Actually, Pixar's Luca IS a Queer Story! (Disney/Pixar's Luca) | READUS 101 

Yes, I'm snatching up ALL the wigs in this video. And you should too!

The fact the two old ladies were revealed as “sea monsters” too was the confirmation for me tbh

SPOILERS FOR LUCA A few things in the movie I thought were really nice touches - The supporting grandma figure - It only really took the father taking a stand to de-escalate the violence - The two older women at the end who realise they can be themselves after being inspired by the younger generation - Alberto saying "you helped me off the island" ;_; ;_;

sometimes, all we need for queer representation is queer platonic. they say that kids are too young for romance as they shove a girl and a boy to a romance subplot every time they can, seeing platonic relationships like this is quite refreshing

They have more chemistry than 90% of Disney's confirmed couples. Them being kids(preteens) 13 and 14 isn't an excuse for them not to say they are dating or would date in the future. (They would be in middleschool, you can't tell me in middle school you didn't date or have a crush.) Ellie and Carol were 8, Ariel was 16 while Eric was 18, Puggsly whos 10 shipped with a pig mutant who we were lead to think was his sister for more than half the movie. *If you think Disney cares they're children you're wrong.* If you don't think any lgbt relationships should be in "kid" shows and movies then neither should straight ones. No straight parents, no straight friends, no straight love interest which alot of actual kids shows already do Blaze. But you'd find this is illogical, as every kids has parents right? No as not every family is nuclear. Just like not every child is straight and by seeing a non nuclear family or those of the lgbt they can relate to. *You're wrong if you think "kid" shows and movies are made just for kids. Teens and adults watch them too which Disney and other media knows this and why they have romantic and adult themed jokes in it.*

I will always remember my English teacher saying that bad media comprehension doesn't exist, bad arguments do. Any interpretation can be valid, so long as the text supports it.

"Alleged Cannibal Rapist Armie Hammer..." La'Ron doesn't pull punches.

"If I titled anything else you wouldn't click on this" Sir, I am not appreciated being called out like that. I have a family.

my 80 year old grandma turned to me in the middle of the movie, since I'm part of the community, and said "they're part of your family, right?" it was so wholesome istg

I don't think Disney will ever have the balls to do a movie with a non-heterosexual romance as a significant plot development. Any LGBT+ representation they do is in the form of quick allusions or blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments that they can edit out when they try selling the movie in certain countries. They care less about LGBT+ representation than they do the monies.

I'm at least glad there will be no forced straight romance/love triangle Edit: Why are there so many bigots in my comment? Get out

My issue with saying that this can be interpreted as representation is that it sets the bar so low. Like is that really all we're ever gonna get? Stuff that can be interpreted as queer as opposed to actually just being queer. I'm not trying to be contrarian, but I'm not gonna pretend like this is queer rep because I know that movie studios can and should do better

Honestly, I am glad that isn’t romance. For me, I love stories about friendship then romance stories.

i mean, while the kids may be too young to even care about romantic relationships (as if *that* ever stopped hollywood from sticking a boy and a girl together!), that doesnt mean that the metaphor (especially one in a world where the mermaid/merfolk as queer metaphor is one widely regarded and considered by the community as a family-friendly approach to the common feelings of alienation queer youth face), the director was maybe a bit too assertive on his claim that theres nothing of the sort to be read about it in the movie? i can understand that it is a very personal story for him, and that in a way the idea of an audience keen to see that relationship he developed with a good friend in his own childhood as romantic can feel uncomfortable... as soon as he sends the story out into the world, it really isnt his call to make. besides, the comment of them being "just kids, before the hormones and crushes and whatnot arrives and messes things up" feels a bit disingenuous, especially since i wonder if he would have said the same thing if the main duo was a girl and a boy, and people were saying they look cute together. even before me or my schoolmates had our first crush, we were all fantasizing about our future husbands, or finding romances sweet and charming, and being spoonfed fairytales of princesses and princes. while kids are indeed pretty young to fully understand what romantic relationships are, that doesnt mean that, socially, they are indeed conditioned to expect a boy and a girl to end up together. i also wish we lived in a world in which boys and girls can be shown as just friends, but unfortunately that isnt the reality we live in. though then again, this is a whole another can of worms. the movie looks pretty dang cute, and im looking forward to it anyways.

