Why Disney-Pixar’s “Luca” is Queer, & Why it’s Important

Luca is a charming movie. It’s not Pixar’s best film by any stretch, but it was a pleasant watch. It is visually stunning- bright, colorful, and vibrant. Even it’s unique cartoon style works. And it is queer as the sun is bright. No, it’s not a romantic story. It’s not a love story, that way. But it does masterfully illustrate what it can be like to be a queer kid, and we need to talk about it.

“Why do we need to talk about it?” you might ask. It’s a fair question to ask. Asking why it’s a queer film, why is that important, why can’t it just be a “neutral” film about friendship, and why are you trying to insert sex and romance where there isn’t any- all of these are good questions that deserve good explanations and thorough answers. I will try my best to answer them. One I will answer up front- why try to insert sex and romance where there isn’t any? The answer is that I’m not, but more on that later.

I won’t talk about the need for Disney (and other family friendly media) to have expressly queer protagonists (though that is itself an important topic), rather I want to talk about the queerness this film and its characters possess. Understand, I don’t dismiss the fact that friendship and acceptance are universally applicable, important, and relatable messages, however I am going to focus on them from a queer perspective. Bear with me, this will be a long talk. I hope by the end you’ll understand better where a lot of queer folks are coming from.

It’s rather hard to miss the queer nature of this story, whether it was intended or not. It practically hits you in the face. Yet many people, primarily straight people, miss it. This isn’t totally surprising, many of our straight allies likely missed it. This is largely because straight people don’t have the experience of being queer. They don’t know or understand from personal experience what that entails- what it looks like, what it feels like, and how could they? They live in a world where their orientations, identities, and experiences are, by default, reinforced and validated. Indeed, their identities and orientations are what you might call “default settings” for society- the baseline standard for what is “normal”.

It has little to do with anyone being overtly queerphobic. Instead, it’s mostly because straight folks don’t have to question their identity or existence in that way. It can make someone unaware that anything is wrong, because for them, nothing seems out of place, and they’re not out of place. It can make understanding queer people and their discontent and grief more difficult. This is not anybody’s fault, per se, so I don’t find it helpful to attribute that lack of understanding to bigotry. Instead, let us work to overcome misunderstanding and misconceptions that people might have.

First we need to lay some groundwork. Many of us queer people sometimes get ahead of ourselves, throwing out words and saying phrases that aren’t immediately understood by others. Sometimes we ourselves don’t know all the newest words and concepts. So I’d like to get on the same page with certain key words and concepts, before moving onto the movie itself.

Heteronormativity

Some of you may have heard the word “heteronormativity”, but not understood what it means. Remember how I talked about “default settings” a few paragraphs up? That’s basically what it means. Normativity is about the “norms” of society. All societies have norms- customs, rules, expectations, and concepts which are generally understood and not questioned very often. Most people don’t even think about them, because it’s “just the way things are”. Many assume these norms are naturally that way, even though they mostly aren’t. But norms are often so longstanding and internalized by society and individuals, they might as well be natural. Default settings.

In this case, we have a society defaulted to heteros- straight people and cisgender people. Heteronormativity. For those of you who don’t know, cisgender (cis for short) simply means you identify as the gender you were assigned at birth. Heteronormativity includes things like traditional gender roles and the stereotypical traits, manners, and appearances associated with gender. Things like traditional marriage and the nuclear family, or straight romantic relationships more generally. Boys and men are or aren’t like this, girls and women are or aren’t like this, husbands and boyfriends should or shouldn’t do this, wives and girlfriends should or shouldn’t do this- the long list of stereotypes and often unwritten rules and prescriptions of how people are or should be. Not that individuals always fit those norms in every single respect, but that our overall expectations and general assumptions about things and people establish what is considered “normal” or even ideal.

Let me give some examples of this. Many people don’t think twice about or notice all that much when they see straight couples holding hands walking down the street or giving each other a kiss. Distant relatives don’t usually ask “Wait, are you straight?” when their male cousin they haven’t seen in years shows up to Thanksgiving with his girlfriend- unless they had thought that person was gay because of how much they fell outside certain stereotypical molds. People don’t generally do a double take when a cismale, dressed in men’s clothes, is walking down the street.

But often people do give a double-take if they see a transwoman walking down the street, dressed in a stereotypically feminine way. People are likely to say “I didn’t know they were lesbian” when their distant female cousin shows up with a girlfriend instead. People’s brains often do a split second re-process when seeing a gay couple holding hands, kissing, or being affectionate in public. Not because they’re being mean, not because they hate queer people- but simply because it’s not the norm, which requires at least momentary adjustment in the brain. Yes, some folks are hostile to queer people. But usually it’s a case of people simply not being as used to it. It’s not quite so ordinary as straightness. It’s not “the norm”.

Straight people see straight relationships portrayed in media ubiquitously. It’s done without a second thought. It is “normal”, both unremarkable and ordinary. Straight people don’t really have to think about their identity all that much, or about a character’s identity. Unless a character is definitively made queer, or is heavily implied to be- all characters are more or less “straight”. Conversely, you have to go out of your way to depict an explicitly queer character or relationship. Song lyrics, especially love songs, are naturally thought of as involving straight couples, unless a song artist makes an express statement otherwise, even in the minds of most queer people. Yes, even queer folks are also accustomed to heteronormative thinking, having been raised in a heteronormative society. That is what heteronormativity is: that whether you’re straight or not, society is defaulted to straight people. Even those who aren’t straight are raised and imprinted with those notions and expectations.

