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The Art of Luca

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This vibrant volume is an exclusive look behind the scenes of Disney and Pixar's original feature film Luca.

The Art of Luca explores the stunning visuals of the coming-of-age story, set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera. Readers get a front-row view at never-before-seen development art, character sketches, storyboards, color scripts, and interviews with the creators.

• Behind the scenes of the making of Disney and Pixar's Luca
• Features colorful concept art and character explorations from the movie
• Includes fascinating facts and details from the creative team

In the animated film, Luca and his newfound best friend are sharing an unforgettable summer and a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from a world just below the water's surface.

For aspiring artists, animators, and fans alike, The Art of Luca is part of the acclaimed ART OF series, inviting audiences behind the scenes of their favorite animated films.

This book is perfect for:
• Pixar fans and art buffs
• Animators and students of animation
• Fans of The Art of Pixar, The Art of Soul, The Art of Onward and The Art of Coco

© 2021 Disney/Pixar. All rights reserved.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 8, 2021

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566 people want to read

About the author

Enrico Casarosa

16 books5 followers

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5 stars
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111 (22%)
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41 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15.2k reviews456 followers
February 18, 2022
A gorgeous and stunning artbook about the movie Luca. Highly recommended if you are a fan of the movie!


My husband found out that this book was free to read (temporarily) and sent a link to me. We both absolutely loved the movie and he knew I would LOVE this. I adore artbooks and I was very excited to dive back into the world of Luca and see how things got created. See designs for characters and places.

And this was just the dream. Gorgeously made, beautiful art in its many forms from clay to digital to pencil to collages to so much more, photography with sealife and islands, great commentary on some pieces/parts (really interesting to learn more about why they went with certain things or what was changed), see scenes that weren’t in the movie (and how I wish they were in the movie), and more! It was great to see how the characters changed over the course of the making of the movie, from what we know to not recognisable. Plus, I just loved that Ghibli Luca and wouldn’t mind that in a bigger print somewhere in my house. 🙂 I was just mesmerized and lost while reading it. Now I really want to watch the movie again! See the characters in motion and check if I can find some more details now I know more about how it was all created.

The introduction was also lovely~

All in all, do you love the Luca movie? Be sure to check this gorgeous artbook out! And I guess I will have to get it for my collection, well once the price is a bit more decent. XD

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Profile Image for David.
1,004 reviews165 followers
October 1, 2021
What a great 'Foreword' to start this book. Enrico Casarosa, the Director of Luca, talks briefly about his real-life childhood friend Alberto. They skateboarded, shot off fireworks, fished off cliffs, and of course swam in the Ligurian coast (the Italian Riviera).

"Chances are you have that one special friend you grew up with whose passion, and sometimes questionable judgement, dragged you into some adventures - what today we'd call "growth opportunities." With this movie I wanted to celebrate the kind of deep friendships that help us uncover who we want to be, the friendships that usher us into adulthood and that we carry with us for the rest of our lives."

I'm assuming you've see the movie "Luca". If not, STOP reading. Go find "Luca" and watch it!

More from the foreword...
"PS: I have a favor to ask... Reach out to that friend you once had from those formative days of awkward adolescence and self-discovery. It'll give you the opportunity to tell them how important they've been in your life. I bet they might even remember some hilarious moments you've long forgotten."

So the artists at Pixar followed Enrico to Italy to see this wonderful colorful setting for themselves. This book is LOADED with vibrantly colored pencil, ink, marker and watercolor sketches you will recognize from "Luca". There are photos and clay-sculptures too. The artists describe each character and the importance of certain aspects of how they drew them for the movie.

If you know a kid (or adult) who fell in love with this movie, buy them this book for their next gift!

I think I might need to watch "Luca" again this weekend!
Profile Image for Mind the Book.
936 reviews71 followers
January 12, 2025
Dagen efter hemkonsten från Puglia hade jag en obskyr film inbokad på en udda tid, 11.00 på en lördag. Det var nästan ingen annan i salongen.

Det verkar som om filmen 'Luca' lidit av pandemin på flera sätt, och i eftertexterna står det så sött "den här filmen tillverkade vi tillsammans, fast hemifrån, iförda tofflor, around the Bay Area" eller något liknande.

