La Luna, a short film produced at Pixar, has been nominated for Best Short Film (animated) at the 2012 Academy Awards. The 6:53 minute film was inspired by Italo Calvino’s story, “The Distance of the Moon”, about building a ladder to the moon. In the film Bambino, a young boy, rows out to sea in an old wooden boat with his papa and nonno to get his start in the family business, sweeping up the fallen stars that wash up on the moon.
“La Luna” is also a very personal story about Casarosa growing up by the sea in Genoa, in which his father and grandfather rarely spoke to one another. “I can remember being 11 or 12 and getting caught in the middle at the dinner table with these very uncomfortable conversations,” the director recalls. “My grandfather lived with us, which probably had a lot to do with it.”
Credits
La Luna was directed by Enrico Casarosa at Pixar, with producer Kevin Reher and executive producer John Lasseter
Music is by Michael Giacchino.