Heteronormativity & “Neutrality”

Now I can hear some of you objecting to what I’ve said so far, about heteronormativity. You might be saying, “I don’t assume people are straight. I don’t even care what people’s orientation is.” You may want to plead a kind of “neutrality”, that you don’t see anyone as anything in particular. While I have no doubt that you sincerely believe that, maybe it’s true even, it still falls into the category of heteronormativity. I’ll explain why.

The society we live in is indisputably heteronormative, even places considered to be more progressive. Many well meaning people think that by adopting a “neutral” stance, they have overcome this, both in themselves, and are helping society overcome it as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If only it were that simple. Don’t mistake me, I’m not saying to assume anything about another person, but understand that there are still problems with this approach. It too reinforces the heteronormative status quo.

The reason it is still heteronormative in nature is because heteronormativity IS what is neutral. That is exactly what it means for something to be normative- it is the “neutral”, uncontroversial zone. Though some would like to eliminate some or all norms altogether- abolish all social standards, customs, rules, and expectations- the fact is we still live in a world governed by norms; a world currently governed by heteronormativity. Furthermore, people themselves are not really neutral. We have identities, people have orientations. Nobody is “not” anything at all. The ways in which we identify, or interpret identity, are wide and varied- but we do have identities. Even if someone is hesitant to attach a label to their feelings, identity, experiences, they still experience feelings, relate to certain things, and have experiences; things which invariably fit or don’t fit into societal norms- into heteronormativity. Again, to put it bluntly- heteronormativity IS the neutral space. The default settings. Heteronormativity by default makes things either heteronormative, if it fits, or queer, if it does not fit.

When people try to plead neutrality it winds up erasing the experiences and differences experienced by queer people in a heteronormative world, rather than placing them on equal footing with straight people. Because they’re not on equal footing. Queer people don’t have the defaulted existence that straight people have. We’re not the norm, and experience reminds us of it often. In our society, a thing that is not queer is by default heteronormative. And a heteronormative society will always be, by definition and default, a queerphobic society.

Queerphobia & Queerness

I can imagine some of you cringing at my saying “queerphobic”. Maybe getting a little offended, defensive, or simply miffed. You might be tired of hearing how something is “homophobic” or “queerphobic”. Maybe you’ve been called a homophobe. I get it. Nobody wants to be the bad guy. Most people are well intentioned even when they are wrong. Perhaps I can remove some of the sting. Queerphobia, while it certainly can be applied to individuals, is more accurately applied to concepts, behavior, or ideas. Yes, some people can be overtly queerphobic, hateful, and bigoted. In that case, it’s usually pointless to state the obvious, since they’re usually proud of their bigotry.

But queerphobia has more to it than overt bigotry and hatred. Nor does it necessarily indicate an overtly irrational fear, like how arachnophobia is an extreme and irrational fear of spiders. Instead, queerphobia is an often complex synthesis of impulses, social norms, latent or subconscious fears, and subtle mistreatment or slanting against queer people and queerness. All things that arise directly from having a heteronormative society; queerness being broadly anything that does not fit into the traditional, heteronormative framework, is ancillary to it, or even in opposition to it. Heteronormativity is by definition queerphobic, because it will always place queer people on the periphery. It will always put them in a place where they need to “come out”- where they have to operate outside of or against the norm. It is queerphobic precisely because it places straight people and their experiences as the “default settings” of society, and makes queer people an external other.

Social norms are a form of social pressure and exert expectations. Even when softened, the pressure is still there, and manifests in everyday interactions. Something like telling your, unbeknownst to you and possibly unbeknownst to her, lesbian daughter, “no boys allowed in your room”, but allowing her girlfriends over for a sleepover. Or asking your yet to be revealed queer son, “So, are there any girls in your class you think are cute?”.

“But”, you might contend, “I would follow up with ‘or any boys?’”. While that is thoughtful of you, and truly it is, it yet demonstrates how the default is set to heteronormativity- with queerness again being the outlier, or secondary consideration, or an afterthought. Nobody wants to be a secondary consideration or afterthought. Further, we live in a world with more than two genders now, and a variety of ways to interact with gender. Things like asexuality and aromanticism are things too- they might not be attracted to anyone. Even with that well-meaning followup, queer people are still being lowkey marginalized, and you feel it when you’re queer. It makes an impact even when you don’t know yet that you are queer.

This all may seem a small thing to you, but please remember that this is your world- your heteronormative world. Your identity and experiences aren’t affected or questioned in the way that a queer person’s is. Your experiences and identity are de facto validated and reinforced on this front. Language, images, media, and social norms shape how we think, they shape how we behave. Heteronormativity and marginalization are felt keenly by queer people, even when they are young children or teens who haven’t yet discovered the language to verbalize their distress and discomfort. Little pangs here and there, but still knowing they don’t fit the mold, even though they can’t put their finger on why. We too are conditioned to heteronormativity like straight people, but unlike straight people, are not validated or encouraged by it. We can’t be because it is conditioning us against ourselves. It often results in internalized queerphobia, self doubt, self hatred, and deep shame. Not because anyone in our lives meant to hurt us, but because this is what heteronormative culture does. It’s harmful to queer people, and by its very nature cannot be anything but.

