Oh well
Seeing that the summer vacation is coming to an end, I have finally waited for a wave of new films to be released. If you want to say that the most suitable movies to spend the summer, it is not "Luca" produced by Disney and produced by Pixar Animation Studios.
Stills from "Sunny Days in summer"
In recent years, Disney has held high the banner of diversification and de-American cultural centering, and the animated films produced are often set in exotic places, such as "Ocean Adventure", which focuses on Polynesian culture, "Dream Quest", which focuses on Mexican culture, and "Dragon Quest", which focuses on Southeast Asian culture. "Sunny Days in Summer" is no exception, this time the story comes to the Ligurian coast full of sunshine, blue sea and blue sky.
Set in the Riviera seaside town of Italy, "Sunny Days of Summer Friends" is home to a group of sea monsters who live idyllic life in the ocean as a family unit, and once they leave the ocean, they can change into human appearances, and when they meet the water, they will change back.
Poster of "Sunny Days in Summer"
The young sea monster Luca was taught by his mother that human beings and human society are full of dangers from an early age, and is told not to leave the ocean. However, the occasional encounter with Alberto, a teenage sea monster living on land, opens the door to a new world for Luca. Under Alberto's guidance, Luca learned to act on land as a human being and saw the novelty of human invention.
After Luca's mother found out he had sneaked out of the sea, she decided to send him to the depths of the ocean far from the land. In a hurry, Luca runs away from home and decides to go on an adventure with Alberto in a nearby town. They meet the human girl Julia, hoping to win the town's annual triathlon races of swimming, pasta and cycling, winning the motorcycle of their dreams, and then traveling the world.
However, with an in-depth understanding of human life, Luca and Alberto's friendship became rifted and there was a different perspective on the future. On the other hand, they are also facing the danger of exposing their real identities and becoming the target of human hunting...
The first animated feature film directed by Enrico Casarosa, Luna was nominated for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, including Ice Age, Flying House, Food Story, and other films. Casa Rosa is Italian himself, born and raised in Genoa, near the Riviera, and Sunny Days in Summer can be seen as his nostalgic work.
Although the film does not explicitly mention the time background, it is not difficult to infer from the details of the Advertisement for Vespa Scooters and the posters of "Roman Holiday" starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Pike on the wall, it is not difficult to infer that the story takes place in the 1950s-1960s.
Although director Casa Rosa himself was born in 1970, he obviously fixed the best time in his hometown in his heart in the most beautiful season, and then restored it one by one in the film. As a result, "Sunny Summer Days" is full of nostalgia, from the photos of veteran movie star Marcelo Mastruani to Mediterranean specialties, with Italian elements everywhere.
At the end of the film, human beings' acceptance of alien sea monsters is not the embodiment of Italian tolerance. Remember a famous saying in Italy to the effect that no matter where you were born, you are Italian whenever you endorse Italian culture. In addition, for audiences who miss traveling abroad, taking "Summer Friends Sunny Day" to take a trip to the Riviera on the screen may be able to solve the pain of lovesickness.
As we all know, water is one of the most difficult elements to express for animation. In "Sunny Days in Summer", which features a sea monster as the protagonist, there are naturally many images of water. Unlike other marine-themed animation works in recent years, the sea in the middle of summer in "Sunny Days in Summer" is particularly calm, so it is extremely transparent and agile; coupled with the blessing of 3D effects, sitting under the screen, you really have the feeling of being there.
Compared with Pixar's previous work, "Spiritual Journey", which explores the meaning of life and existence, "Summer Friends sunny days" seems to be inferior in the depth of the theme. However, the film's exploration of the true meaning of friendship and self-identity is still revelatory, especially for small audiences.
Although Luca and Alberto did not fulfill their original dream of traveling the world together, they both understood that true friendship was to support their friend to live the life he most longed for. For Luca, it was the desire to learn; for Alberto, it was about finding a home; and distance was never a barrier to true friends.
It is worth mentioning that after "Sunny Days of Summer Friends" landed on the streaming platform Disney+ in June, the focus of the American media was mostly on whether it was the first LGBT-themed film produced by Disney, such as the last Luca dared to restore the appearance of the sea monster in the crowd to save Alberto, which was regarded as a metaphor for "coming out".
Director Casa Rosa quickly stood up and made it clear that "Summer Friends Sunny Day" is not a gay story, but integrated into his childhood growth experience. However, from the point of view of "the author is dead", Casa Rossa's statement is also meaningless, after all, Disney films such as "Sleeping Curse" and "Frozen" have also been read from the perspective of gay themes. In any case, sexual orientation is also part of self-identification, even if the creator is unintentional, it is not a bad thing to let a group get inspiration and understanding from the film.
Finally, to remind you that in the credits link after the end of the film, the life of the protagonist presented by hand is as unmissable as the main film, and there is a small Easter egg at the end of the film that is also very cute.
Editor-in-charge: Cheng Yu
Proofreader: Liu Wei