Summary
- "Luca" is a Pixar movie set in a fictional location inspired by real small towns in Italy, adding to the magic of the film.
- Director Enrico Casarosa's personal childhood memories influenced the plot, setting, and themes of "Luca".
- The name Portorosso in the movie may be a nod to Studio Ghibli's film "Porco Rosso", and the aesthetics of the film were influenced by Studio Ghibli and director Hayao Miyazaki's work.
The Pixar movie Luca is set in Portorosso, Italy, which is a fictional location, but it's based on real small towns in Italy. Director Enrico Casarosa’s Luca presents a simple coming-of-age tale on the sun-soaked Italian coast. Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer), two young sea monsters, travel to Portorosso disguised as humans. The movie is filled with the typical humor, heart, and fun characters people expect, but more than any other Pixar movie, the setting adds to the magic of Luca.
Luca marks Casarosa’s feature directorial debut, after working on some of the most successful Pixar movies as a storyboard artist and helming the Academy Award-nominated short La Luna in 2011. The sea monster elements of Portorosso, Italy, were inspired by Italian regional folklore, while the movie’s fishing town is based on the idyllic locations of the Italian Riviera. The movie is clearly very personal to Casarosa, and he's discussed how his childhood memories link to the movie’s plot, setting, and themes.
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Luca Is A Love Letter To The Creator's Italian Childhood
The Movie Took Direct Inspiration From The Italian Riviera And Its Culture
Hailing from Genoa, Italy, and having spent his summers on the coast, the story of Luca is firmly rooted in Casarosa’s youth. Alberto is based on Casarosa’s real-life childhood best friend of the same name, with whom the director enjoyed many summers in the 1980s. The film’s characters reportedly reflect how Casarosa was more introverted, while the basis for Luca's Alberto was more carefree and prone to mischief. The director said,
“I was timid and kinda shy, and he was following a ion every week. I would just run around the old town in Genoa, which is kinda dicey” (via Entertainment Weekly).
From the cobbled streets and colorful buildings to the local fishermen and cuisine, the movie’s Portorosso, Italy may be fictional, but the atmosphere vividly reflects the actual Italian Riviera where Luca is set. Luca also contains several mythical elements. Casarosa commented on his childhood fascination with illustrations of sea monsters on old maps. In the same interview, he recalled how the coastal area of Cinque Terre was full of local legends of sea dragons and other creatures: “You find out later it’d be tall tales to protect their favorite fishing spot.”
The idea of combining fantastical elements like the movie's sea monsters with otherwise serene locations is always interesting and provides a great means of educating audiences about different cultures. It’s clear the filmmakers also want the world to feel natural, as Casarosa told D23 how he sent an art team to the Italian Rivera to research its people and rich culture.
Although evoking the nostalgia of 1950s and 1960s Italy, predating the director's childhood, Luca is clearly a labor of love for Casarosa. The Italian setting and time period easily evoke the feel-good nature of golden age classics like Roman Holiday. However, the director’s personal attachment and use of local legends make the movie stand out as an imaginative adventure of its own.
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Where The Name Portorosso Came From
Casarosa Pays Homage To His Hometown As Well
Luca also draws on other real historical components in crafting Portorosso, Italy. The name is likely a blending of the names Portovenere and Monterosso, both of which are real villages in the Italian Riviera. The city of Genoa (where Casarosa actually spent his childhood summers) is in the same region and is likely where Giulia's hometown of Genova got its name. Thus, Luca's movie location is probably set in northern Italy.
The Aesthetic Of Luca's Portorosso Was Inspired By Studio Ghibli
The Work Of Hayao Miyazaki Was A Particular Influence On Luca
It's also possible that the name Portorosso is meant to be a nod to Studio Ghibli's film Porco Rosso. The 1992 animated feature centers on a pilot-turned-pig of the same name and is also partially set in Italy, as well as in Croatia, during the 1930s. Given that Casarosa is an irer of Hayao Miyazaki's, this name parallel could very well have been intentional on Luca's part.
The influence of Studio Ghibli on Luca goes beyond the naming of Portorosso. The bright colors and detailed small village setting reflect the direct inspiration of Ghibli, particularly director Hayao Miyazaki's work. In an interview with TechRadar, Casarosa said, "A lot of Studio Ghibli's dreamlike sequences certainly influenced us, so we tried to bring that warmth and imperfection to the computer animation." So, while the fictional village of Portorosso, Italy draws on real Italian culture, Luca's setting also takes some inspiration from across the globe.
