Wait a Sec — Are the Main Characters in Pixar’s ‘Luca’ Gay?

Almost immediately after the teaser trailer for Luca dropped, a bunch of people took to social media to discuss their theories about the titular character — and about the nature of the relationship between him and his friend. Most of the trailer shows Luca (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) and his best friend Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) enjoying a beautiful summer in Italy. They eat gelato, they gallivant through the countryside, they jump into the sea — and that’s where things take a bit of a turn.

That’s because Luca and Alberto have a secret that they’re hiding from everyone around them: They’re sea creatures! Somehow, Luca and Alberto have discovered an ability to hide their true identity as long as they don’t touch water, which is important because the people living in the seaside town are terrified of sea creatures. If their true nature were to be discovered, it would be very bad for Luca and Alberto.

So, we have two young men hiding their true identities in order to survive in a world that sees them as “monsters.” Plenty of people were quick to point out that the movie could easily be seen as an allegory for people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community feeling as though they need to hide their true selves in order to be accepted. (There’s also the fact that the Pixar film undeniably has major Call Me by Your Name vibes.)

As you might expect, there’s no mention of Luca’s or Alberto’s sexuality in the official film description, and while some Pixar films do contain romantic relationships, they’re generally reserved for grown-ups (or robots, in the case of Wall-E). Director Enrico Casarosa confirmed to Polygon that the movie wouldn't focus on a romantic relationship, but rather platonic ones.

“I was really keen to talk about a friendship before girlfriends and boyfriends come in to complicate things,” he said.

“We wanted to make sure they see each other, they bring something to each other,” Enrico continued. “They’re both lonely, there’s a loneliness at the heart of it that is filling a void in all these kids because they feel a little bit odd and lonely. Giulia is the same thing. We wanted to make sure there’s a little loneliness so there’s the space that gets filled with an important friendship.”

It seems as though Luca can definitely be read as an allegory for the experience of hiding one’s sexuality from the world, but it could also be meant as an allegory for hiding any aspect of one’s true identity and the toll that can take on an individual. And, if we know Pixar, we’re guessing Luca will have a very happy ending all about being your true self and accepting others for who they are — and that ending will, of course, make us all cry. 

Regardless, we’re sure that Luca will be a great film for kids (and grown-ups) to enjoy this summer, and we are super stoked to watch it!

Pixar’s Luca will be released on June 18, 2021.