En underbar, queer och kulturell karamell till film. Cinqueterre har länge varit outhärdligt p..g.a. överturism, men här framställs det med finess och skönhet. Så klart slänger de in massor av italienska markörer som focaccia och gelato och den som är uppmärksam noterar 50- och 60-talsfilmaffischer uppsatta vid byns torg.

Skaffade den här boken för att kunna försjunka i alla detaljer och för konstnärlig inspiration. Till exempel har illustratörerna tittat på gamla "scientific illustrations, handcarved folk art and Japanese prints" till karaktärerna. Den som designade det trullo-liknande undervattenshuset säger "it was a balance to find something that reads like a home but isn't too human." Sådana processer älskar jag att läsa om.
Profile Image for Lee✨.
200 reviews30 followers
January 26, 2022
I’ve never looked at a “The Art of…” book before so I have nothing to compare this to, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was so cool to see the little insights into why characters were designed a certain way. Giulia’s especially, was so lovely:

“Giulia is edgy, confident, and competitive, which is reflected in the triangular shapes of her design, right down to her pants. We like to imagine that these pants are hand-me-downs from Massimo’s own childhood, a proud fisherman’s she even shares Massimo’s nose. Sharp, witty, focused, and direct, she leads with that beautiful nose.”

The different mediums, the clay models, the collages, the paper sculptures…wow.

Sometimes I’ll look at a piece of art and think, hey, if we can create things like this how bad can we really be?

The whole book was living that experience over and over again.

A delight!

The director also had a very personal connection to the story and it really showed.
Profile Image for Joana.
914 reviews23 followers
January 30, 2022
This was such a beautiful read!!!! The art in this book is so incredible, and you really get to see the journey these characters and this world took to be what we then saw on screen!!!! And more than that you also get to see different iterations of them, using all different kinds of materials, which is fascinating to see!!!
Secondly, the tidbits of text were so good and added so much to this book!!! They allowed you to hear the inspiration behind this story and world, both in a very personal way, but also more in a practical sense. Then you also get to read about the reasons behind the design choices behind the world of Luca!!!
Just to conclude, I definitely recommend you check out this book if you enjoyed this movie!! Which right now is available for free online through Pixar's awards campaign for the movie :)
Profile Image for McKenna.
385 reviews
Read
February 10, 2022
God this was so cool ahhhhhhh. This one definitely had less text than some of the others I’ve read, but the art was so incredibly cool. Especially the variety of art was so much more than anyone else I had seen. Just i loved it so much. It was so pretty
Profile Image for Nick DiColandrea.
113 reviews
July 30, 2025
An outstanding look into the underrated and incredible movie that is Luca! The book is so colorful, lively, and brings just the magic of the movie into your world page by page. A must have for any Luca fan!
Profile Image for Ola.
246 reviews
January 28, 2022
a beautiful insight into this movie, made me appreciate all the character designs even more!
Profile Image for Lucy Jane.
509 reviews3 followers
December 20, 2022
I loved the film Luca and when thinking about exploring my illustration skills this book was the one I wanted for inspiration. It’s amazing to see the journey creatives for the film went on and to hear reasoning behind the choices. Plus of course the artwork is gorgeous.
Profile Image for miima.
1 review
July 10, 2023
incredibly beautiful artbook♡. i love this film and this is the good example of perfect concept art and character desigen🪼🪸🐋. writing is simple, but it gives you all informacion you need/want to know🌱. all pictures are in nice quality and the book has so many details and easter eggs. Even the original story is included :))).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for vanessa.
143 reviews13 followers
January 26, 2022
another day that i am not living in this movie



Profile Image for Zian B..
2,320 reviews34 followers
June 19, 2021
I managed to flip through my cousin’s copy of the book so sadly I didn’t get the chance to actually read what was in the book. With that said, the images and all of the concept art that was shown were beautiful. I loved seeing all of the different merfolk and the sketches that were based off of actual references of land.
Profile Image for Aiza Idris (biblio_mom).
622 reviews211 followers
September 29, 2021
Watching the movie together and owning this book has created a very pleasant memory to my family. It is a perfect movie night for us 🥰 As we flipped through this book together, we are amazed by how everything was planned. The artist who drew this and the one who made it 3D are both geniuses. Some of the settings exists in real life and seeing it in the book took my breath away.

