Luca Paguro is the main protagonist of the Pixar's film titled Luca. He is a young member of an unnamed species of sea-monster who seeks to find a new life among the surface world, despite objections by his parents. Along the way he finds new friends as well as a few enemies but establishes a better relationship between human and monster in his setting by the end of the story.
Biography[]
Luca and his family live on a goatfish farm in the waters off the coast of Italy. After discovering various discarded items near the farm, Luca developed a fascination with the "land-monsters" (humans) and the world above the waves. Despite his parents repeatedly warning him that the surface world was dangerous and uninviting, he continued to collect human items thrown into the ocean and observe boats that sailed overhead.
One day, while looking for more human junk, Luca is ambushed by another young sea monster called Alberto Scorfano, who pranks him by dressing as a deep-sea diver. Alberto gathers up some items and leaves, but Luca follows him to the surface, where he is alarmed to discover that Alberto turns human when out of water. What is more shocking is that Luca also turns human when he dries off.
In the days that follow, Alberto helps Luca overcome his fear of dry land and teaches him to walk. They spend more and more time together on the surface, hanging out at a dilapidated tower where Alberto seems to live all by himself. Alberto shows Luca his collection of human trinkets, including a picture of a Vespa motor scooter, telling him that he wants to own one someday and explore the world with it. Looking over the junk in the tower, Luca sees that Alberto has all the parts to make one of his own. Over the following days, the boys build several makeshift Vespas which they then ride down a ramp.
The next time Luca returns home, his mother Daniela interrogates him, asking where he has been. Luca attempts to lie, but his parents already know the truth, that he had been sneaking off to the surface. Daniela forbids Luca from going to the surface again and decides to send him to the deep sea with his Uncle Ugo for "his own good". Luca is angered by his parents' over-protectiveness and runs away, meeting up with Alberto again. This is when Alberto comes up with the idea of the two of them swimming away to the port town of Portorosso.
When they reach the town, Luca and Alberto manage to sneak in, with Luca anxious about their choice but Alberto confident about what they're doing. Luca becomes more mesmerised once he is in town, but quickly discovers that the locals have a deep hatred of sea monsters. A human with a red Vespa soon comes in, with Luca and Alberto concluding that it's "Signor Vespa" and are eager to approach him. Just then, a ball lands in Luca's path and a human boy asks him to kick it back. Luca does so, but it ends up hitting Signor Vespa's Vespa, who approaches the duo angrily. The Signor Vespa introduces himself as Ercole Visconti, the 5-time-winner of The Portorosso Cup, which is how he got his Vespa. Ercole soon makes fun of the duo and attempts to shove Luca's face into the water fountain, but is stopped by a fish delivery girl named Giulia Marcovaldo, whom he has a rivalry with.
Giulia takes Luca and Alberto away from Ercole, stating that "We underdogs have to look out for each other." Giulia then asks the boys if they're in town for the Portorosso Cup, but leaves them be after they awkwardly stay quiet. Luca tells Alberto that they should ask Giulia about the Portorosso Cup, since that is how Ercole got his Vespa. So after many moments of awkwardly talking to Giulia, they learn that if they win in the race, which consist of swimming, biking and eating pasta, they're rewarded with prize money that can get them a cheap Vespa. Luca and Alberto then asks Giulia if they can race with her, to which she tests if they're capable by having Luca ride her bike. Seeing that Luca struggles, Giulia asks where they're from, learning that they're runaways, and Luca adding that he needs to win the race or else he'll be sent away. Giulia then concludes to Luca to do the biking, Alberto to do the eating and her to do the swimming, but they now need to get money from her father to pay the entry fee.
Giulia takes Luca and Alberto to the fishmonger's where they meet her father, the fishmonger Massimo. The boys are intimidated by Massimo's size as well as the fact that he butchers fish and, in Massimo's own words, "anything that swims." The boys stay for dinner, which turns out to be an awkward experience as neither of them have used human eating utensils. When Massimo asks where the boys are from, Giulia covers for them and says that they are from her school who have come to town to compete in the race. Massimo mentions that he is short of money and cannot afford to pay the entry fee for the race, but Luca and Alberto offer to help him with his fishing and get business picking up again.
