Luca has been one of Pixar’s most anticipated films in a while, teasing an intriguing plot and a picturesque backdrop. It’s a coming-of-age story about the titular boy, who lives in the Italian Riviera and has an unforgettable summer with his new best friend, Alberto. But this isn’t your regular tale about friendship. Luca and Alberto both bond over their big secret: They are actually sea creatures! They just appear human whenever they’re on land. Pixar released the teaser for it on Thursday and it’s just as stunning and sweet as you’d imagine.
In the teaser, Luca is eager to have the best summer ever with his new friends, who proclaim to be underdogs. But he forms a particularly close bond with Alberto, who craves adventure as much as Luca does. They find comfort in discovering another secret sea creature to befriend, but turns out their town is violently against sea monsters. Though Luca and Alberto are obviously just harmless little boys, they know that the other villagers likely will not see them that way if their secret’s revealed.
This is director Enrico Casarosa’s first time helming a feature film, but he’s behind many of Pixar’s greatest projects. He wrote and directed the well-known Pixar short La Luna, and was a storyboard artist on Coco, Up, and Ratatouille. As for the voice actors, Jacob Tremblay voices Luca and Shazam!’s Jack Dylan Grazer voices Alberto. Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Marco Barricelli, and Emma Berman also voice characters in the film. Luca makes its splash on June 18.