on Luca, and Disney's decision to pull it from theaters

My biggest criticism regarding Luca is that Disney apparently thought so little of its cinematic prospects that they dumped it straight to Disney+ without even giving it a cursory run in theaters. Cruella got a silver screen run with a Disney+ premium option, and it was only okay. Mulan got the same treatment, and it was a hot mess. Raya and the Last Dragon got a theatrical release as well and it was a misfire, in my opinion.

Meanwhile here’s this movie, a Pixar film hot off the success of the sublime Soul, and coming out at a time when people are showing a greater willingness than ever to return to cinemas, and for some reason Disney just plops this little gem of a movie onto Disney+ without even giving it the chance to be seen on the big screen. That’s it. That’s my biggest criticism regarding Luca. Other than a few minor nitpicks, which I will mention, there’s nothing else that needs to be said by way of complaint.

Luca is a wonderful little movie.

It wasn’t as emotionally complex as some previous Pixar films, nor did it rip my heart to pieces like some of their best, but as I sit here thinking about it I can’t think of a single thing wrong with it, nor a thing I would bother to change.

Luca is simply an endlessly charming film that moved at a brisk pace, never dragging, had great voice acting, a sharp script with genuinely funny moments, and a fun, low stakes plot you could easily get invested in. 

And maybe it’s that “low stakes, easy-breezy” feel of the movie that motivated Disney to skip the traditional wide theatrical release and just drop it onto Disney+. Maybe the studio felt, as we slowly inch our way out of the pandemic, that theater ticket buyers will be choosier than ever and will want a cinematic experience that’s big and epic enough to justify going out. I can understand that mindset, but I still disagree with it. What people want is a return to normalcy and there’s nothing that says “normal” like going to the movies, sitting down with an overpriced tub of popcorn, and smiling your way through a well made Pixar film.

Because that’s exactly what Luca is.

9/10 – Is Luca Pixar at its best? No, but it’s Pixar at its “comfort foodiest.” It’s not going to blow you away, but you’ll be hard pressed to find much you didn’t love about it, either.