I adore the friendship here, but i still feel like "The Deep" is an allegory for some form of conversion therapy or something

SPOILER . . . . . It's nice that Luca doesn't go to Genova just to stay with Giulia, he goes because he really wants to go to school and learn all about the surface world

Hey, remember when one of the creators of My Life As A Teenage Robot said he was okay with people interpreting Jenny/XJ-9 as Trans? Yeah, I wish we had more creators who were acceptive like that.

Sorry but ‘Montero starring straight white men’ was the most brilliantly shady thing I have heard in ages. Needed that.

An excellent argument on "The Death of the Author." Luca looks like a fantastic non romance based Queer Story, because gods knows we need them too.

Why couldn’t this movie have come out in the late 80’s or in the 1990’s. As an Aro/Ace on the autism spectrum this movie already speaks to me, and would have helped me with every aspect of my identity. Honestly why can’t they just let the movie be interpreted by people instead of telling everyone to be quiet?

This is the only kind of clickbait I'm supportive of

Wait till you watch Luca, the symbolism gets deeper than Lucas uncle

... good lord we are so desperate for queer stories, it's so sad 😭

I think its polite to always try to understand the creators original intent since they worked hard and that's how we can see outside ourself, but after that's over headcannon till the cows come home

I would like to add that there’s a difference between an artists conscious intent, and an artist unconscious intent. I’m having trouble finding the words to explain it, but as a writer I’ve noticed I’ve written things into my stories that I didn’t plan, but can definitely see how my subconscious ended up doing it for me. For example I have a character who started out confident, but as I developed them they became insecure about their intelligence. Looking back I realize I’ve projected myself onto this character without ever having intended to, my subconscious did it anyway. I don’t know exactly the crew who worked on Luca consists of or whether or not any of them feel like they are part of the lgbt community, but if any of them are, whether closeted or not, whether they themselves have even realized it or not (realizing can come at any age) then it’s entirely possible that they made contributions to the film rooted in those feelings and experiences without them ever having intended to do so. And if not, what you said. If there wasn’t any subconscious intent, that doesn’t negate the fact that the community can relate to the concept and view it as an allegory

Also there are many more kinds of queer stories than just romance.

This aged well

Luca’s grandmother before he got on the train said “Some people may accept him and some might not.But it looks like he finds the right people to be around.” 😌 Ya welcome

I just watched the movie and immediately searched "Luca gay" because I knew there was no way I was the only one that interpreted it as a cute gay puppylove/ first gay crush story. Really disappointed that the creators completely shut that down.

I love the interpretation of this being a movie about two boys discovering they're queer and exploring that and I think they're pretty cute together too. I just hope if/when people start shipping these 2 they don't do it in a sexual way since.... Ya know..... They're children. I'm looking at you little nightmares fandom

I honestly don't want this film to be romantic. I just want every character to be friends. Nothing more than that.

Legit my immediate thought when looking at it. I didn't even have CMBYN comparisons, it just reminds me of young crushes on best friends and keeping secrets in youth.

What Enrico says "Friendship comes first over relationships"

watching this, now knowing Luca and Alberto were supposed to kiss, makes me feel above people who swore they were straight.

I think showing young kids (especially boys) that it's ok to have close same sex and/or gender friends and that it's ok to cry, laugh, love, care, giggle, hug, etc with eachother is very good. I think it's good to show that boys being close doesn't automatically mean gay and that could alleviate a lot of that fear or prevent being labeled as gay just for being close. The more normalized it is for boys to be close like girls, the less taboo, the less bullying (for example: two girls could hug for 15 mins, cry at eachother, go in the bathroom/change together and no one thinks "lesbians"....but two boys do that? "gay". I'd like both to be normal without a stigma, especially for young kids when they are figuring things out internally). It's so taboo for boys to show affection and they are often denied or starved of it which makes it even harder on gay boys to come out. That being said, I can see the closet metaphor and being accepted as for how you're born and I think that's important to take from the movie what helps you and what relates to you and no one should shut down that interpretation. pixar would 100% make a movie with or about LGBTQ if not bogged down by Disney.

the "looks into the camera" moments make me laugh every time lmao edit: also, answer for the homework assignment - Mulan, the original

People will start saying “why can’t they just be friends?”

