Pixar’s Luca 2 dives deeper — not just into the sea, but into the soul. The sequel to the 2021 sleeper hit doesn’t merely revisit the sun-drenched Italian Riviera; it matures alongside its characters, crafting a tender and visually luscious journey about identity, friendship, and growing up when nothing feels the same.

Now in their early teens, Luca and Alberto return as boys caught in the gentle current between childhood and adolescence. Their bond is still strong, but the world around them — and within them — has begun to shift. Luca, ever the dreamer, now yearns to explore life beyond Portorosso’s shoreline, fueled by his growing fascination with science and astronomy. Alberto, ever the free spirit, struggles with feeling left behind as his best friend starts asking questions he doesn’t yet have answers for.

Where Luca was about discovery, Luca 2 is about decisions. The boys journey inland, away from the sea and into the rolling Tuscan hills, on a road trip that feels part Call Me by Your Name, part Stand by Me — all through Pixar’s tender, magical lens. Along the way, they meet a hidden community of sea monsters living in secrecy near a countryside lake, where the question of whether to hide or be seen takes on weightier meaning.

Thematically, the film explores what it means to grow apart without growing distant — a concept Pixar tackles with remarkable grace. Luca finds himself drawn to a new friend, a human girl named Lia who shares his passion for the stars, while Alberto wrestles with feelings of invisibility and fear of losing the one connection that shaped his life. Their emotional arc is handled with subtlety and nuance, capturing the push-and-pull of evolving friendships with heartbreaking honesty.

Returning to direct is Enrico Casarosa, and his love for Italy still radiates in every frame — from sunlit wheat fields and cicada-filled forests to candlelit village festivals under the stars. The animation has leveled up too: water sparkles with layered depth, moonlight dances on terracotta rooftops, and transformation scenes between human and sea monster forms are rendered with jaw-dropping beauty.

The score by Dan Romer swells with Mediterranean warmth, but now carries new layers of melancholy and wonder. Luca’s theme, once playful and innocent, is reinterpreted with more longing and introspection — much like the boy himself.

Narratively, Luca 2 doesn’t rely on a conventional villain. The antagonist is internal: fear of change, fear of loss, and the quiet ache of becoming someone your younger self wouldn’t recognize. There are still whimsical, Vespa-fueled chases and plenty of slapstick humor, particularly from the return of Giulia and her grumpy father Massimo, but the heart of the story beats in the quiet moments — a shared glance at the stars, a tearful goodbye, an uncertain first step toward something new.

The film’s finale is both joyful and aching. Luca and Alberto, standing at another threshold, must make a choice — one that affirms how much they’ve grown and how love, even if changed, still endures. It’s not a flashy ending, but it’s one that lingers.

 Rating: 8.9/10 — A beautifully mature sequel that honors the first film while courageously swimming into deeper waters. Luca 2 is gentle, lyrical, and quietly profound.

“The world is big, Luca… but so is your heart.”

Summer may fade, but the lessons of Luca 2 shimmer long after the credits roll.