Pixar Animation Studios announced today that its next feature film release will be Luca. The movie is all set to be directed by Academy Award nominee Enrico Casarosa (La Luna) and produced by Andrea Warren (Cars 3). The movie pairs a young boy with a sea monster from another world during one unforgettable summer in Italy. Luca is set to open in U.S. theaters June 18th, 2021.

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, the original animated feature is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the water's surface. Pixar also released some concept art for the upcoming movie and it looks like the perfect summertime adventure, so let's hope that it is able to keep its release date for next summer.

Enrico Casarosa, say that the story of Luca "is a deeply personal" for him. He adds, "not only because it's set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship." Casarosa goes on to say that childhood relationships are at the heart of Luca, stating that these early relationships go on to shape who we are as adults. "So in addition to the beauty and charm of the Italian seaside, our film will feature an unforgettable summer adventure that will fundamentally change Luca."

Enrico Casarosa previously directed the short La Luna, which received Academy Award recognition. The Pixar short debuted in 2011 and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 84th Academy Awards. It ended up losing out to The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Like the upcoming Luca, the story was inspired by Casarosa's childhood, along with the tales of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Italo Calvino. The animation style comes from Hayao Miyazaki's anime and from La Linea by the Italian cartoonist Osvaldo Cavandoli. The voice cast includes Krista Sheffler as Bambino (Kid), Tony Fucile as Papà (Dad), and Phil Sheridan as Nonno (Grandpa).

Disney•Pixar released Onward earlier this year, which features the voice acting work of Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. The movie's theatrical release was cut short due to current public health concerns, which happened to everything at the time. Soul is up next from Pixar at the end of the year. The movie was supposed to open in theaters back in June, but it had to be pushed back, and as of this writing, it will still come out in November, as long as everything goes according to plan. You can take a look at the first look from Luca above, thanks to the Pixar Twitter account.