Exquisito! Pixar’s Luca is nothing short of a summertime charmer for the whole family. The computer animated movie, set on the Italian Riviera of the late 50’s and 60’s, is just plain fun. Yes, the story arc is 100% fairy-tale familiar (as are the lessons around acceptance), but it’s the playful adventures that take place along the way that make it swim and not sink. In fact, it’s one big love letter to those soul-shaping summers of one’s youth. It’s a cornucopia of coming-of-age discoveries, a journey of new friendships, and a celebration of the curious spirit. But, when compared to Pixar’s other entries over the past nearly 4 decades, Luca unfortunately doesn’t stack up quite as high. You see, it’s just not as profound or emotionally stirring as the majority of the animation studio’s stellar catalogue. That’s not to say there’s no depth to the characters or story at hand, just that the commonplace themes don’t connect as well as they could (or have). It’s all played a little too safe. Luckily, the sun-kissed Italian setting makes for a delightfully original cultural backdrop. There’s clearly a lot of homages being played here, all done with tender love and care of course. So, like a hearty bowl of pasta followed by a tasty gelato treat, Luca equates to some good ‘ol fashion feel-good comfort food!