The shame and self-loathing doesn’t limit itself to just who queer people like or don’t like. Shame is a poison that bleeds over into other aspects of your life as well. It causes depression, anxiety, affects performance in school, affects a person’s ability to develop friendships. Hiding and secrecy wear on a person, and will often spill over into hiding other things, developing other secrets, bad habits, or even addictions. Some people would mistakenly proclaim that this is the consequence for being queer and being deviant, when in reality it’s due to the immense social pressure and isolation that queer people experience. The result of being queer in a heteronormative world, and trying to get by under those stresses. The result of heteronormativity.

I don’t necessarily expect you to understand fully what that’s like, or even empathize, but I do hope you have the imaginative capacity to understand how that could be for someone who isn’t straight, and accept our experiences when we share them with you. Be able to connect the dots to heteronormativity when it’s explained and shown to you. Certainly anyone who has experienced ostracism or bullying will have similar experiences to draw from. We share these things with you not because you are bad, not because you are being hurtful on purpose, but because we trust you enough to share those things with you. We believe you are capable of growth, change, and acceptance, and will want to help change those norms. Not to deny our differences or erase our experiences with a false sense of neutrality, and not as a side-show to your heteronormative production, but as equal, integral parts of the same pageant of humanity together. It’s not to make straight people not straight, or to make straight people marginalized in turn. It is to meet you on the same footing that society currently meets you.

Sometimes the accusation is hurled at queer people that we want a bland, neutral world where everybody is the same. That differences are erased, and unacknowledged. This is simply not the case. In wanting equality, we are asking for the ability for individual expression, without that expression having to work against a default set against us, a default set for only certain kinds of people. To have differences and individual expression not just tolerated or allowed, but supported, celebrated, and loved- to be an integral part of our society, our families, and our communities- rather than a quirky side feature to an otherwise “straight” society, even if a beloved quirky side feature. To quote a song from another Disney movie, The Little Mermaid, “Wish I could be part of that world.”

Queerness, Sexualization, & “Straight Until Proven Queer”

Now that we have a basic understanding of queerness, heteronormativity, and queerphobia, we need to talk about queerness and sexualization. There might be some eye rolling or shock that I’m bringing this up with regards to a Pixar movie that, by all accounts, is neither sexual or romantic in nature. Yet that is precisely why we do need to talk about it. Given the nature of queerphobia, heteronormativity, and queerness itself and its history, queer folks are often, indeed almost always, sexualized. Not that it comes from nowhere, we are dealing with people’s sexual orientations and gender identities after all. It’s kind of hard not to talk about sex and romance.

Sexualization is not anything bad in and of itself, though many talk about it like it is something bad. It’s not, but it can sometimes be problematic and harmful in how it manifests. Much of the fight for equal rights has centered around the right to love who you love and be able to express that love openly and shamelessly same as straight people. But there is much more to queer identity than just sex and who you’re attracted to. Certainly this is the case with gender identity and trans people. Even with sexual orientations, though, the reach is further in people’s lives and identities than just their sexual inclinations.

Queer people are often distinguished by features, manners, and personality traits that break heteronormative stereotypes and expectations. It’s not just who they’re attracted to, and what they get aroused by, but is also reflected in their general demeanor, the way they talk, the way they see things, and how they interact with others. This is not to put forward any specific stereotype about queer people- like that all gay men are effeminate or all lesbians are masculine, and such. But when you are different, palpably different, it shows in other ways and other parts of your life. It can affect who you’re comfortable being around. It can affect which kind of people you’re drawn to for friends. It can affect your self esteem. It can get you bullied, just by virtue of being noticeably different, even if neither you nor the bully fully understand how or why you’re different. You notice things that are presented as good or bad in social contexts, and start to notice things in yourself that don’t match the expectations of parents, teachers, friends, or society. It shapes your relationship to your family and your community. It shapes your very life.

Because of how different they find themselves, queer kids are particularly sensitive to social pressures to fit in. We get subtle cues, and not so subtle cues, throughout the course of our lives that subconsciously imprint themselves on our minds and hearts. Without even understanding how or why, you come to the conclusion that you need to hold back, tone down, or hide certain parts of yourself. You hide things from friends. You hide things from parents. You hide things from the world. You try to change them, squash them down, or make them go away.

Being raised in a heteronormative world shapes your view of yourself, your goodness and badness. Being so different from expected norms inevitably instills and nurtures shame, even without someone actively putting it there. Parents don’t mean their children harm. Sunday school teachers don’t mean their kids harm. Principals and teachers don’t mean students harm. Again, queerphobia doesn’t usually manifest in outright bigotry, but rather in the small, subtle, and persistent ways communities and cultures are structured to favor certain things and people, and discourage others. Queer experiences involve so much more than just sexual attraction.

This is often lost in translation when queer characters or story arcs are featured in media. As I explained earlier: everything is straight until proven queer. When something is neutral, it is heteronormative. So when something is called “queer” either because queer people interpret something that way, or because an artist purposefully makes it that way, it is automatically assumed to have sexual dimensions. A “queer” character is queer because we’re going to show them kissing someone of the same gender, or have a sex scene, or some other kind of romantic arc attached to them. These representations are important, for sure, but sometimes I think we’re a little too focused on that as being the touchstone for queerness and queer representation.

