Korean animators participate in Disney Pixar movie Luca

The other protagonist of Disney and Pixar’s new computer-animated film “Luca” is Italy, the background of the film. Director Enrico Casarosa, who was born and raised in Genoa in northern Italy, said the film is his love letter for Italy. Many scenes in Luca are filled with beautiful sceneries of Italy, such as the blue sky, dazzling sunshine, and the clear sea. The film, set to be released on June 17, is about a young sea monster Luca, who can transform into human form while on dry land, and his adventure into the human world with his friend Alberto.

Layout artist Kim Seong-young and master writer Cho Seong-yeon contributed to expressing a taste of the film’s Italian feel. A layout artist considers a shot’s framing and characters’ movement, and a master writer adjusts the lighting level to create a unique atmosphere.

“I studied the Italian sky a lot. There are many scenes, where the camera rotates 360 degrees to show the sky or the sun sets. By watching the videos of the sun rising and declining in Italy, I studied the changes in the shadows, sharpness, and color of the sun,” said Cho Seong-yeon. “I found laundry hanging in every alley in Italy interesting so I put in extra effort in drawing the shadows of the laundry in the film.”

“I tried to depict the characteristics of Italian villages, where buildings are packed together tightly, in a scene, where children are running around the roof under moonlight,” Kim Seong-young. “I used a wide shot so that the audience can enjoy the beautiful sceneries of the Italian town and the sea.”

Sea monsters Luca and his friend Alberto can adopt a human form while on land. Depending on the degree of transformation between sea monster and human, different level of lighting was used to express details.

Luca was produced during the pandemic. In the past, Pixar did not allow its employees to work from home on the reason that creative ideas come when they communicate face to face, but it was different with Luca.


Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com