That night, the boys sleep under the stars in Giulia's treehouse. It rains during the night, so Luca and Alberto wake up to find that they have reverted to their monster forms. They manage to dry off before being noticed and during the day, they go fishing with Massimo, taking great care not to get wet and transform again. However, Massimo's cat Machiavelli accompanies them and constantly gives the boys a sinister glare, having seen them partially transform at the dinner table the day before.
Later, after a successful fishing trip and signing up for the Portorocco Cup, Luca, Alberto and Giulia begin training for the event. During their training sessions, they are continuously pestered by Ercole and his friends. While Giulia is practicing her swimming, Ercole rams his boat into Giulia's boat, causing Alberto to fall overboard. Fortunately, Luca manages to distract everyone so that no one sees Alberto in his true form. While the children seem to be enjoying themselves most of the day, Luca begins to panic after hearing someone imitating a dolphin call. From a distance, he spots his mother and father in human form, walking around town looking for him.
As the days go by and the kids continue preparing for the race, a rift starts forming between Luca and Alberto. Luca and Giulia start spending time together without Alberto, with Giulia teaching Luca about various subjects such as science and astronomy and reading passages from her schoolbook. When Luca later tells Alberto about some of the things he's learned, Alberto gets angry since they contradict some of his previous statements, such as stars being fish.
The following day, Luca is once again practicing riding a bicycle downhill. After noticing his parents on the path, he takes a different route to avoid them. Giulia and Alberto are behind the bike trying to coach Luca, but Alberto gets annoyed when Luca asks Giulia if it's possible for him to attend school with her. In his frustration, Alberto takes control of the bike. He and Luca head down the hill at a dangerous speed and wind up crashing through a metal gate and plunging into the sea. Giulia catches up and begins calling for Alberto and Luca, afraid of what could've happened to them. Meanwhile, underwater, Luca and Alberto, back in their sea monster forms, hide behind two big rocks to avoid being seen by her. Luca then tells Alberto to leave before she sees them. Alberto follows Luca.
After emerging from the water and drying off, Luca and Alberto continue arguing. Luca states that he saw his parents on the street, but Alberto doesn't believe him, thinking that Luca's worries are making him crazy. He tries to reassure Luca that everything will be fine once they win the Vespa and leave town, but Luca tells Alberto that he wants to go to school with Giulia. Alberto reminds Luca again that humans won't accept a sea-monster, but Luca calls him out, saying that he's afraid. Alberto is infuriated by this remark and the boys start fighting, but Giulia then arrives and breaks them up.
After Giulia shows up, Alberto asks her if her school accepts everyone, even sea-monsters. Luca tries to brush Alberto's statement off as a joke, quietly urging him to stop, but Alberto takes his stunt all the way and turns to run and dive into the water. A moment later, he emerges in his sea-monster form, walking threateningly towards Luca and Giulia. Giulia is terrified and Luca, unwilling to let Alberto take him back, cries out "sea-monster". Ercole and his friends are nearby and hear Luca's cry, running over where they see the monster, not knowing that it's Alberto. They begin throwing harpoons as Alberto sorrowfully disappears into the sea.
Later on, Luca and Giulia return to Giulia's house. Luca and Giulia are silent, lost in their thoughts as to what had just happened. Massimo then tells the kids that he was awaiting them and announces that he made their favorite pasta. Just at that moment, Massimo notices that Alberto isn't around. Luca explains that he left. Massimo asks if Luca has any idea where he could’ve gone, but Luca doesn’t know, adding in that Alberto probably doesn't want to be looked for. Worried about the boy's safety, Massimo sets out to find Alberto. A bit later, Luca begins trying to persuade Giulia to race without Alberto, proposing that Giulia can swim and he’ll take over both the eating and biking. Luca begins talking so fast. To get him to stop and calm down, Giulia throws a glass of water at Luca but it only manages to splash his hands. Luca and Giulia look at Luca’s scaled and webbed hands. It was at that point that Giulia found out that, like Alberto, Luca was also a sea monster, this time unafraid as she knows the two mean no harm towards anyone.