Contrast this to straight representation. Straight people can have stories, art, and representation, that doesn’t involve a romantic arc, that doesn’t involve sex scenes, or kissing, or other public displays of romantic affection. Nobody questions that. Not because anybody went out of their way to state that a character or story was straight- but because the implication is always there, in the background, even if it isn’t consciously thought of. Again, because straightness occupies the assumed, neutral territory in heteronormative society and thinking. We don’t have to say or even consciously think characters are straight, or demonstrate their straightness overtly on screen, because they are subconsciously, implicitly so.

Many people get a sense of umbrage if it’s suggested that a non-romantically involved, sex-scene-less, kissy-less character is queer somehow. Indeed, we’re accused of “sexualizing” what isn’t sexual. Of inserting sex and romance where it doesn’t exist, where it wasn’t wanted or needed. But this is a queerphobic viewpoint to take. It conflates queerness with sexualization. I reiterate, sexualization itself is not necessarily bad. But it is grossly limiting, and a gross injustice to boil queer people and their queerness down to being only and all about sex and romance. It denies those myriad other ways in which queerness affects people’s lives and defines their experiences, as I’ve described. It makes the world of everything “not sex” or “not romance” into the domain of straightness. Into the “neutral”, defaulted domain of the heteronormative. Straight until proven queer. It makes queerness solely about sex- that queer people are queer because of sex only, and that sex is what makes them queer.

Nevermind the experience of so many queer people who may not have had sex, may not have much sex, may be unable to have sex, or may not want sex at all. It amounts to another attempt to pigeonhole them back into straightness, back into the closet. Except, of course, when they’re being sexual. It’s saying that we otherwise fit or should fit into heteronormativity when we’re not being queerly sexual. The result is that queer people are made to be sex objects, rather than simply people. Heteronormativity and “neutrality” by default sexualize queerness. It isn’t queerness that is innately sexualizing, it is heteronormativity that sexualizes queer people.

It is heteronormativity that takes intimacy, affection, closeness, and even something as innocuous as crushes and liking- which are not the same as romantic relations or overt sexual attraction- and places them in the realm of romance and sex. Doubly so when it comes to queer people. It is heteronormativity that dictates, for example, that men cannot be emotional, that boys cannot be touchy-feely with other boys. It denies men and boys affection, intimacy, and emotion that isn’t sexual or romantic in nature. They’re limited to such expressions only with a romantic or sexual partner. Conversely, it turns around and denies girls and women access to their sexuality. Women are allowed to be affectionate, emotional, and touchy-feely without it being interpreted as sexual, indeed, it creates an aura of sexlessness. But when they act sexually, they are a tease, or promiscuous and slutty.

Such dynamics get amplified when queer people are involved. Even if a prolonged, warm embrace between two boys or men isn’t taken as automatically “gay”- although it often is (no homo)- if it is known or suspected that either or both of them are gay, then it is usually interpreted as romantic or sexual in nature- that they “want” each other, or at least one of them does. A lot of heteronormative assumptions about affection and intimacy come from a desire to keep people “pure” of queer perversions. Pure of things only made “perverse” in the first place by the normative itself. Lesbians are mistaken for just “gals bein’ pals”. Men and boys cannot be intimate and affectionate with each other, lest it show that they are queer. Queer men and boys cannot be intimate and affectionate with each other lest it be interpreted as being sexual. Not because men and boys are “naturally” stoic, and not because queer people are “forcing their sexuality down people’s throats”. It comes from the rigid social constructs of heteronormativity, and the stereotypes and roles they impose and enforce.

Queer Kids, Sexualization, & Wholesomeness

When you hear talk about the need for queer representation, for queer protagonists and stories, there’s more to it than sex scenes, romantic arcs, love-pairings, and kissing. We want to be shown as people too. And not just for queer adults, we want the experiences of queer children and teens to be validated too. Many queer people realize at an early age, often early elementary school, that they’re queer. They may not have had the language or knowledge at the time to verbalize it, but they knew they were different. They recognized the ways that they were different- including ways that weren’t overtly sexual or at least understood in sexual terms, but that were directly related to their queerness. Yes, kids are queer too.

It is queerphobic to deny queer kids of themselves- to make them “neutral” (i.e. straight), until proven queer. Because they’re not straight. Which circles us back to conflating queerness with sexualization and sexual activity. Queerness develops and begins long before anyone has sex, lusts after anyone, has seen porn, or even knows what sex or queerness is. It is a part of who we are, and yes, we were born this way. From a combination of genes and development in the womb, we come into this world queer. There was no point in our lives when we weren’t queer. Just as there was no point in your life that you weren’t straight. You didn’t “become” straight, and we didn’t “become” queer. We only realized it. It is with us from the cradle.

It is also queerphobic to place things like innocence and wholesomeness into the “neutral” domain of heteronormativity. It both implies and reinforces the idea that queer people are perverted, salacious, dirty, and dangerous. Even more pointedly, that queer kids are perverted, salacious, dirty, and dangerous. That being queer is incompatible with wholesomeness, incompatible with innocence, and incompatible with deep, nonromantic relationships. That queer people cannot be friends, because they must be having sex or lusting after each other. That a queer kid will corrupt or pervert your child if they’re allowed around your child. That they will sexually act out on your child. That you must keep an eye on a queer child in a way you wouldn’t think to keep an eye on an “innocent” or straight child. It reinforces the sexualization, demonization, and objectification of queer people, especially queer children and queer teens. It’s exhausting and infuriating, and simply untrue. Queer people need deep friendships and close, nonromantic, nonsexual bonds too. And they need nonromantic and nonsexual depictions too.