They should stop forcing this stuff, the movie looks like "okay guys, we're gonna have to do some representation stuff, here's the bare minimum budget, don't flex it, just make the minorities give us the green stuff"... Like either put in the effort or just don't fake your care

I personally like true friendship stories over romance when it comes to stories like this. I dont want the girl to crush on any of them either cause it will just be the Book of Life all over again. I want it to be purely the birth of a close friendship and how as kids, you go through struggles to keep secrets but will go to the end of the earth to protect your friends regardless of adults or society thinks but it makes them look mischievous but good at heart like most kids actually are.

I’m happy it at least isn’t a straight love story. I was scared it was gonna be like El Dorado, where it is so incredibly gay, but ignores it and throws in straight romance.

I think it's about friendship and acceptance in general, not just LGBT because everyone can relate to not getting the approval of others or struggles with trying to express themselves or just trying to fit in with others. Think about it people aren't normally nice to other people who are different from themselves whether skin, orientation, disability, or other and it's hard to find a place in a society that treats them differently, but if they take the time to understand them for who they are I think people could be more accepting. Kids in school sometimes have struggled to find people who they can call a friend and when someone does accept them for who they are as a person, their differences, their culture, and their flaws. I think that'd be the first be the first step to acceptance. Same thing with teens and adults I think if we all took the time to get to know each other I think the world would be better. At least that is what I saw the movie as... ^^'. I know not a lot of people will agree with me and that's fine. :D

After seeing the film, the queer perspective on this story is 100% valid and there is more than enough within the identity of the film to make that connection. The nuances are all present and, in my opinion, directly contributes to why the film works so well. I even watched Luca thinking about the intent of the director and still came out of it thinking, "Yeah, this is a queer story and I love it."

Here after watching it and you can’t tell me it’s not gay

0:52 made me think of something: perhaps we could read the allegory in a different way, instead of a queer or homosexual reading, perhaps we could have an asexual reading? I find it refreshing to see close relationships in film that aren't romantic (there is no love interest in the film). It's good to see a film where a friendship between boys and girls which is not romantic.

“Gill Me By Your Name”

I would have clicked on it. I'm not always aware of the content you cover but I know I will be after watching your videos.

Finally, a Disney movie that isn't about focused just on love. This makes me very happy lol

There's an underlying thing I don't recall ever really seeing addressed. We can all have best friends, very close friendships with deep meanings, and that's good. Even for gay/bi folks, that best friend may not have any romantic or sexual side to it. But what about those friendships that may shade into same-sex love, or where it may not be clear if it is or isn't? Or what about the budding crushes or first relationships that can and do happen for some kids/teens? Why are we afraid to portray those? Boy/girl straight kids get those first relationships portrayed and no one has a problem with it. But somehow, if it's a same-sex relationship, that doesn't get an honest take. And the case of the grey area, where it might be unclear for either one, or for others around them, we don't get those shown. Also, we don't often get the case where one kid/teen loves his/her same-sex friend, while the other isn't into them that way, which is a common real-world case. There's that awkwardness of figuring out friendship and love, when someone is first discovering their gay feelings. So there are all sorts of real, meaningful things around the case of friendship and emerging same-sex feelings. And again, friendship does need to be acknowledged as super important too. Why, also, can't we be OK with just letting it be, not getting worked up whether kids/teens might be forming a couple or might be just close friends, or anywhere in between? Why not be cool with that, be happy for them that they have a close friendship or that they might have same-sex feelings? If two kids/teens are a same-sex couple, why not be cool with that? We should be able to see that in video and in print stories both. WE don't have a problem with it when straight kids have a boy/girl friendship, or if they become a couple, or in between there. Everyone is fine with that; it's even expected. So maybe the chance to see same-sex kids going through those feelings, friendship leading to love, puppy love, crushes, or more serious couples-relationships starting up, are things we should get to seee explored too. That representation matters.The lack of it and the need for it is why non-straight folks latch onto friendships or other coming of age stories, I think, where there's any chance to infer love, a crush, not just a close friendship. I think we need the chance to see those healthy close friendships where it isn't romantic or sexual, and I think we need to see some healthy same-sex friendships and couples relationships forming. Very many not-straight folks get thwarted in their first tries, their first emerging feelings, or those are difficult to sort out, so they happen later than for the straight kids. So getting to see the whole range is needed, I think.

