The Pixar short featuring a boy, his father, and his grandfather working beneath a full moon is La Luna.
Released in 2011, La Luna follows Bambino on a midnight boat trip with Papà and Nonno. The three climb onto the Moon to sweep away fallen stars, a whimsical family trade passed between generations. Their different tools and methods reflect the tension between tradition and individuality.
The short was written and directed by Enrico Casarosa in his directorial debut. Its imagery draws on Casarosa’s childhood, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and Italo Calvino’s Cosmicomics story “The Distance of the Moon.” The title means “The Moon” in Italian, and the film uses very little dialogue.
A common mix-up is confusing La Luna with other Pixar shorts centered on family or nighttime imagery. Its distinctive trio is Bambino, his father, and his grandfather—not a boy and two unrelated adults. La Luna premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and later played before Brave.