Acknowledging queer kids, acknowledging their very existence, is not sexualizing them. Pushing their identity to the periphery through heteronormative defaults is what winds up sexualizing them. Having queer elements in children’s stories or, heaven forbid, queer kids themselves portrayed, is not sexualizing them or sexualizing the story. Giving queer people representation cannot always revolve around giving us kisses, romance, and sex on screen. Rather queerness should be acknowledged and shown for the wider role and importance it plays in our lives, beyond sex and romance. A movie, tv show, character, or story, does not have to have sex or romantic sub-plot in order for it to be queer, and a person’s queerness is not solely defined by the sex or romance they are or aren’t having. Being queer is perfectly compatible with being good and wholesome.

The Subjectivity of Art

This brings us to the last piece to go over before examining the movie itself. Art is subjective. Art is in the eye of the beholder, as the saying goes. Art can mean many different things to many people. That is the nature of art and literature- once the author has put it out there, it’s out there. People will see whatever they see in it, good and bad, relatable and unrelatable. An author might say that this particular thing is what they were attempting to portray, and may deny that it was their intention to show this other thing. That in no way can or even should stop people from noticing and seeing things in those works, even if they weren’t “meant” to be there.

Exploring an author’s intentions can be fascinating and rewarding when looking at artistic works. It is also just as valid to explore the things that they might not have intended, but that are still there, seen by those beholding it. It might only be seen by the viewer, and may not be seen by all viewers, but it is valid nonetheless. Likewise, creators themselves are people who have subconscious influences which shape their art beyond what they were consciously thinking. J.R.R. Tolkien despised allegory, and stated he never intended Lord of the Rings to be allegorical or religious in nature- and yet both allegory and his own religious background permeate his Legendarium. It is richer for it. The greatest works of art live on because they tap into a variety of facets of the human soul, in ways both intentional and unintentional. Stories endure not because the original context and intentions do, but because they have greater scope and interpretation than the author’s time, place, and intentions.

A work does not have to be clearly stated to be queer in order for it to be queer. The lack of queer sex or romantic sub-plots, or even the lack of an express statement that something depicts queerness, does not default make a work “neutral”, aka heteronormative. Or at least, does not mean it can only be interpreted through a “neutral” or heteronormative lens. The director of Luca stated that he was making a story about friendship and a time of life before romance is involved. I have no doubt that this was his intention. Anyone who’s seen the movie knows there’s no romantic story arc. However, even with the directors comments, the movie is pretty darn queer. Yet it is still eminently wholesome. Going back to queerness and sexualization, it does not have to be romantic or sexual to be queer, nor does queer mean sexual or romantic. And it is important that queer people be able to interpret it as being queer, without getting pushback from others for “sexualizing” it or “seeing things that aren’t there”.

Why Luca is Queer

Finally! We can talk about the movie itself. No more sociological, theoretical mumbo-jumbo, right? WRONG! Okay, I jest, but only a little. Going over the queer aspects of the film itself will take another minute. I want to demonstrate why people see Luca as queer and more meaningful than the ubiquitous, “neutral” (heteronormative) concepts of friendship and acceptance; that the story is more indicative of queer friendship and acceptance. Even if you don’t want to see it that way, I hope you can at least understand why many people do see it that way, and how it’s important, and not accuse people of sexualizing kids for doing so.

This is your warning for spoilers ahead. Go watch the movie if you haven’t yet. This article will still be here when you’re done, and will probably make more sense if you’ve seen the movie first anyway.

I also need to thank and give credit to YouTuber Rowan Ellis for her video, which you can watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAeqTtax4JI

I recommend watching it, though fair warning, she is more emphatic about this than I am, and expresses a more overtly romantic interpretation than I will be putting forward here. It is a rant, for sure. That being said, she gave a good framework to examine the queerness of this film, which helped me organize and verbalize my own thoughts better. I will be bypassing a few obvious touchstones, such as the two elderly ladies “outed” at the end as sea monsters (a.k.a. an old lesbian couple), and focus more on some thematic aspects I feel are important. There are plenty of other places that will give you a run down of each and every thing in the movie that reference queerness, and I’d encourage you to read those articles and watch those videos if you’d like to learn more.

Luca & Queer Kids as “Good Kids”

We’re first introduced to Luca as a good and dutiful kid. He tends to his chores and does what he’s supposed to do. He comes from a good family and good home. Then he notices human stuff that had sunk to the ocean floor. Kids are naturally curious about things, and at certain stages start asking certain questions- testing the waters to see what kind of reaction they get, before asking further. After attempting to ask his parents questions about humans, their negative response prevents him from asking further. But it doesn’t stop him from trying to learn more. The conversation with his parents very obviously parallels the stereotypical “talk” conversations- when kids ask about sex and where babies come from.