As he dries his hands, Luca attempts to explain everything to Giulia. Giulia interrupts, furious with the fact that out of anywhere the boys could’ve visited, they visited Portorosso, where everyone hunts and, should the need arise, kills sea monsters. With no choice, Giulia sends Luca away for his own safety. Luca tells Giulia that she doesn’t understand. Giulia agrees saying she doesn’t understand why he and Alberto are risking their lives for a Vespa. Luca explains that his parents were going to send him away. Luca then states that it didn’t matter anymore and leaves sadly, telling Giulia goodbye and that he is sorry.
Luca then goes in search of Alberto in order to apologise for what happened. When he reaches Alberto's hideout, he finds that the ladder has been broken and so scales up the tower using several protruding bricks. At the top of the tower, Luca finds Alberto and sees that he's destroyed many of his belongings, including his prized Vespa poster. On the wall behind the poster, Luca sees several tally marks drawn in chalk, 383 in total. Luca asks what the tally marks are for and Alberto reveals that his father had gone on a journey without him; the tally marks each represented a day when Alberto's father didn't come back. Luca tries to lift Alberto's spirits by reminding him about their dream to win the Vespa, but Alberto seems to have given up on that dream and tells Luca to leave. Luca does so, but promises that he will fix everything.
On the day of the race, Luca talks with Signora Marsegleisse and is able to take part in the race by himself. Giulia finds Luca and asks him what he’s doing there. Luca tells Giulia not to worry, explaining his plan and that this way, he won't involve her in the event that his sea-monster identity comes out. Giulia panics and tells Luca that he can’t swim. As everyone warms up, Luca shows up in Alberto’s diving suit, to avoid transforming into a sea-monster in the water. Everyone stares at Luca and his bizarre swimming attire. Ercole laughs at Luca, as Giulia tells him it’s not a good idea. Ercole further pesters Luca, asking him if he can’t afford a proper swimsuit. Regardless of Ercole's insults, Luca is determined to win the race for Alberto. Signora Marssegliese then announces that the race is about to begin. She adds in that since there have been sightings of sea-monsters lately, they have hired fishermen to keep guard, harpoons in hand.
When the race starts, Luca is the only contestant not swimming, instead walking along the sea floor in the diving suit. Unfortunately, a small leak begins filling up the suit and Luca transforms as a result. After emerging from the water, he gets tripped by Ercole and his helmet falls off, but he hides his head within the suit so no one sees him as he takes cover under a table. Following the swimming portion of the race, it is on to the pasta-eating round, which Giulia helps Luca with by telling him how to eat pasta the right way. After Luca finishes, he moves on to the bicycle round, but having just eaten he struggles as he pushes his bike up the hill.
As Luca climbs painstakingly uphill, thunder cracks and it begins to rain. Droplets fall on Luca and he begins to transform, seeking refuge under an awning in the rain. Luca is disheartened, realizing how close he was. As he looks on, he hears his name called in the distance and notices a blue umbrella in the rain. Luca squints his eyes as the person lifts the umbrella, revealing it to be Alberto, running back for Luca who is happy to see his friend again.
Ercole comes up and pesters Luca, asking him if he was afraid of the rain. Alberto catches his attention, and Ercole, fed up with the two, tells them that they don't belong and to get out of his town. With a swift move, he kicks Alberto in the cheek, causing him to drop his umbrella. Alberto falls onto the street and soaked in the rain, he transforms back into a sea-monster. Luca’s eyes widen in horror, as Ercole immediately stops, screaming "sea-monster." Alberto looks up as people scream in fear around him. Luca wants to ride over to help but Alberto is not willing to let Luca come and risk himself getting caught too, telling him to stay put. Ercole then throws a net over Alberto and he falls hard on the ground with a grunt. Angered by what Ercole has done, Luca puts his feet on the pedals of his bike and races towards Alberto in the rain. As he does, the rain gets Luca wet, transforming him in front of everyone. He manages to grab Alberto and hoist him onto the back of the bike, the two of them riding back towards town. Ercole catches up to them, harpoon in hand, screaming that he was going to kill them while laughing evilly. Giulia, who is right behind Ercole, rams her bike into his, knocking him and her off their bikes. Alberto and Luca stop and run to Giulia, but then Massimo approaches with a harpoon to kill the sea-monsters.
