Luca (2021)

Most people think so. 77% of audiences gave it a thumbs up, by Google's archived audience score. Critics agree, scoring it 81%.

Luca and his best friend Alberto experience an unforgettable summer on the Italian Riviera. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface. Wikipedia ↗

Luca is a 2021 American animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Enrico Casarosa. Set on the Italian Riviera in a fictional seaside town inspired by Cinque Terre, the film follows Luca Paguro, a shy young sea monster who can take human form on land, and his adventurous new friend Alberto Scorfano as they experience an unforgettable summer of gelato, pasta, and Vespa-riding while hiding their true identities from the charming but sea-monster-fearing townspeople. Enrico Casarosa, a native of Genoa, drew from his own childhood memories of Italian summers and the intense friendships of boyhood to create Pixar's most personal and intimate film in years.

The visual design deliberately departed from photorealism toward a more stylized, hand-painted aesthetic inspired by Italian illustrations and Miyazaki's work, giving the film a warmth and charm distinct from Pixar's typical visual approach. The sea monster metaphor was widely interpreted as an allegory for any aspect of identity that must be hidden for acceptance — sexuality, ethnicity, neurodivergence — though the filmmakers kept the metaphor open-ended rather than pinning it to a specific reading. Luca earned $49 million in limited theatrical release, debuting simultaneously on Disney+ at no additional charge.