But in 2020, Pixar released “Out” through its SparkShorts program, which centered around a gay couple. The studio has notoriously inserting blink-and-you’ll-miss-them LGBT characters who are easily edited out. Still, online commenters hoped Luca would possibly be Pixar’s first queer love story for the theater.
The first trailer, where the two boys run around an idyllic seaside town, cemented that general vibe - though it also revealed a female character, one potentially there to make the boys jealous. When Pixar first revealed the plot synopsis of its upcoming movie Luca - a tale of two sea-monster boys named Luca and Alberto, and an “unforgettable” summer on the Italian Rivera - many people quickly compared it to Call Me By Your Name, the 2017 gay romance that also took place during an unforgettable summer in Italy.
