No plot spoilers, though I will talk about aspects of the story, so if you haven’t seen it yet, keep this in mind.

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed the Pixar movie Luca. Like all Pixar movies, it moved me along on an emotional rollercoaster, pulling more than a few tears from my eyes (then again, I’m a crier). Pixar is really good at that. They have the formula down, repeating it without appearing repetitive.

The story focuses on the budding friendship between two boys. Well, sea monster boys. It’s Pixar, so you might expect their relationship has its ups and downs. Well, that’s the extent of my spoilers 😃.

Enjoyment of the movie aside, I saw a tweet from Kevin McHale, and it got me thinking:

Luca is the queerest movie I’ve ever seen.

— Kevin McHale (@druidDUDE) June 20, 2021

Was it queer?

In retrospect, while watching the movie, I did wonder about what was going on in each of the boy’s heads as the strength of their bond suffered. What drove them? What it just a friendship? A crush?

The intent of a good book or movie is to bring the reader / viewer into the narrative. If they see themself in the story, they become part of it, enjoy it even more. I read an article the other day about an interview given by Anthony Mackie (star of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier) where he essentially refuted fans belief there was a gay attraction between Falcon and Winter Soldier. He asked why it had to be a gay relationship. Why couldn’t it just be two straight men comfortable being close to each other?

Here is a link to the Queerty Article

My question is this: why can’t it be both? If viewers see themselves in the story, straight men will see two men comfortable being close, and the LBGT+ community might see two men with an unspoken attraction. What does this have to do with Luca? I think it’s the same thing. People will see themselves in the story, in fact, I think they will put themselves in a great story, whether the author intended it or not, whether the author (or actors), want it or not.

Perhaps it’s on to the creators and creatives involved with storytelling to accept them, even if they don’t embrace them. How far should that go? I was also reading another author’s blog, and she called out a few fans of her work who felt they were part of the creative process and were part “owners” in the intellectual property of her stories.

I don’t have the answers (sorry if you were looking for them!), but I find it a very interesting question, worth thinking about.

Thanks for listening.

Take care,

CJ