Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Luca (Jacob Tremblay) is an underwater dweller who finds adventure when he rises to the surface, befriends a fellow “sea monster” named Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) and spends a summer in an Italian fishing village.
Cartoon Cats: When Luca and Alberto reach the fishing village of Portorosso they are befriended by a girl named Giulia (voiced by Emma Berman). She takes them to the home of her father Massimo (Marco Barricelli), a one-armed fisherman. Massimo owns a cat named Machiavelli (named after Niccolò Machiavelli, the Italian diplomat, philosopher and writer.) One can’t help but notice how much Massimo and Machiavelli resemble each other.
From the very beginning, Machiavelli recognizes Luca and Alberto as sea creatures in disguise and attacks them.
On Massimo’s fishing boat, Machiavelli attacks Luca and is accidentally thrown overboard in the scuffle.
Back on the boat, Luca gives Machiavelli a fish and this quiets and calms the cat, who finally accepts them.
Their friendship is somewhat tentative, depending upon Luca and Alberto continuing to give Machiavelli fish.
In one scene Luca and Alberto drink espresso for the first time. Machiavelli is the hapless victim as Alberto uses him as a weight to do overhead presses.
Machiavelli helps hold up a sign with Massimo saying “Go, Giulia!” in Italian, encouraging her in the big race, the film’s climax.
While seeming like an adversary at first, Machiavelli proves to be a friend, albeit a reticent one.
He is also seen in some of the end credit artwork, including panels in which he becomes a father to some adorable kittens!
There is also a cute nod to Pinocchio as Giulia and Luca are looking at a book of the story which includes Machiavelli as the cat character Gideon.
Purr Blurs: There are numerous cats seen all through the film, as one would expect in a fishing village. In fact there are so many cats that one could really make a game of trying to find them all! Here are a few examples. See how many you can find while watching the film!
Final Mewsings: You can’t fool a cat!
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