i just watched the movie and jumped to your video. Personally, I consider this to be a queer film. Whether its canonly intended ti be or not is irrelevant, the story I see speaks to my experience and I feel I could easily show this to anyone, say and it has queer context, and they would believe me. I mean, that scene when Luca's grandma said "some people won't accept him, but some people will. and it seems he's really good at finding those who do" I MEAN!!! AAAAH I LOVE THIS!!!!

I require more LGBTQ+ Disney movies

“What do y’all normally eat?” “Anything that’s gay”

People say it’s about racism,,. It’s just not

Honestly I'm glad the movie isnt romantic and its just a cute story bout kids being kids. I'm honestly annoyed by people shipping kids constantly in our day and age when its just a freinship.

The way Alberto looks at Luca when he is with Julia ITS SO FRUITY

This video is SO IMPORTANT. You’ve perfectly described why it’s wrong to shut down LGBT+ people when they see themselves in media. I always feel so invalidated whenever a queer interpretation is shut down (especially in mainstream media, like superhero movies), but I never could find the exact words to explain why it’s wrong. Thanks for explaining how immature it is to take an interpretation away from someone who desperately needs it. 😌😌

Actually…what I’ve been thinking is that Alberto is like an older-brother figure to Luca…and that that’s why he’s so protective towards him… That their relationship feels more like familial love; feels more like sibling love than romantic love. And that Alberto is kinda like Luca’s guardian or Luca’s guardian angel.…

This is so important! This is very reminiscent of my experience with watching Moana. At the time I watched the movie in theaters, I was at a place in my life where I was fully aware that I was queer but was still trying to force myself to be straight. Moana feels so allegorical of queer experiences to me. I related so much to her feeling of being a certain way for her entire life but trying to make herself be someone else because her parents viewed it as wrong. The lines from the song "How Far I'll Go" that said "I'll be satisfied if I play along but the voice inside sings a different song. What is wrong with me?" describe exactly how I was feeling. And really the whole song and the whole movie seems to me like an allegory for being queer or trans.

I could easily see this as an allegory for two friends both discovering that they're trans, which is a common enough occurrence since we seem to find eachother whether we know it or not. ESPECIALLY with the easy comparison of water revealing their forms and washing off makeup. And dysphoria feeling similar to seeing a monster in the mirror. There's layers here that really could work.

Movies that are not about the LGBT+ Community, but I can relate too 😂💕 Frozen- Because of Elsa's story and because of the lyrics of her song Let It Go "Don't let them in, don't let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know Well, now they know" . . . That's literally Gay I don't give a fuck about what other people say ❄️👸🏽 Wreck-It Ralph- Because of the message of the movie where the main character is tired of being the villain and just wants to be the hero a.k.a the one that the people love and appreciate also because of the villain quote that Ralph said at the end "I am bad and that is good, I will never be good and that's not bad, there's no one I'd rather be than me." Which for me means that now he's finally out, loud and proud of who he is 🦹🏽‍♂️💀 Hercules- Because Hercules was an outcast because "he's different from the others" and Hercules might be straight but the message of the movie also the lyrics of the song Go To The Distance "I have often dreamed of a far off place Where a hero's welcome would be waiting for me Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be. When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong." For me it says that we we're being outcast by the straights and we want to find our own community where we belong 🦸🏽‍♀️⚡ Beauty and the Beast- Because Belle was treated as a weird girl cuz she was doing things that nobody else does and also because the message of the movie is "Don't judge a book by it's cover" which for me means that Straights often judge us as being evil because of who we are, when the reality is that they're the ones who's evil for treating us like shit 🌹👹 P.S Let's be honest, If Luca was girl and then her and Alberto would definitely be together or at least shows that one of them likes the other person. But since they're both guys of course they're just gonna friends 🤦🏽‍♀️😬

The movie really just works for anyone that’s struggled with identity and the fear of how one will be perceived by peers.

