Luca

[Karin1984]

I get that -many loved Inside Out and I just thought it was OK. Curious as to what you mean by "low stakes"? What movies have "high stakes".....

Low stakes = nothing really changes if you do not reach the goal, high stakes = it will go terribly wrong when you do not reach the goal.

As said, I haven't seen the whole movie, so going by the review. The goal of Luca and friend is win the Vespa?
If Ariel doesn't kiss Eric, Belle doesn't learn to love the Beast, Tiana doesn't break the curse, Moana doesn't restore the heart, etc. things will go very wrong.

 

[BrianL]

Low stakes = nothing really changes if you do not reach the goal, high stakes = it will go terribly wrong when you do not reach the goal.

As said, I haven't seen the whole movie, so going by the review. The goal of Luca and friend is win the Vespa?
If Ariel doesn't kiss Eric, Belle doesn't learn to love the Beast, Tiana doesn't break the curse, Moana doesn't restore the heart, etc. things will go very wrong.

Well, at the risk of getting into spoiler territory, it's not really about the Vespa, it's about the freedom to choose one's own path in life. Luca leaves home because they are forcing him to do what they expect and then threaten to send him to "the deep" with Uncle Ugo. They do so in the name of his own safety, so he has to not only prove that he can take care of himself, but also that his safety is only assumed to be at risk. The vespa is a symbol of this desire to break out on his own, but it is not really the end goal at all.

 

[BostonEd]

A 30% average? My fourth grade teacher would disagree.

My baseball coach would have been ecstatic.

 

[TwoMisfits]

It's a beautiful, boring movie...one you appreciate, but don't enjoy. It's my least favorite Pixar original, although I never saw The Good Dinosaur...

 

[supernova]

My baseball coach would have been ecstatic.

Ecstatic? Mine would have been jealous.

 

[Karin1984]

Ok, I did get back to it and finished the movie. It took a long time before it got more interesting. There were some good parts in the last half hour of the movie.
I was most amazed by the violence of the bad guy, punching Alberto in the stomach. I didn't think they would show that on screen. It wasn't as useless, nor violent as the death of Ray in Princess and the Frog, but it was the first thing I thought about when I saw that scene.

 

[igrsod]

I thought it was beautiful, and had some fun moments, but all in all I was bored. I was hoping for more.

 

[Carol_]

I loved Roberto’s path in the end.
I’ve watched it a few times now and I have lingering pasta-related questions that might never be answered.

 

[supernova]

I have lingering pasta-related questions that might never be answered.

You misspelled linguini.

 

[supernova]

If Ariel doesn't kiss Eric, Belle doesn't learn to love the Beast, Tiana doesn't break the curse, Moana doesn't restore the heart, etc. things will go very wrong.

I was with you until you mentioned Moana. While the film was decent overall, it started to lose me with the little coconut guys (similar to how the dogs flying planes in Up was another moment that took me out of the film).

But overall, I didn't quite get the point of the end 'quest' in Moana. Some uninhabited island/mountain thingie turned into a fire monster? Was anyone else in danger outside of the two people who were there? I guess a movie ending based around silly superstition was lost on me.

 

[Karin1984]

I was with you until you mentioned Moana. While the film was decent overall, it started to lose me with the little coconut guys (similar to how the dogs flying planes in Up was another moment that took me out of the film).

But overall, I didn't quite get the point of the end 'quest' in Moana. Some uninhabited island/mountain thingie turned into a fire monster? Was anyone else in danger outside of the two people who were there? I guess a movie ending based around silly superstition was lost on me.

The end didn't bother me in Moana. It's a myth or legend and part of a culture. It requires just as much disbelief as stories about apples and snakes in a garden. If you ever go to Hawaii/Tahiti/Fiji area, I don't think you should refer to it as a 'thingy' and a 'silly superstition'.
My point was more, Moana's island is in danger (no more food), the solution is restore the heart. That's a pretty high stake.

 

[BrianL]

I was with you until you mentioned Moana. While the film was decent overall, it started to lose me with the little coconut guys (similar to how the dogs flying planes in Up was another moment that took me out of the film).

But overall, I didn't quite get the point of the end 'quest' in Moana. Some uninhabited island/mountain thingie turned into a fire monster? Was anyone else in danger outside of the two people who were there? I guess a movie ending based around silly superstition was lost on me.

Yes, the other islands were dying. Remember the rotten crops and the lack of fish? That was eventually going to worsen without restoring the Heart of Te Fiti.

 

[Carol_]

Yes, the other islands were dying. Remember the rotten crops and the lack of fish? That was eventually going to worsen without restoring the Heart of Te Fiti.

And it all sources back to somebody done somebody wrong .

 

[Adventureland]

It's my favorite Pixar film! I actually don't tend to love a ton of Pixar's faire-good, but not my favorites or anything I would want to rewatch. This one I could just watch again and again. I do love slice of life though, the interactions were an absolute delight!
I heard that some folks got a survey about watching a possible sequel? I would love a Luca sequel-but a series even more. They have the perfect setting and the sea monster stuff makes for great plot devices. School is always a great way to force characters to be in one place. They could have Alberto go to school for some reason, or they could just go to the next summer and put stories there.
I'm a merch person, but the toys just don't hit it for me. Maybe I'll pick up a pin when I go if there's something cute.

 

[Carol_]

I miss the 10,000 leagues under the sea ride. They could bring it back with Luca, Roberto, and family swimming around. Maybe turn it into a dinner cruise with pasta.

 

[supernova]

The end didn't bother me in Moana. It's a myth or legend and part of a culture. It requires just as much disbelief as stories about apples and snakes in a garden. If you ever go to Hawaii/Tahiti/Fiji area, I don't think you should refer to it as a 'thingy' and a 'silly superstition'.
My point was more, Moana's island is in danger (no more food), the solution is restore the heart. That's a pretty high stake.

Right, but snakes and apples in a garden is just as fake as fiery spirits inhabiting a Pacific island. Neither are to be taken as truth. Just old tales of myth, as you stated.

 

[Karin1984]

Right, but snakes and apples in a garden is just as fake as fiery spirits inhabiting a Pacific island. Neither are to be taken as truth. Just old tales of myth, as you stated.

Moana's ending was not a question whether or not it could happen in real life. If that's your criterium than you can stop watching most / all of Disney & Pixar animations. That a prince is cursed into a Beast and that being loved will turn him back human, is also just a story.

Moana's ending was good because she overcame her fears, figured out the problem and solved it. That kind of change is what you want in a good character arc. A good character arc is vital to a good story.