Western Heritage class at a time.
As the semester unfolds, plan a movie night with your friends and enjoy Disney’s animated world of scooters and sea-creatures. I highly recommend this movie if you are looking for something fun, adventurous, and entertaining.
But to you, freshmen, and even seniors, remember Luca’s lessons: don’t be afraid to go ashore so that you can find the sunlight, and don’t overthink things or let your thoughts control your emotions and actions. Finally, trust that you will find your team of loyal underdogs. They’re out there.
And if you ever feel yourself starting to get worried and stressed out about your own life story, “Silencio Bruno!”