Few months ago I had to make a music video for my photography class. When I showed it to my teacher he had widely different interpretation from what I intended and it absolutely blew my mind because it did made a lot of sense and I didn't even think of my video this way. Since then I believe when you publish/show your piece of media or art it stops being completly yours and every interpretation can be meaningful and real.

I love seeing romance but can there be a movie for once where the main characters can be just friends - 💀 And yes , you can love whom you love. But seeing this and shipping two little kids just makes me uncomfortable 😕

Homework assignment: definitely Aladdin. They didn’t expect me and probably didn’t want me to be swooning over jasmin AND Aladdin but that didn’t stop my bi-ness 👀

I really hope Disney makes a movie about a gay couple because kids should know about this and not be weirded out. It should be like having characters of color in movies. It should seem normal because this is what the real world looks like.

disney writers/directors can deny all they want to ensure they rake in that cishet money, but this movie lays it on waaaaaaaaaay too thick for me to believe they didn't know exactly what they were doing

I have just finished watching it and it seems like the film was more about friendship and being accepted in a community than a queer story.

i watched the movie and the whole time i was thinking about how people were gonna be saying lucas gay and stuff, but i have a theory that luca is Bisexual and that he feels affection towards Alberto and Giulia

Now i want to send a letter to Disney telling them how Luca made me confident enough to come out to my family and see how they react

Honestly, when the grandma says "Some may never except him, but some will." Like that line was so simple but it hit so hard for me as a queer person. Made me cry just writing my stupid comment about it lmao.

Know-It-All Reporter: "Sorry, Luca ain't gay." The World: "DOUBT"

Everyone saying that they are happy that this isn't a romance WON'T say the same if the relationship was between a boy and a girl

I'm pretty sure that the Three Faires weren't meant to be seen as the main characters and heroes of Sleeping Beauty but I always considered them as such.

Thing is I actually appreciate this being a story about two good childhood friends. As I feel like the concept of two people just being good friends and the value that has they being same sex or not is completely muddled of lost all together in the soon to be “shipping war.” People can’t just be friends and like each other, there’s always gotta be romance and then “they be f-ing.” So having it being about a memorable life changing summer between two good friends is just as good without any romantic implications. Still I know that people who shipping, and if this story does indeed help someone from the LGBT community then all the power to them. Though trying to compare it to a movie about a same sex couple with one of them being underage, may be doing more harm than good for the cause.

I'm a teacher and kids are becoming more and more comfortable coming to me for like, advice, or just to share with me that they're thinking they are/may be LGBTQ+. I recognized right away the allegory in this great film, whether Disney "planned" it or not. Great video and great channel, man. Things are tough out there, and we have to stick together, you know? Be well. J. Striebel

I was sad to learn it wasn’t intended to be queer, as every time I see it I feel this overwhelming sense of closeness with it as a queer poc, but I gotta say I’m glad the creator was upfront with his intent rather than letting Disney spin the ambiguity and queerbait us all. I’m still so excited to watch this movie and I think I will continue to lean into the queer interpretation not because I’m interested in a romance, but because I love the idea of exploring queer friendships in media (which we almost never ever do). Even if these characters were confirmed queer, whilst asserting that it was still a platonic friendship, people would have called THAT queer baiting. So for me I’m happy with just seeing the allegory as queer and allowing these characters to live freely in my head as queer friends. But I do hope some day, there is a creator at Disney who gets to tell their queer story through the art of film animation. I would truly love that.

I love Luca! I'm not queer but it is completely understandable how one would relate to the story as such. It was a great movie

In my personal opinion, interpretations are good and all but can we ever have people being just two friends nowadays? I feel like whenever people see two friends together they automatically ship it.... I don’t mind interpretations or shipping but I feel like it’s getting out of hand... to the point most ships I see don’t make any sense, and it’s just because the person who shipped them wanted to force LGBT on them... I mean I’m a shipper too and I like to interpret things as well but I don’t ship every single friendship I see... I have to watch the movie first and then pass my own judgement lol. I don’t mean to sound offensive if I do, I’m just saying my own opinion. 😅

I would so have clicked! I watch all your videos, even if I haven't seen/don't want to see the subject thereof. I love your videos, La'Ron!

