Occasionally, Pixar actually makes a kids’ movie. Sure, the animation studio’s entire library is supposedly meant for little ones, but the films so often turn …
Occasionally, Pixar actually makes a kids’ movie. Sure, the animation studio’s entire library is supposedly meant for little ones, but the films so often turn out more like Psychology 101 class, delving into an adult’s hunt for purpose (“ Soul ”) or the functions of the human brain (“ Inside Out ”) with the goal of making nostalgic millennials cry. In a welcome change of pace, its latest enjoyable flick, “Luca,” is seeking the approval of tykes — not Carl Jung. The film, premiering Friday on Disney+, is not as action-packed, epic or thinky as many recent Pixar offerings, but it’s admirably simple and has a lot of heart. The title character (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a sweet, green sea monster, who lives near the coast of Italy with his mom ( Maya Rudolph) and dad ( Jim Gaffigan), and is bored of life as an underwater fish herder. He’s boundlessly curious about what goes on above the surface and is floored when garbage such as record players fall off a boat and plunge to the ocean floor.
