La Luna (2011)

Directed by: Enrico Casarosa | 7 minutes | animation, short film | Original voice cast: Krista Sheffler, Tony Fucile, Phil Sheridan

Just when you think Pixar can’t outdo itself, the studio releases the heartwarming short ‘La luna’. The film was screened for the animated feature film ‘Brave’ and was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Animated Short Film. The gold statuette went to ‘The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’, but that does not alter the fact that ‘La luna’ is a gem of a film.

The film again without dialogue (there is some grumbling in an unintelligible Italian-like language, but you can’t call that a conversation) is about a boy who is allowed to go with his father and grandfather for the first time. They are going to train him to… yes, to what exactly? In any case, it is clear that the intention is that the son will follow in his father’s footsteps, just as he did with his father before. The setting: a boat on a lake, or perhaps the sea or the ocean, a dark night and … the moon.

The talented Pixar team that worked on ‘La luna’ and was led by director Enrico Casarosa proves that you don’t need an hour and a half or more for a coming-of-age story. It can also be done in just six and a half minutes. ‘La Luna’ is made with so much love that it will conquer all your heart within seconds. Enrico Casarosa based the film on his own childhood. With his astonished look, the main character is such a child, but at the same time so much more mature than his father and grandfather: you would prefer to join him to help him. The humor is in the small details, although the magically realistic ‘La luna’ is more endearing and sweet than funny. The play with light and shadow is enchanting and even with repeated viewing, the film still manages to move. The music of Michael Giacchino matches the images perfectly. Enrico Casarosa hasn’t been with Pixar for very long (he worked as a storyboard artist on ‘Ratatouille and ‘Up’), but with ‘La luna’ as his calling card, he does give the impression of being a rising star.