‘The Art of Luca’

Category: Books and Music


The latest Disney/Pixar film Luca is a magical and mystical tale that takes place in a fictional seaside town in Italy. “The Art of Luca” book takes readers into the film with background information and plenty of images that inspired the characters and the film.

Gelato and Vespa motor scooters are a big part of the story as is the architecture of the region. The sea monster characters themselves, as described in the book, were inspired by art. This adds a great dimension to the look of them.

While gazing at the colorful images on the pages, take time to read the background information. “The graphic design found throughout the towns of coastal Italy is incredibly inspiring.” (p. 125) By including them in the film viewers are taken to this part of the world and immersed in not only the characters but also the culture and history of the region.

Luca is a sweet and sensitive story of a summer friendship. It is filled with fun and cute characters, along with immersing viewers in the Italian culture and atmosphere. Plus, there is an additional aspect of the underwater sea folk’s world. By merging the underwater world with that of the human world, the film brings a fantasy aspect to the story.

For the underwater homes, “The design was based heavily on the Italian trullo house” from southern Italy. (p. 39) They have a natural look, which adds to the scenery of the underwater life.

Flipping through the pages of the book, readers see all aspects of the film depicted in these images. It is a colorful book that is sure to take readers back to the film and through the art and storyboards that ultimately led to the finished product.

“The art of Luca” is filled with images. Unlike many of the books in the series, this one has fewer editorials than others. Instead, there are images of sketches and the computer generated graphics. This is a colorful book like the film and for fans of the film and fans of animation itself, it is a “must have.” The characters are delightful and viewers and readers get immersed in the culture of Italy while enjoying the magical and mystical story.

  • The Art of Luca by Daniela Strijleva
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages

About the Reviewer

Francine Brokaw writes about products, books, travel, and entertainment. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. Follow her on Twitter.