Disney Pixar’s Luca Looks Like The Summer In Italy You Wish You Had This Year

Disney Pixar’s animation studios revealed a new film in the works that seems likely to push all our wanderlust buttons — but with an added dash of the fantastical.

Luca, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Enrico Casarosa (for the short film La Luna, which was shown before 2012's Brave), is a coming-of-age story about a young boy growing up on the Italian Riviera who develops a close friendship one summer. Little does his friend know, however, that Luca is secretly a sea monster.

“This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship,” Casarosa said of the upcoming release. “Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in ‘Luca.’ So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca.”

Some have already pointed out how this film seems to have serious Call Me By Your Name vibes. Not only does Disney's description sound similar to the plot of the 2017 film — "a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret..." — but the title shares the same name as the movie's director, Luca Guadagnino. We'll have to monitor the release of future stills from Luca to see if the main characters wear billowy pastel-colored linen shirts.

Luca is set to come out June 18, 2021. However, Pixar's other film Soul was pushed from a release date this summer to November, so Luca's date may be subject to change as well.