When Luca goes out the following day, exploring for more human flotsam and jetsam, he meets Alberto, after straying just a little farther than normal from his usual path. He’s wary of Alberto, who goes about collecting all the human items. Luca follows Alberto to the shore, where he stops as Alberto exits the water. Alberto reaches back and pulls Luca out of the water onto shore too. Astonishingly, Luca transforms into a human form, and he begins to freak out as an also humanized Alberto asks him “First time?”. A distraught Luca exclaims, “OF COURSE IT IS! I’m a good kid!” Alberto tells him to just breathe, and he is briefly calmed by his new surroundings. After all, he’s in an environment which, while unfamiliar and new, is suited to him. But, coming to his senses and remembering this is “wrong”, he quickly rolls back into the water, and leaves an unamused Alberto behind. But at night Luca is lying in bed reflecting on his unexpected discovery and brief adventure above the surface, feeling uneasy and conflicted.

Queer kids often learn early on that some topics and questions just aren’t welcome, later coming to realize why. But that doesn’t stop them from still being curious. Just because your parents tell you something is bad and shameful, doesn’t mean feelings, impulses, and enticement goes away. They’re still going to explore, keeping under the radar. And inevitably that leads you to things and people that provide certain key experiences. Maybe they google something on the internet, or sneak a peek at a certain book in the library, or watch certain scenes or videos over and over again, without really understanding why they’re drawn to them, or what it is they’re even drawn to, but still drawn nonetheless. It can be a large or a small thing, but regardless, it conjures up certain feelings and sensations.

When Luca cried out, “Of course it is! I’m a good kid!” Ack! That felt like a sucker punch to the gut. I could feel the anguish and perplexity of my younger self welling up after that part. I grew up in a highly conservative, religious environment and community. Being a good, obedient kid was what I was supposed to be. Even if I never lived up to it as well as I had wished at the time, I certainly played the part with gusto. Of course it was his first time! He’s a “good kid”. Good kids don’t know about “those things”, let alone do “those things”, or worse, BE “those things”.

Not only that, but the “feel good” aspect- that something feels like it actually does fit them, despite it’s foreignness- confuses them because they’ve been led to believe all their life these things are bad. Even if they don’t fully know what those things are, or why they are bad, they pick up on those messages anyway. Just as Luca discovers that he turns into a human when dry, queer kids start to recognize things in themselves they’ve been taught are bad, not normal, or not acceptable. Kids who are good, obedient, doing everything they were supposed to do, and these *things*- feelings, sensations, curiosities, manners, quirks, and impulses- show up in *them*. It’s shocking, confusing, and distressing.

Yet Luca feels increasingly giddy at his new adventure, despite his fears. He knows it’s “wrong” but he also has an innate need to keep exploring. He keeps going back to the surface to spend time with Alberto, while his parents grow more and more suspicious, eventually discovering evidence of his surface activities. One night after he’s stayed too long, he rushes home, trying to sneak back to his room, but his parents catch him sneaking in. They confront him, and he confesses. Later they bring his uncle, who they plan on sending Luca away with for a while. It gives off the vibes of something akin to conversion therapy, or sending someone to a creepy relative or psychologist to “fix” them, to help them be “normal”. This prompts Luca to run away with Alberto to the surface.

Straddling two worlds is exhausting and excruciating, and eventually something has to give. It’s like an itch that feels good to be scratched even if it’s forbidden. Queer kids can feel the need to return to the path they are expected to be on, but try as they might, they can’t fully get back to the “straight and narrow” path (pun sorta intended). Enter Alberto: an older kid who is more worldwise to Luca’s goody-two-shoes. The kind of kid who, in any variety of circumstances, can act as a catalyst to a queer kid discovering more about themselves. A mentor when you’re not able to learn about or explore those parts of yourself in the context of your family life, school, or culture.

Alberto & Queer Kids as “Bad Kids”

Perhaps you remember “that kid” your parents warned you about. That friend your parents never wanted you to hang out with and never have sleepovers with. That kid whom any “good” parent would see as a corrupting influence. That dreaded (queer) naughty or dirty kid who might “molest” your child or otherwise lead them astray if they spend too much time around them. They do “bad” things, listen to “bad” music, dress differently, or some other external marker that sets them apart from what is “good” and “normal”. Even if such markers are rather innocuous and wouldn’t in any way indicate something bad, they nevertheless transgress the norm. Fears of children being polluted, converted, or perverted by obviously or openly queer kids are unfortunately very powerful in many parts of our society.

In some ways, Alberto is like the kids whom “good kids” are warned to steer clear of. Unlike Luca, Alberto loves spending time above the surface, and seems more confident and self-assured about the different aspects of himself. Indeed, he prefers being on land, and being human, to being underwater. He doesn’t care about any external rules or expectations others have, and revels in being different from other sea monsters.

Unlike all the “good kids” who have a stake in fitting into the society around them, “bad” queer kids either weren’t burdened with those expectations, and the shame that comes with it, or they’ve overcome them, and revel in their transgression. Because of the norms of society, they often find themselves on the margins and fringes, and this often correlates to the development of other “delinquent” behavior. Behavior that starts to rub off on Luca, as a “bad influence”. Alberto reflects the way kids often learn about certain topics on the playground or through friends, through talk, experimentation, other interactions. This is especially true in environments where they can’t learn from their parents, school, or other open venues.

We also learn that Alberto’s father has abandoned him. Alberto doesn’t have a family, or rules to live by. He’s another Disney street-orphan. Many queer kids are rejected, or even kicked out of their homes, when they come out to family. Upwards of 40% of homeless youth are queer. Even when they’re not expelled from home, they often experience the tension and discomfort that comes from living in an incongruent environment.

