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j u ly • a u g u s t • s e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 1 c g w 1 9 3D with a Twist "The towns [around where I grew up] are stuck in time; they're so picturesque," Casarosa says. The watercolor aesthetic carries with it 2D influences, giving the film a highly stylized look, especially compared to the more re- alistic CGI typically exhibited in a Pixar film. Looks can be deceiving, however. This is a 3D film, although rather than having every- thing appear straight, even, and realistic, as computers are tuned to do, the filmmakers wanted Luca to be caricatured and imper- fect, so you can feel the hand of the artist. "The most technically challenging part for us was achieving the visual style that we wanted for this film. It is something that's very different than what we've done in other Pixar movies," says Character Supervisor Beth Albright. It might be different compared to the studio's other features, but the underlying aesthetic is actually an expansion of the look Casarosa used for his coming-of-age short film "La Luna." Casarosa's film style is influenced by Japanese animation and artistry. "[For Luca] Enrico would draw these sinuous, simple shapes of reflections in the water that looked like traditional wood- blocks," says Production Designer Daniela Strijleva. "With that in mind, we were chal- lenged with simplifying the look of a 3D film, which was super fun to do, hitting a certain level of caricature that's true to Enrico's style. It's very expressive and lyrical." While the film contains a high degree of 2D influence, Casarosa made it clear that he wanted to create something new and different for Luca. "He was very specific that it shouldn't look like stop-motion, anime, or anything else, and that we had the power of the computer with us, so we could create something new. And that's something we like to do at Pixar," says Character Supervisor Sajan Skaria. "While we were inspired by all of that, we had the tools to cra it our way." Diverse Cast of Characters Luca has a wide range of characters, some of whom live underwater and others on land. Luca's family are sea dwellers, creatures inspired by depictions of sea monsters found on old maps from the Renaissance, as well as scientific illustrations of fish from the region in addition to Japanese dragons and serpents. In fact, different types of fish were used as reference for the characters in dif- ferent ways. For example, a larger silvery fish, like a big tuna or barracuda, was used as a reference for Alberto. A more colorful species, such as a reef fish, was used for Luca. "We looked at marine iguanas because of the way they swim underwater and use their limbs, and their tail is really interesting and different from the way another type of reptile might move or swim," says Albright. As a result, the sea monster versions of the boys are more creature-y and less human- like when they swim. "We combined all of these different influences to make our sea monsters really unique," she adds. The artists also had to ensure that the underwater animation illustrated dri and water resistance. "The characters couldn't stop too abruptly in the water, so they would hit a pose and then float a little, letting the energy dissipate into the water and slowly come to a stop," Michael Venturini, anima- tion supervisor, explains. The creatures, which are hardly monsters, are appealing and expressive, each playing a stereotypical family member role. Daniela is Luca's overly cautious mother, whose num- ber one rule is not to go near the water's surface, where land monsters supposedly live. Lorenzo, Luca's dad, is oen distracted by his hobby of raising prize-winning crabs. Grandma, meanwhile, understands Luca's yearning for something more and secretly supports his adventurous ambitions. The people in the town of Portorosso are representative of those found in a typical small town. In all, the artists created 56 individuals for this film, some main charac- ters and others relegated to the background. "This is one of those movies where we're not literally just populating the entire place with a bunch of characters. We know them," says Albright. "It's like each one was handcraed. We spent time with them, and that quality shows on-screen." Ercole, a blowhard, is the town bully who likes to target Giulia. He also owns a shiny Vespa and is the repeat champion of the town's Portorosso Cup race, which Giulia longs to win. Giulia is friendly and adven- turesome, though she does not have many local friends since she is a summer resident who lives there with her divorced fisherman father. So, she quickly befriends the two strangers — Luca and Alberto — who sud- denly appear in town. Monster Mash The main characters, Luca and Alberto, presented an even bigger challenge for the Artists used a transformation rig to transition Luca.