However, as he gets nearer to them, Massimo notices that the sea-monsters he was readying to kill are actually Luca and Alberto. As everyone surrounds them with harpoons, Ercole comes out of nowhere saying he saw them first so he gets to kill them. Luca firmly states that they’re not afraid, but Ercole retorts that everyone else is afraid of them. Luca looks sadly at everyone with the harpoons, realizing that Ercole is right. Giulia screams to stop and that they are not monsters, with Ercole asking who they are then. Massimo then comes forward, claiming he knows. He looks at the kids, first at Luca, then at his daughter, and then Alberto, before proclaiming them as Luca and Alberto and the winners of the race. Ercole says that they can't have won, saying that they aren't even people. Signora Marssegliese states that since the bike that Luca and Alberto were riding is across the finish line, they had indeed won. Ercole doesn't accept this and becomes increasingly angry since no one else is siding with him, not even his friends Ciccio and Guido, whom he berates and insults. Fed up with Ercole's abuse, Ciccio and Guido throw him into the fountain.
As the crowd of townsfolk celebrate Luca and Alberto's victory, Luca's parents come out and transform in front of the crowd. Daniela loads on Luca saying that he had them scared. Luca apologizes but Daniela goes on to tell him that he did so well in the race, raising his tail up and “kicking so much human butt.” She hugs Luca saying that she's so happy but still mad at him for sneaking off. In the end, Daniela cries, relieved that her son is alright. While Daniela still worries for her son, Grandma Paguro assures her that while there are some on the surface who will never accept Luca, he seems to be able to tell which ones will.
Luca, Alberto and Giulia enjoy the remaining days of summer together while Luca's family get to know Giulia's father and the other townspeople. As summer draws to a close, Giulia is due to head back home to her mother's in Geneva and get ready to go back to school. Luca asks his parents if he can go to school with Giulia, and while Daniela still worries about her son's safety, she decides to let him go. Alberto buys Luca's train ticket, but says that he won't be going with them, opting to stay in Portorosso and help Massimo with his fishing business. After a tearful goodbye, Luca and Giulia board the train to Geneva. As the train departs, Luca leans out of the coach door as rain pours down, feeling optimistic about his next adventure.
Personality[]
Luca starts out as a very timid and shy but curious and imaginative character. He is afraid of the surface, but is also very curious about it. He meets Alberto, who Luca thinks is a human diver, but turns out to be like a sea-monster just like him. After Alberto introduces him to the surface, Luca attempts to confidently refuse staying there as he believes himself to be a "good kid." When he receives the opportunity to approach the surface shortly later on, his first reaction is reluctance to disobey his parents' orders and see Alberto again.
As the movie progresses, Luca is able to expand on his curiosities about human life and what was on the surface as Alberto shows him his collection of human items. Alberto is able to teach Luca to ignore his doubts and leave his comfort zone, which is how he gained his skills on a bicycle that he needed to compete in the Portorosso Cup. He credits Alberto with teaching him how to be crazy.
Luca was also a very kind-hearted individual who was willing to stand up towards anyone who threatened to harm his friends. Luca also held a strong desire to see the world above the surface, despite being forbidden by his parents in doing so. Luca was very intrigued in learning new things, which he enjoyed doing while spending time in Portorosso and growing super excited when he learns something new.
He starts bonding with Giulia when she tells him about astronomy and the universe, which makes Luca want to go to school with her. After deeply hurting Alberto, Luca attempts to make it up to him by winning the prize money for their Vespa. He was even willing to come to Alberto's rescue and expose himself as a sea monster when Ercole caught and attempted to kill Alberto when his sea monster identity was revealed during the Portorosso Cup.
By the end of the movie, Luca is much braver and wiser than the fearful, nervous version of him that existed early in the story.
Notes[]
- Pixar inspired the story of Luca on tales such as The Little Mermaid. His visual design was based on the Gill-Man from The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
- Pixar was very strict when creating Luca and the other sea-monsters to make them appear friendly and inviting. This is a trope found in other works such as Monsters Inc. and Sesame Street, both franchises that depict monsters as friendly creatures who are capable of co-existing with humanity and for the large part bare no ill-will (though Monsters Inc, obviously, had some exceptions in the case of the villains Randall and Waternoose.)