'Luca': A metaphorically charged queer experience.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53007/SJGC.2024.V9.I2.226Abstract
Queer theory in film explores narratives that veer away from the traditional heteronormative
perspectives. Queer theory’s origins are complex, melding aspects from feminism, oppositional
film making, post-structuralism and radical movie making. Queer theory in film is both an
academic approach and a form of political action, challenging the dominant norms of
heterosexuality within film making. One key concept in queer film theory is the idea of
queering the gaze, which involves challenging the stereotypical and traditional notions as well
as the overpowering heterosexual viewpoints in cinema. This can include subverting the gender
norms, exploring non-binary identities, portraying relationships outside the mainstream. This
article is an attempt to dissect the metaphorically charged and queer coded possibilities of the
2021 Pixar animated movie, ‘LUCA’ and how the film's central relationship between the two
young protagonists, Luca and Alberto, has taken on an even deeper significance - one that
speaks to the evolving landscape of queer representation in animation. Not only is this an
attempt to spark intriguing discourse surrounding the potential of animation as a queer medium,
embracing ambiguity and fluidness but is also aimed at understanding queering a medium,
especially when its possibility is explicitly denied, highlighting the tarnished morals behind
queer baiting.
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