Director Enrico Casarosa Talks About His Inpsiration for Disney/Pixar’s Short Film La Luna

I’m always amazed at how much can be communicated with few, if any, words.  Perhaps that is why silent films were so innovative during the early 1900’s.  When Disney/Pixar’s Brave debuts in theaters this month, it will be preceded by the short film La Luna, which was written and directed by storyboard artist Enrico Casarosa, who’s previous work includes Cars, Ratatouille, and Up.

La Luna (which is the Latin word for the moon) was released in 2011 at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film last year. The plot is simple, yet profound. Young Bambino is taken out on a midnight sailing journey across the ocean with his father and grandfather.  They find their way to the middle of the sea to watch the moon rise in the night sky.  With the help of a very long ladder, the trio climb to the surface of the moon to begin sweeping the many glowing stone stars that cover it. At the end of the film, the three retreat back to their boat and as they look up into the sky, they see the result of their efforts…a perfect crescent moon.

What was the inspiration behind the story?

During my visit to Pixar Animation Studios, I had an opportunity to sit down with Casarosa to delve into the inner workings of the film.  Casarosa recalls many dinners where he would sit with his father and grandfather and was conflicted about decisions, never wanting to disappoint either one and always wanting to bring them together. This coming-of-age story was in many ways, inspired by those conversations and how he had to, at times, find his own way.  Casarosa has always appreciated the contrast between real, day-to-day moments and the extraordinary so he dreamt up the mythical setting but thought it would be fun if what they [Bambino, Papà , and Nonno] were doing was actually quite mundane [janitors cleaning up the moon].

What was the visual inspiration for Disney/Pixar’s film short, La Luna?

Having seen and developed a sincere appreciation for Hayao Miyazaki’s work, I wasn’t surprised to learn that he is Casarosa’s “biggest influence.” Visually, Casarosa wanted to do something “‘different,’ something that would support the fable-like story.”  The result is an illustrative look and feel, almost as if you’re watching scenes from a children’s book. Casarosa and his team used watercolors and pastels to give texture and imperfection to the scenes. What’s interesting about their visual approach is that the result is very much an overall feeling of timelessness, which has broad appeal to all audiences.

Since there are very few understandable words (gibberish), how will children respond to the nearly 7 minute short?

As a father to a four year old daughter, Casarosa was mindful of the short’s appeal to children. He thought about a child’s sense of wonder and inspires curiosity as the story unfolds.  Even the message about trusting your instinct is simple, yet profound. And for just a few minutes, adults can “feel like a kid again.”

What are you working on at present?

Casarosa is currently serving as head of story on Disney/Pixar’s 2014 release titled The Good Dinosaur.

Disney/Pixar’s La Luna will debut in theaters ahead of Brave on June 22nd, 2012.

Disclosure: Travel expenses associated with the event were provided by Disney.

Photos Disney/Pixar.

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Caryn Bailey

Caryn is a NICU nurse by day, blogger by night and mom 24/7. She savors the warm Southern California sun and loves to travel, shopping, baking, reading and frequenting her local tea room. Caryn created the column Lavishly Green for Peekaboo Picks Magazine to share her best tips for going green in style, she is the Former editor for Family Review Network, former OC Family Magazine online contributor, former Orange County Moms Blog contributor, former Evenflo Savvy Parent contributor, former member of the Totsy Advisory Board and former freelance writer for CBS Los Angeles.

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