How ‘Luca’ Director Enrico Casarosa Is Pushing Pixar Into More Personal Storytelling
early reviews, has been held up as far simpler, more modest and yet still full of charm, compared to the more ambitious existential themes of “Soul” or the grand set pieces of “Incredibles 2.” One critic compared it to Pixar doing its take on Studio Ghibli, “evoking the low-stakes seaside magic of ‘Ponyo’ in particular” — and sure enough, sitting on Casarosa’s bookshelf is a small Totoro figurine from one of Studio Ghibli’s classic animated fantasies. That freedom to infuse his own personality into “Luca” has made the film’s years-long journey worth the wait.