Disney Pixar’s latest release is Luca, and it’s skipping a theatrical release and swimming straight to Disney+ with no premium. Debating Luca for Family movie night? My kids and I say it’s definitely worth the watch. Will you be watching it over and over for days to come? Debatable. Read on for our spoiler-free Pixar Luca review, my kids’ review, including which one thought Luca was “scarier than Jaws” and which one thought it was a Little Mermaid ripoff. This followed by our suggested discussion questions at the end.

First, you should know this is a bright and colorful Pixar film less about sea monsters and more about friendship and coming of age. And Italy. And dreams… Actually it was about a lot of things. The movie wasn’t too long for the littlest of kids, but the accents did take a little getting used to. There are a couple of parts that seemed a little dark and scary. It didn’t jump out at me that way, but my son thought it was a little intense. There is a lot to love about this movie, and since it’s included with a regular Disney+ subscription there’s nothing to lose with giving this a watch for your family movie night.

That said, I don’t see this movie shooting to the top of any “Best of Disney” lists. Perhaps for those who have a big place in their hearts for a childhood friendship, or a soft spot for Italy. But for the rest of us? I’d say this goes on the “good, not great” list. Right beside Onward which was good but not GREAT. You know what we’ve come to expect from Pixar… I’m sorry, but the bar is high. More on that in a bit. But first, let me dive into what I did love about the movie.