Luca & Internalized Queerphobia

Luca is such a good stand in for “good” queer kids, who simultaneously find excitement and cognitive dissonance in their journey of discovery. He alternates between shame and hiding, and exhilaration and giddiness about the things he’s experiencing and learning. One important scene in the film is when Alberto helps Luca to silence his internal critic, which through this lens acts as a representation of his internalized queerphobia, dubbed “Bruno”. He teaches Luca to tell the voice “Silenzio Bruno!”, allowing Luca to be himself and try new things without that overbearing, critical, alien voice stopping him.

Despite his upbringing, the rules he’s supposed to follow, and the things he’s been told, he can’t help but continue exploring this new world and side of himself. Yet he never stops being aware that what he’s doing and who he is does not fit what his family wants, nor what society expects. He wants to live up to those expectations, but finds himself less and less able to do so. This is apparent in how he hides from and lies to his parents, and how careful he and Alberto are when visiting the town. The risk of being outed is ever present, at home and in the town.

This comes to a head when Luca starts entertaining ideas about going to school with Giulia, which Alberto tries to talk Luca out of. As the boys start to yell and fight with each other, Alberto jumps into the water, outing himself as a sea monster in front of Giulia, expecting her negative reaction, to show Luca that he can never really be accepted in the human world. Instead, Luca points at Alberto and screams “Sea monster!” Almost instantly, Luca regrets his outbreak and betrayal, as the local bullies hurl harpoons at Alberto, who dejectedly slips away.

Queerphobia, the social phenomenon it is, can also come from queer people- weaponized against each other, and against ourselves. Queer kids grow up in the same environment, receiving the same messaging that straight kids do. They internalize that just as their straight peers do. Queer kids who grow up in conservative or religious environments tend to internalize a lot of shame about themselves. They absorb all the queerphobia of the environment around them. It can even lead them to bully other queer kids as a defense to keep themselves safe from being bullied, outed, or ostracized. They find themselves queer, hating that they’re queer, and more importantly, hating themselves because they are queer. It can take many long years, even a lifetime, of treatment, therapy, and life experience, to overcome and deprogram from that. Sometimes even a lifetime is not enough.

Alberto & Faking Straight

It might be strange for me to point to Alberto as an example of a queer kid who’s more knowledgeable and comfortable in their queerness, to flip around and talk about how he fits the mold of the queer kid who has learned to “act straight” when in the presence of others. But such is the nature of the film, which is somewhat imprecise and mixed in its messaging, queerness sometimes being in reference to sea monsterness, sometimes to humanness, and sometimes to the shapeshifting itself.

Alberto has more experience on the surface, and teaches Luca what he knows, so that they’re better able to blend in when walking around town. Initially Alberto has more concern than Luca about keeping up appearances, even though he’s almost exposed more frequently than Luca. Both Alberto and Luca become better over the course of the film at faking their “humanness” in the human town, right up till they’re each outed in turn to Giulia. In Alberto’s case, he has more to lose than Luca and is more familiar, from his interactions with humans, of the consequences of being outed as a sea monster.

Some queer kids learn how to be “super straight”, and most queer kids, especially in certain less accepting communities, try to hide or tone down their queerness. Boys may try to talk in a lower register or speak in “dude bro” lingo, or become really good at playing contact sports, for example. “Tomboy” lesbian girls might try to dress more pretty and feminine. Some are able to better pull it off and blend in with all the other “normal” kids and people. Others just stand out, for their speech, mannerisms, and interests, no matter what they may try to do. And just like Alberto and Luca, even the most well camouflaged of us can’t hide it all the time, and usually aren’t doing as good a job passing as straight or “normal” as we sometimes think we are. Many a queer person has come out to friends or family only to hear, to their surprise, something to the effect of, “Oh, we already knew that”.

Luca, Alberto, & Crushes

Luca, Alberto, and Giulia form a strong friendship over the course of the movie, but Luca and Alberto’s friendship arc goes deeper than being pals. They have a crush on each other. “WHAT?! I thought you said you weren’t going to insert romance into this!” you might be thinking. And you’re right, I said I wasn’t going to, and I’m not. Everyone has crushes of some kind or another- and arguably most crushes are not romantic in nature. Sure, they’re the most obvious kind, in fact they’re the ones most people think of, because they’re so easy for most people to identify. But crushes are simply a deep desire to be close to someone, whether that’s platonically or romantically. Most crushes we have often go unrecognized until after the fact, upon reflection, if they’re ever recognized at all. It’s the heteronormative framework, with its proscriptions on the expression of affection and emotions, that is to blame for this blind spot we often have.

Having crushes as a queer kid is every bit as innocuous as straight kids having crushes. Indeed, we try to stick straight kids’ crushes into a tiny romantic box, when in reality there is a greater breadth to those experiences; mostly centered around having a strong liking or affinity for someone. Only some crushes enter into the realm of the romantic. Speaking from my own personal experience, I never had romantic crushes growing up. I didn’t realize until much later the crushes I did have, and just how strong they were. Children, and adults for that matter, can develop warm feelings and affection for another. We don’t have to know a person well, we just subconsciously find ourselves drawn to them. We don’t necessarily understand what we’re feeling, we just feel it. It causes people to act differently around their crush than they otherwise would if they simply felt a casual affinity for them.

