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Pixar Animator Discusses Giulia from ‘Luca’

luca pixar giulia

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, animation supervisor Mike Venturini shared some insight into the character design behind Giulia, one of the main characters in the Oscar-nominated Pixar movie Luca from 2021!

Luca Giulia

Emma Berman, Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer provide the voices of a trio of new friends in Disney and Pixar’s “Luca.” Directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa (“La Luna”) and produced by Andrea Warren (“Lava,” “Cars 3”), “Luca” made its debut on Disney+ in 2021. Credit: hollywoodreporter.com

luca-and-alberto

Alberto Scorfano (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) and Luca Paguro (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) in ‘Luca’ Credit: Disney Pixar

In this Disney and Pixar animated film set on the Italian Riviera, sea monsters Luca and Alberto meet Giulia (who is voiced by Emma Berman) while they are disguised as humans. Giulia takes the boys under her wing, confidently leading the trio in an effort to train for the local bike racing contest. “She’s learned to stick up for herself and she’s kind of streetwise”, according to Mike Venturini, “but she’s also an outsider [and] a little bit of an outcast…She’s never really fit in with her community, which is what’s going to make her a great friend to Luca and Alberto, who are outsiders, too.”

Luca

Credit: Disney

As usual, Disney animators took their ideas about the chosen character’s personality and used that inspiration to add tangible differences in Giulia’s animation (just like they did with Raya and the Last Dragon character Sisu!). Luca and Alberto are designed and animated in a very round, soft way, but Guilia is noticeably angular. “She’s sharp-angled in her silhouette, which fits her sharp wit,” Venturini explained. “Guilia’s a bold personality, so in a lot of her posing she’s very chest-out, confident and kind of leaned-in. She’s got an angular nose and a bit of a sharper chin. All of those details add up to the strength of her personality.”

Luca Giulia

Credit: www.kzone.com.au

Like Bruno in Encanto, Giulia’s clothing was also meant to show audiences more about her situation. “Giulia wears her fisher cap and her pants are oversized because they’re hand-me-downs,” the animation supervisor said. “She comes from a humble upbringing, which fits her outsider personality.”

Luca Pixar

Giulia, Luca, and Giulia in ‘Luca’ Credit: thestreamr.com

What did you think of Luca? Was Giulia your favorite character in this movie, and did you already notice that she is animated in a more angular style than her two sea monster friends?

About Sharon

Sharon is a writer and animal lover from New England. Sharon's two main focuses in her work are Disney's correlations with pop culture and the significance of Disney princesses (which was the basis for her college thesis). When she's not writing about Disney, Sharon spends her time singing, dancing, and cavorting with woodland creatures!

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