Luca

It's full of energy and the diligence of those researchers has paid off in its settings which are seductive -- and even more important -- believable.

Luca is a sweet, gentle, sun-kissed film, with gentle rhythms and a generous spirit.

This movie takes joy in the everyday things...wonderful moments.

Luca, basically, is great news for film nerds and wonder-starved kids.

Less ambitious than most of the studio's films, "Luca" instead projects plenty of warmth, specifically in its study of identity, bigotry and the challenges young people face when navigating their anxiety-inducing entry into adulthood.

It is lesser Pixar, but lesser Pixar is still better than a lot of other animation.

All the action, all the emotion, is in Portorosso.

In Portorosso its inhabitants are against what they call sea monsters. Conversely, the creatures that live under the sea call humans monsters above. So, that world is divided in two microcosms that show that everything depends on the point of view.

Director Enrico Casarosa and his team do a magnificent job of bringing small-town Italy to life, interspersed with a coming-of-age fantasy saga.

The animation is painfully generic and even forgettable since its narrative is almost too insignificant.