Luca and Alberto have more going on emotionally than “two bros, chillin’ in a hot tub, 5 feet apart ‘cuz they’re not gay!” They both become strong friends with Giulia, but the two of them have an affection that is missing in both their interactions with Giulia. Alberto even becomes irrationally jealous of Luca’s friendship with Giulia, which is a common aspect of crushes. We get jealous when our crushes spend time, affection, or thoughts on other people, but the attraction and jealousy are mostly subconscious. Alberto doesn’t know why he’s jealous, and doesn’t even seem to realize that he’s jealous. Luca doesn’t understand why Alberto gets moody, and doesn’t understand why he’s so starry eyed about Alberto. Nor is Luca going to understand every part of his own daydreams. Dreams of he and Alberto riding off into the Italian countryside without a care in the world, sharing a single Vespa (in a dream with many Vespas, where they could each have their own).

Their crushes are most prominently displayed during and after the fight when Alberto outs himself in an effort to keep Luca from leaving with Giulia, and when Luca outs himself during the race in order to rescue Alberto. And in the last scene, Alberto tearfully embraces Luca, because “You got me off the island, Luca”. Alberto and Luca develop a bond deeper than two boys just hanging out and having fun. It isn’t bad, wrong, or inappropriate to recognize this as a crush. Indeed, a defining feature of childhood crushes is how innocent they typically are. But under the framework of heteronormativity, crushes are all too often relegated to “having the hots for someone”, leaving no room for platonic affection and other kinds of deep personal bonds between non-relatives. However, even if we were to say Luca and Alberto subconsciously find each other “cute”, it wouldn’t catapult us into the territory of sullying their innocence either.

Massimo & Straight Men

Massimo is the strong, masculine, seafaring father of Giulia. One of his dreams in life is to capture and kill a sea monster. He finds Giulia’s new friends weird and strange, but he takes the boys under his wing, even becoming a sort of mentor, especially to Alberto. He comes to care very deeply about the boys. He worries when Alberto goes missing, and goes out to find him. He doesn’t yet know that Luca and Alberto are sea monsters, but he cares deeply for both of them. He doesn’t find out they are sea monsters until right at the end, when Luca and Alberto both out themselves in front of the entire town, while winning the contest in the process. As the frightened townspeople surround the boys, preventing their escape, unsure of how to respond to them or their winning the contest, it is Massimo who walks over, and declares them the winners. This man who once had a dream to kill sea monsters, accepts the boys he has come to love and care about. His world changed on a dime, and he bravely paved a new path of acceptance for the rest of the town to follow.

I don’t know if I can emphasize this part of Massimo’s character development enough. He is the stand in for every straight, masculine, patriarchal male in our society- fathers, grandfathers, husbands, brothers, uncles, pastors, principals, and even bosses. He could have easily kept to his old prejudices and rejected, even harmed, Luca and Alberto. He could have been the second father figure to reject Alberto. Instead, he realizes that these are the same boys he knew and loved, and their being sea monsters did not alter that. It was a new part of them to learn about, not a point of concern, nor a point of rejection. He unofficially adopts Alberto at the end, and Alberto has the chance to have a family, with a father who keeps him, and a father who loves him. Not despite who Alberto is, but because of who he is.

I sometimes think that straight men get the impression that there is no place for them in this new world and that they’re somehow not wanted. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every child wants the approval of their parents. And boys and girls (even the trans boys and girls) do need strong and healthy role modeling from male figures in their lives. We want your love and acceptance. We don’t want to change who you are. Dominance, bigotry, and prejudice are not what make you masculine, nor do they make you endearing to us. The strong hands that can hit, can also hug. The muscles that can dominate can also protect. The toughness that can crush can also reinforce. A gruff voice can speak words of hate, and also words of tender love. The swagger or stoicism that can brush others aside and make them feel small, can also validate and uplift.

Massimo is an excellent role model for all the straight, masculine men out there; some of whom may feel estranged from queer family and friends. You can be the difference between a queer kid wishing they were dead, and feeling like they’re on top of the world; between feeling like there’s nowhere and no one for them in the world, and knowing without any doubt that they are loved and appreciated. Your words and actions have the power to build up and destroy. I hope that you know that, and use your strength and power to create love and destroy hate. You have a place in this new world, and your presence, for good and for ill, is palpably felt. Please be a force for good.

Conclusion

I hope this lengthy, droning essay has been enlightening to you. And I hope you have a better understanding of why a queer interpretation of Luca is so important to many queer people. It’s not about sexualizing the nonsexual, and it’s not about reading into it something that just ain’t there. It’s about seeing your lived experience, things you relate to on a deep and personal level, shown in art and entertainment. All great art resonates on a personal level with those who fall in love with it. It’s why they fall in love with it.

Luca may not be Pixar’s greatest film, but it resonates with many queer people and the parallels to queer experiences are uncanny. It is important to allow people the space to feel that personal connection. One day, Disney will probably, maybe, finally, get around to having a queer protagonist, and not be introducing the umpteenth side character retroactively as queer. The world is getting better, and queer people are finding more acceptance. But there are also many people and places that still don’t, and probably won’t in this life. Until then, I’ll leave on a hopeful note with what is perhaps the best quote from the entire film:

“Some people, they’ll never accept him, but some will, and he seems to know how to find the good ones.” -Grandma Sea Monster