Disney+ is one of the streaming giants, and thanks to platforms such as Disney, new content and productions continue to flourish. Here are two recent drops, one from Disney/Pixar, and one from Marvel. While they’re both enjoyable, I’d have to classify them as Disney Lite - great for passing the time, but not to be counted as classics of the near future.
Luca (Disney - Pixar) - The first thing I’m happy to report is that Luca is not just a twist on the Little Mermaid formula. Yes, it’s about two juvenile mer-men; and yes, they discover that as sea creatures they can magically transform when out of the water, and pass as humans. But beyond those broad similarities, Luca tales on themes of its own, and sets its own pace with charm and enthusiasm. It’s a coming of age tale, and it explores themes of family vis-a-vis friendship, exploring that which is forbidden, and then brings up notions of accepting those who are different, the value of education, and discovering the friend who’ll be there for you no matter what the circumstances. Life lessons are learned, heartstrings plucked, but you’ll feel that compared to other Pixar outings, this one lacks emotional heft and texture.
The Director Enrico Casarosa has happily recounted that the story is inspired by his own boyhood in Italy, and that age when you find a friend who helps you discover yourself as you’re growing up, establishing your own identity, and moving away from the shadow of one’s parents - and to make things seem timeless, he set it in the 1950’s, so no smartphones. Casarosa also shared that he was influenced by the neorealism of the Fellini and Visconti films, but all given pastel hues to evoke the seaside towns of the Italian Riviera. I don’t know if Vespa was approached for product placement, but this iconic Italian scooter has a very prominent role in the film. I loved the Guilia character as the spunky underdog girl, and if there’s a scene stealer, hands down, the award goes to Machiavelli, the pet cat.
Loki (Disney - Marvel) - Conceptualized as six episodes, my disclaimer here is that I’ve only watched three of the episodes as of this writing. And I’ll confess I had high hopes for this as Tom Hiddleston is a consummate actor - much like our Doctor Strange’s Benedict Cumberbatch. Plus in his appearances in the Thor film franchise, Hiddleston as Loki has always been a scene-stealing highlight. So you may wonder what goes wrong in this Limited Series? Well, unlike WandaVision, which displayed so much creativity, imagination and surprise; this Loki follows a more stream-lined, by the numbers, superhero film exposition. In fact, if I may say it frankly, they keep on explaining things as if they’re certain we didn’t get it the first time, or we’ve forgotten. I found that extremely tiring.
The events chronicled in Loki mainly take place after End Games, but there’s this notion of multiple timelines. A Kafkaesque entity known as the Time Variance Authority has captured Loki, and rather than being summarily punished, one TVA official, Mobius (played by Owen Wilson), wants to deputize Loki and use him to capture the Loki variant that’s causing mayhem in another timeline. That’s what I mean, it takes a leap of faith, or a suspension of disbelief to just enjoy the ride; but while that’s clear, the screenplay labors to try and prove to us that it’s all making logical sense. Why bother? I can only hope the action content and pacing picks up during the 4th episode and onwards - or else, we’ll be calling him Low Key. This may be Marvel over-reaching with a solo project that’s a series, without the storyline to support it.
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