Luca release date: plot, cast and news about the new Pixar film

The animated coming-of-age comedy, directed by Enrico Casarosa, is set in 1950's Portorosso and follows Luca (Tremblay) as he makes a new best friend in Alberto (Grazer) and the pair venture from below the water's surface.

"I really loved watching the friendship between Luca, Giulia and Alberto," Tremblay said in a recent featurette. "I'm hoping that it'll bring back a lot of memories for people, of summers when they were kids."

The upcoming Pixar flick, also featuring the voices of Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan and Sandy Martin, was due to be released in theatres this summer, however Disney recently announced that it will debut on Disney Plus instead, where it will stream exclusively.

Here's everything you need to know about Luca.

• Sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now

Luca release date

Pixar's upcoming release Luca is set to skip the cinemas and will instead head straight to Disney Plus on Friday 18th June.

While Luca is following the footsteps of recent Pixar titles like Soul in its exclusive streaming release, the film's director Enrico Casarosa telling press at a preview event (via Digital Spy) that he was "sad that we can't experience this together in the theatres".

"We make these movies for the large screen, and for them to be experienced together. In a few parts of the world they will be experienced that way. But Disney+ is wonderful because so many people will get to see it. So many kids will get to see it," he added.

Luca cast

Luca stars Room's Jacob Tremblay as the titular Luca, while We Are Who We Are's Jack Dylan Glazer voices his best friend Alberto.

The rest of the cast includes Maya Rudolph (Daniela Paguro), Jim Gaffigan (Lorenzo Paguro), Emma Berman (Giulia Marcovaldo), Marco Barricelli (Massimo Marcovaldo), Saverio Raimondo (Ercole Visconti) and Sandy Martin.

Luca trailer

Disney released an official trailer for Luca towards the end of April, teasing the film's Italian soundtrack as well as Tremblay and Glazer's vocal performances as secret sea monsters Luca and Alberto.

Towards the end of May, Disney released a featurette ahead of Luca's release, which sees cast members Jim Gaffigan, Maya Rudolph, Jacob Tremblay, Emma Berman, Jack Dylan Grazer and director Enrico Casarosa speak about the friendship between Luca and Alberto.

"I had the luck of meeting my best friend Alberto when I was 11. He had a ton of passion and was constantly testing his own fears," director Casarosa says in the clip. "I wonder if I would have had the courage to go and chase my career in animation had I not met my best friend."

https://www.youtube.com/embed/N6DY_IkzPCI

What is Luca about?

Luca is a coming-of-age fantasy comedy set on the Italian Riviera in seaside town Portorosso. The feature film stars Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder) as a young boy called Luca who sets out to have an unforgettable summer with his newfound best friend Alberto (IT's Jack Dylan Grazer).

However, both are harbouring a deep dark secret that could threaten their fun plans to come – both Alberto and Luca are actually sea monsters from a world below the water's surface.

Written by author and screenwriter Jesse Andrews (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Soul's Mike Jones, the animated feature marks Enrico Casarosa's directorial debut.

Luca arrives on Disney Plus on Friday 18th June. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Looking for something else to watch on Disney Plus? Check out our best Disney Plus movies guide or best Disney Plus series guide. For what’s on TV tonight check out our TV Guide.