‘Luca’ star Jacob Tremblay excited for audiences to connect with friendly sea monsters in Pixar film

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Luca” star Jacob Tremblay is ready for Disney and Pixar’s new movie about friendly sea monsters to make a major splash.

The 14-year-old actor voices the character of Luca, who fantasizes about becoming human and life above the water’s surface.

“Pixar is such a big part of my childhood,” Tremblay told the Daily News. “To be a part of that is very exciting. I love the whole friendship in this movie. It definitely reminds me of summers I’ve had with my friends. I hope it will be able to remind adults, too, of the adventures they’ve had when they were younger.”

Set along the Italian coast, the animated movie — out Friday on Disney+ — introduces Luca as a young sea monster that can transform into a person whenever he’s out of water.

He and his friend Alberto, voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer, risk exposing their secret when they leave the ocean to explore the fictional town of Portorosso, reveling in luxuries like bike riding and pasta. But danger lurks on land, and Luca’s parents warn it’s unsafe to be spotted by a human.

“Luca’s a sea monster, but I think there’s a very real, human part of him,” Tremblay said. “He’s very ambitious to go out and explore, but at the same time, his parents are setting limits for him.”

For Tremblay, it was a dream come true to dive into the role. The teen’s a massive fan of Pixar’s “Cars” films, and remembers playing with Lightning McQueen toys from those hits.

He’s excited now to see “Luca” merchandise hit the shelves.

“I went to the Disney store the other day with my little sister, and they had this whole shelf of ‘Luca’ stuff,” Tremblay told The News.

“They were even saying, ‘Oh, on Friday we’re getting more stuff.’ It’s really cool to be able to see something that you’ve worked so hard on become such a thing.”

It’s the latest high-profile movie for Tremblay, who also starred alongside Oscar-winner Brie Larson in the 2015 drama “Room” and earned laughs in the 2019 comedy “Good Boys,” produced by Seth Rogen.

With “Luca,” Tremblay enjoyed helping expand the Pixar universe with a family-focused film.

“When I first heard that it was sea monsters, that’s obviously very, very exciting, because I think that’s such a cool premise, and how when they go to the surface, their scales kind of like retract into their body and then they’re human,” Tremblay said. “Obviously that was a very interesting concept ... and then the biggest part being coming out of your shell and trying new things with friends.”

“Luca” is the first Pixar movie since “Soul,” which won two Oscars this year, including Best Animated Feature.

Directed by Enrico Casarosa, “Luca” features a voice cast that also includes Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan and Emma Berman.

“It’s definitely a roller coaster of emotions,” Tremblay said. “At the beginning, you feel really happy to see all the fun stuff they’re doing, but as time goes on, there’s conflict. I hope that people will be able to relate to these characters and kind of feel empathy for them.”

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