1:51-2:22 ok... I needed to re-watch like 3 times this bit. I have the attention of a mule 🤣

They better bring a sequel with them older and portrayed now as boyfriends...

I don't care if he gay, he is Italian that's enough

To be honest, Alberto and Luca are really good friends and it was intended that way and only that way. HOWEVER, I can see why Queer peoples could see the two boys relationship blossom into love. Because whatever peoples might say, Alberto and Luca are "GOOD" to each others, they bring the best out of each others and Alberto and Luca are CUTE together and nobody can take that away from em'

Yeah at first i was sad to read the author’s intent cause the WHOLE time without any knowledge of the film i was like “am I watching billy elliot?” But regardless the intimacy between the two male leads without any no homo moments was perfect in every way

As much as i hate homophobic governments, i cant help but feel that making ambiguous LGBTQ content is the best way of ensuring those who live in those oppression countries know that who they are isn't wrong or disgusting. I know that alot of people would prefer LGBTQ content to be without restrictions and be at face value, especially from big entertainment companies in th west, but their global reach is immeasurable and can really give much needed positive content in places where people are most likely starved for it and have no very little access to consume said content.

wait people interoperated the trailer as a gay romance? i only got vibes of it being about a kid figuring out himself, as in a coming of age with queer tones to it.

the two old ladies could be a foreshadow of luca and alberto on how they’re gonna grow old together:,)

I mean are we not gonna talk about the EXACT parallel between the *train scene* in both CMBYN *and* Luca??

When I studied literature the "aesthetic interpretations" were alwayes hidden & often reffered to somethings that adds meaning to the whole "vision" of the artwork. So YES the movie had a double msg.

I'm super into animation and really looking forward to this film as a whole. I'm a lesbian myself I got the gay vibes from the first trailer, but tried not to get my hopes up because this is a Disney mega release. It may not have been the filmmakers 'intent'... but if someone LGBT+ sees themself in this, who's to say "no you're wrong and should feel bad"? Great vid!

The intention of the filmmakers was to make money, and just like people, movies can be in the closet in plain sight. Luca is a gay allegory because the plot mirrors the experience of LGBTQ people in this world, and the film uses a lot of real world cultural references that only make sense to gay people who have ties to Italian culture. Doesn't anyone remember how Vespas were popular with gay men and lesbian women in the 90s? And what straight boys cry and run after the train when their best friend leaves? Alberto saying "you helped me off the island." Metaphors dont exist in Luca's world, apparently.

The shade thrown at call me by your name - we LOVE it

I 1000% believe that Coco can also be an allegory for homophobic families accepting their child. The initial seed of homophobia is planted when Hector seemingly leaves his family for a man and it crushes his family to the point where they hate all gay people (music) until Miguel falls absolutely in love with music and want to be a musician (is gay) and the whole plot is revolves around his family’s past reconciling with those preconceived bias against gay people based on what happened many many years ago.

disney isn't even aimed at kids anymore, they just include the specific plot to appeal and not get canceled by everybody.

I didn't watch "call me by your name" but I'm annoyed they couldn't age the teen up...one year 🙃 ONE YEAR...gross. Like geez an 18 year old with a 24 years old is still a little odd, but it's legal....damn

maybe it will be like the Mitchells vs the machines where its like a little bits of hints they are gay

I know being gay is a big deal, but I really just want to see a movie about kids being friends. I mean, how many coming of age stories are just centered around kids finding their place in the world?

I already knew it from the start when they announce the teaser trailer, its very clear and they're not fooling anyone. But i always felt they were just... Brothers

Platonic love is just as important as romantic love, although I'd love to see a LGBT romance which is an important plot. Also Julia has cuffed jeans 👀

Man, I think it works even better because the kids seem to be around the age they start realizing those things about themselves, cuz they look 10-12(?)

No, it's clearly a friendship. Strong friendships exist. The characters did NOTHING that would suggest a romantic interest or anything about their sexual orientation. Leave representations even for aromantic asexuals like me, there are not only gays.