While Disney and Pixar’s next animated feature Soul currently resides in the ghostly netherworld of uncertainty (it is still holding firm to its November 20 theatrical date), but that uncertainty isn’t enough to slow down the beloved animated studio. Today they have announced their next animated feature, Luca, coming to theaters (prayer hands) on June 18, 2021.

According to the official synopsis, Luca is “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.” How’s that for a twist? We’ve also heard that the film is a period adventure, which is very cool (either pre- or post-World War II).

Made all the more wonderful is the fact that the film is being helmed by the deeply talented Enrico Casarosa, who directed the charming, Oscar-nominated 2011 short “La Luna” and since at least 2017 has served as part of the so-called Pixar Brain Trust, the senior creative advisory board at the studio. (He was also head of story on the fabled original version of The Good Dinosaur, under recent Emmy nominee Bob Peterson.) Luca is produced by Andrea Warren, who recently produced the underrated Cars 3.

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Image via Disney•Pixar

“This is a deeply personal story for me, 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. Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in Luca,” Casarosa said in the official staatement. “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.”

Considering how often Pixar was dinged for the volume of sequels it has produced over the past few years, this will be the third original feature from the company in a row, with no signs of slowing down.

Does anything sound dreamier than going to see Luca next summer and then visiting a great Italian restaurant afterwards?

For more Disney-Pixar goodness, check out our ranking of every Pixar movie thus far.

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Image via Disney-Pixar