I've said it before and I will say it again, I heart La Luna, the Pixar short that precedes Pixar's newest feature-length film, BRAVE.
I have never connected to a short as I did with La Luna. The relational aspect, as well as the colors and graphics, were inspiring. I was literally in awe, and for me, that was a first.
When we sat down with Enrico Casarosa, I found out this own personal life was the driving force behind this short, and I think that's what makes the story so powerful.
Take a look at what Enrico had to say about his family life:
I just that grew up with my dad and grandfather not getting along. Once my, when my grandmother died, we, our grandfather moved with us, moved in with us, and they would talk to me but wouldn’t talk to each other.
So I was a bit of the bone of contention often, and, and, you know, if you, if you go back twenty-five years, uh, and you see the kitchen and the dinners, it would have been a lot like this boat where it would be, like, my dad and grandfather, and I’d be in the middle. So that was something visually ins- I wanted to capture. Um, and, and so it felt like the right kind of memory and personal story to then convey a coming of age, a boy that has to find his own way when someone is telling him do this- no, no, no, no, no, do that.
And what do you do? So I felt that, and I felt like, I remember feeling what, well, if I do this, I’m gonna disappoint him, and if I do that, so it was my way for once to make them get along, you know, and, um, and to kinda bring up a little bit of that feeling.
When asked if his family knew they were the inspiration for the film Enrico said " Yeah, my, my grandfather’s long passed, but, um, my dad has enjoyed the short and we’ve had some good chats about it. He’s, he’s definitely, uh, told me, like, wow, I didn’t that you felt that so much."
I can't wait for Brave to open in theaters (June 22nd), and would love to hear what you think of La Luna.
Get animated!