Ciao Alberto is a 2021 animated Short Film follow-up to Luca, directed by McKenna Harris.
It premiered as part of Disney+ Day 2021 to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the Disney+ streaming service.
Set after the events of the movie, the short follows the adventures of Alberto as he settles into his new life in Portorosso and attempts to strengthen his bonding with Massimo.
Ciao Alberto contains examples of:
- Ambiguous Situation: Massimo's relationship with his father. From the way he explains it, the old man had anger issues by how he punched a hole into a wall when he was upset at Massimo. Was he abusive? Or a troubled, but still well-meaning father?
- Animation Bump: Inverted. The short was able to reuse many of the CGI assets and simulations that appeared in Luca. However new assets created just for the short like the tomato Massimo cuts on his chopping board or the tomato sauce that explodes over the kitchen are notably less detailed than the other assets in use reflecting the more limited time & budget available to the short.
- Bookends: The short film opens with a shot of the sky showing a large cloud and a smaller cloud with some distance between them. It represents Massimo and Alberto's new, but still distant relationship. At the close of the short, the camera pans to the sky, with the two clouds now right next to each and showcasing the new father-son bond between Massimo and Alberto.
- Artistic License – Geography: At the end of the short film, Massimo tells Alberto his boat was once caught in a hurricane with two eyes. While it is possible for two hurricanes to merge together and gain two eyes (which is known as the "Fujiwara Effect"), those are more common in the Pacific Ocean, while Italy is connected to the Mediterranean Sea. On another hand, it's also possible that Massimo made that story up to impress Alberto.
- Aside Glance: On the short's cover, Machiavelli is staring right into the camera.
- Call-Back:
- Alberto's fascination with knives comes back, as he is seen playing with one of Massimo's knives until the latter confiscates it from him.
- The song Alberto hums on Massimo's boat is “Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville, which is exactly what Massimo sings during his Establishing Character Moment in the movie.
- When rebuilding the boat, Alberto improperly uses a hammer like he did when building the Vespa in Luca. Fortunately this time, Massimo shows him the proper way.
- The Comically Serious: The large, stoic Massimo has quite the dynamic with a goofy kid like Alberto.
- Continuity Nod: Some background characters from the movie make silent appearances, such as the Aragosta sisters, Signora Marsigliese and the kid eating gelato that was pushed into the water by Lorenzo.
- A Day in the Limelight: The short is is dedicated to Alberto's new life in Portorosso with Massimo after Luca and Giulia head off to school in Genova.
- Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Alberto gasps and goes speechless after he calls Massimo "dad".
- Dramatic Drop: Alberto drops his suitcase in shock after he accidentally calls Massimo "dad".
- Eager Rookie: Since working and living with Massimo, Alberto shows a willing attitude to help him with the business, only for him to make mistake after mistake by trying too hard to show Massimo that he's a good "employee".
- The Glomp: When Massimo talks to Alberto about his father, he offers him a hand to help him up, only to be almost tackled back into a hug by Alberto.
- Happily Adopted: Alberto is officially taken in by Massimo not only as an employee, but as his adoptive son in the credits, which shows Alberto referring to Massimo as his "dad" on a picture.
- Hero-Worshipper: Alberto clearly sees Massimo as "the coolest human" and "the best fisherman in the entire world".
- Interspecies Adoption: Massimo (a human) adopts Alberto (a sea monster) as his son at the end of the short.
- Limited Animation: Mostly Downplayed in that the short uses the same lush backgrounds and character designs from the original film so Pixar is not skimping on that animation. However, the gorgeous (and expensive) transformations from sea-monster to human (and vice versa) that occurred in the film are absent in the short as Alberto's transformations occur off-screen.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- While most of Alberto's antics are played for laughs, he's clearly shocked and apologetic when he accidentally sets fire to Massimo's boat. He's so ashamed of himself when he sees Massimo's angry glare aimed at him that he attempts to run away, which calls back to Alberto feeling that he is "the kid that ruins everything" back in Luca.