The idea of movies or cartoons about sea creatures turning into humans never fails to piqued my interest. Whatmore children's stories that has moral values in it. The story encourages children to believe on themselves, be brave, and don't be afraid to take chances in life trying new things.

💭 If you or your kids haven't watched it yet, I would 💯 recommend it. And having this exclusive volume on your shelf would complete the whole experience and memories with Luca because you will learned about the behind the scenes of the film making. It came with a sticker book too! Checkout @biblio_son 's review.
Profile Image for Sonia.
109 reviews
January 30, 2022
Me duele en el alma darle a este libro tan sólo tres estrellas, pero creo que es lo justo.

Tras ver la película de Luca y ya no solo sorprenderme sino además encantarme tanto en argumento como en producción y ambientación, pensaba que este libro sería un auténtico tesoro tenerlo en mi biblioteca y lamentablemente me ha defraudado. Os cuento por qué:

Uno de los mejores puntos de estos libros es que puedes entender mejor no solo el proceso creativo sino la ambientación y desarrollo durante la realización de todo el largometraje. Esto quiere decir, un rico texto acompañado de brillantes ilustraciones. Así es como suelen estar ejecutados la mayoría de los libros de arte de Disney y Pixar más recientes, ya que aquellos de principios de la centuria son más bien un resumen de ilustraciones.

En el caso de Luca, esto no ocurre... Sí es cierto que posee gran cantidad de ilustraciones y que trata todos los aspectos, desde el mundo submarino, hasta el humano, personajes como (Giulia, Luca y Alberto) pero apenas indaga en la ambientación histórico-artística: más allá de basarse en una historia de verano en el mediterraneo y que realizaron un trabajo de campo por la Cinque Terre para que sirviese como ambientación del filme.

Pero el libro no resuelve muchos interrogante como: ¿Por qué "Silenzio Bruno"? ¿Las referencias a la Luna y las preproducciones de Enrico Casarosa con el corto "La Luna"? ¿Y la vespa - apenás aparecen un par de ilustraciones? ¿y la realización de Ercole Visconti?

En fin... se quedan aún muchos interrogantes abiertos y desde luego podrían haber enriquecido muchísimo más la lectura...

Por último: podéis leer este libro de forma totalmente gratuita como os comenté en este TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sophiawunderl...

Aquí tenéis el libro: https://disney-studios-awards.s3.amaz...
Profile Image for Andrew.
785 reviews17 followers
January 26, 2022
Thanks to the munificence of Pixar & Amazon I was able to access 'The Art of Luca' online for free, and I'm now very much inclined to buy the hard copy edition. All of the Pixar art books are interesting, but few of them are as beautiful as this entry. Casarosa and the other artists and animators that worked on the movie have developed a portfolio of drawings, paintings, digital prints and other works that literally beam with the air and light of the Italian setting.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of the best Pixar films is the personal emotions that their characters and narratives present and evoke, however the artistry of the moving image does not linger too far behind. In some of their movies the intensity and quality of the visuals is not so influential, as per early films like 'A Bug's Life' or later entries such as those in the 'Cars series'. Even the 'Toy Story' films are not as powerful when it comes to the look of characters and settings.

'Luca', like 'Brave', 'Ratatouille' and 'Finding Nemo' is very much reliant on the way the film looks, and 'The Art of Luca' is a brilliant reaffirmation of this aspect of the movie. Yes, there is little in the way of textual information about the movie, however that is not really why you would read this book. One will peruse this book and just goggle at the beauty of the art. Whether it's drawings of Luca and Alberto, paintings of Portorosso or sketches of other characters and locations in the movie, 'The Art of Luca' is a feast for the eyes.

So in closing this is a must read for Pixar fans and those who enjoy animated films. It might also appeal to those who love Italy and La Dolce Vita through the eyes of a vastly talented group of artists.
Profile Image for Thia Reads A Lot.
1,055 reviews8 followers
September 11, 2022
This artbook is delightful. If you enjoyed the film, and the artbook is still free to read online (it still was on September 10th, 2022), I highly recommend you to check it out. Outside the foreword (by Enrico Casarosa, the Director), the introduction (by Daniela Strijleva, the Production Designer) and the acknowledgements (by Andrea Warren, the Producer), there is very little text, a comment here or there from one of the talented artists who worked on the film. The book itself is split by locations (Underwater, the Island and Portorosso), each section including storyboards and inspiration photos from a research trip to Cinque Terra, in Italy. There are many handdrawn and digital pieces, as well as some clay and CG models, as well as a paper maquette. The last section of the book includes some artwork based on ideas that didn't made it into the film (underwater city, the trio swimming together, a hot air balloon, etc.). The only mention of the pandemic is in the acknowledgments, without much details about the difficulties of working on this film remotely. I wish the art pieces could have been dated, just to satisfy my curiosity.