- Massimo has one when he realizes his lack of communication is driving Alberto away:
Massimo: What are you doing?Alberto: (sighs) I quit. I can't do it. I'm not good at this! I'm not good at being your... employee.Massimo: No. (tries to take Alberto's suitcase)Alberto: Why do you even care? You don't even like me. You don't even talk to me!Massimo: [struggles to find his words] Alberto!(Alberto continues to walk away, until Massimo catches up and places his hand on Alberto's shoulder)Massimo: Ma Alberto... - "No. Just… No" Reaction: Massimo's reaction to Alberto trying to quit his job and run away is to utter a little, but firm "no".
- Not So Stoic: Actually part of Massimo's character development; he's grounded as The Stoic and The Quiet One, but the short film shows his eyes (hidden under his eyebrows) way more than in the movie, such as when Massimo sees his boat burning or when Alberto calls him "dad".
- Parental Substitute: Massimo, of course. The bulk of the story is Alberto trying to improve his relationship with Massimo by doing things that will make Massimo proud of him.
- Punch a Wall: Discussed by Massimo, whose father once punched an entire hole into a brick wall so much he was angry.
- The Quiet One: Massimo is not the chattiest person. It can be justified by the fact he was either alone or with the company of adults while Giulia was in Genova in the past years. Now that Alberto lives with him, he aims to break the silence between them by trying to make him proud... Hilarity Ensues.
- Record Needle Scratch: Played with. As Alberto is narrating his "life is awesome" montage, we hear a jaunty version of the soundtrack with a violin playing the main melody. When Alberto gets to "Massimo tells me anything", the violin draws sharply against the strings to a screeching stop that mimics a record scratch and the scene cuts to Massimo and Alberto sitting in the boat looking at each silently.
- Rewatch Bonus: The story is about Alberto and Massimo coming to terms with their relationship. Alberto keeps saying he wants to be a good "employee" and make Massimo proud. After the Wham Line revelation at the end of the story, all future re-watches makes it very apparent that when he uses the word "employee" he actually means "son".
- The Runaway: Alberto attempts to run away after he accidentally sets fire to Massimo's boat. However, Massimo catches up to him, and after Alberto's Wrong-Name Outburst he realizes that he needs to open up to Alberto more.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Alberto attempts to make lunch for Massimo by heating up a can of tomato sauce without opening it first. This leads to an explosion in the kitchen that covers Massimo and the wall behind him with tomato sauce.
- Stunned Silence: Alberto and Massimo have this reaction when Alberto accidentally lets his feelings towards Massimo slip.
- Tail Slap: During the opening "life is awesome in Portorosso" montage, one of the local kids kicks a soccer ball towards Alberto who intercepts it by jumping into the plaza fountain, changing into his sea monster form and using his tail to slap the ball back.
- Tranquil Fury: Massimo remains calm in spite of Alberto's various mistakes when he clumsily attempts to help him. Even when he accidentally sets fire to his boat, all Massimo does is give an angry glare at him, but still keeps it contained. It gets deconstructed as his absence of words cause Alberto to expect the worst, which leads to attempting to run away.
- Voiceover Letter: The short opens with Alberto getting a letter from Luca about his school adventures which is read by Luca. This leads to a "life is awesome in Portorosso" montage narrated by Alberto which we see has been captured in Alberto's return letter.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Alberto's goal throughout the short is to make Massimo, whom he sees as a father figure, proud of him. It takes a tearjerking turn when you realize that Alberto desperately seeks for Massimo's approval in spite of his mistakes due to the trauma of his biological father leaving him.
- Wham Line: Alberto accidentally sets fire to Massimo's boat and tries to run away. Massimo stops him and is trying to get him to stay even as Alberto says he's no good at being his "employee". This leads to an emotional Alberto revealing his true feelings towards Massimo.Alberto: Just let me go, DAD!
- Wrong-Name Outburst: Alberto accidentally calls Massimo "dad" when the latter tries to stop him from leaving, clearly showing that he sees Massimo as a father figure.