“We now near the end of our filmmaking journey. Here we are, like Luca, forever changed by the friendships made, the bonds formed, and our own special summer creating the art of Luca.” - Daniela Strijleva (Introduction)
Profile Image for ✦ Viola ✦.
138 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2023
This is a film which feels incredibly nostalgic even though it only came out 2 years ago. Not my favorite Pixar film but definitely one that I adore a lot and one that sends me crying every time I see that closing train sequence.

This is the first "Art of [Pixar movie]" books that I've ever read and it was absolutely lovely. The artworks are magnificent and showcase the unique styles and skillsets of all the people who worked on this movie. I also always enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes content of movies like this. My only issue is that I wish there had been more text. The little text that we did get gave great insight into the creative process behind the film so I wish there had just been more of it. But nevertheless, absolutely lovely book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Riley Brooks.
3 reviews
June 24, 2022
Not my favorite art of book, mostly because it didn’t go into detail about the process of creating the character or the world. When it did it was very brief. Honestly I was some what disappointment by this books. I previously read the art of Moana which gave way more insight into the character design and the cultural world building, which was far more interesting then this book. However the art of Luca would be a good choice for you if you are solely interested in the art in the book. The art in this book was stunning and would recommend if you are desiring a book with beautiful art.
Profile Image for Stories Unfolded (aka Danielle Olson).
64 reviews11 followers
December 24, 2022
If you’re a fan of Pixar movies and you love seeing behind the scenes I would highly recommend “The Art of” books. The Art of Luca has some written aspects to it, but I’d say about 95% or more of the book is all visual. You get to see character development art, background art, early storyboards, and photos from their research trips. It’s a great behind the scenes look at this adorable animated film.

I really loved the movie and I love art so it made sense for me to buy this book and I’m so happy I did. I have it sitting on my coffee table along with other art books.
Profile Image for Mura.
10 reviews
January 30, 2022
Un libro precioso, con bocetos y dibujos de los personajes y escenarios. Quizás me hubiera gustado poder leer un poco más sobre el proceso creativo, pero al final es un libro de arte, así que eso es lo que tienes en sus páginas. Además, lo han puesto de forma abierta en internet y eso se agradece un montón; en el futuro seguramente lo añada a mi colección, pero así mientras he podido disfrutar del libro.
Profile Image for Lidia *tangledlidia*.
101 reviews15 followers
November 9, 2025
I’ve had this book a while and I finally got round to properly reading it - than just looking at the pretty artwork!

Such a magical, beautiful movie (it’s one of my faves!!) so to read about the inspiration and creativity behind it was so lovely. The “Art of…” books always amaze me and this was no different 🇮🇹
Profile Image for Bug.
79 reviews2 followers
October 3, 2021
One of my favourite movies, such a joy to see this behind the scenes art and development. Every page felt filled with heart and passion for the story being told, and capturing and honouring the inspirations.
Profile Image for Ariadna Lucila.
97 reviews
January 26, 2022
mi primera vez leyendo un libro de arte de una película, y qué mejor que hacerlo con una de mis pelis favoritas de estos últimos años y de Pixar. Una maravilla explorar cómo fueron creando todo y cómo llegaron al boceto final de cada elemento de la película.
1 review
February 29, 2024
LOVED this book, it’s always fascinating to see the early designs of characters and all the cursed drawings. I loved how much specifically the environment played a role in this movie. There were SO many life drawings and studies included which you don’t typically see so that was lovely.
Profile Image for Brayan Ramírez.
65 reviews
August 2, 2021
Es un libro de arte increíble, el antes y después de los personajes es simplemente genial! Amo la película y, claro, amo este libro de arte. Próximamente leeré la novela!
Profile Image for Return2neverland.
360 reviews
August 10, 2021
Luca is my baby honestly sue pure and beautiful and the art ugh deceased I can’t it’s just chefs kisses 😘
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews

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