Trailer, About, About Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken, Cast & Crew, Critic Reviews, Storyline
Trailer:
About:
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a 2023 American computer-animated action-comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Kirk DeMicco, co-directed by Faryn Pearl, and written by Pam Brady and the writing team of Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi.
The film follows a shy but kind 15-year-old girl named Ruby Gillman (Condor) who is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but when she went into the ocean by breaking her mother’s (Collette) rule with any would-be friends, she discovers that she is a direct descendant of battle-hardened krakens who have protected the land and sea from evil mermaids for generations, and is also destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas (Fonda).
It was announced in June 2021 as its original title Meet the Gillmans, with casting taking place to play the role and an expected release year of 2022. Paul Tibbitt came on board to direct, with Brady signing on to write with Brown and DiGuiseppi, and production was expected to start in 2022.
The majority of the voice cast members were announced in March 2023, along with DeMicco replacing Tibbitt as director, as well as the official title. The film draws inspiration from Easy A (2010), Lady Bird (2017), and Booksmart (2019), and the different John Hughes films. The musical score was composed by Stephanie Economou, in addition to two original songs performed by British singer-songwriters Mimi Webb and Freya Ridings.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 15, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 30, by Universal Pictures. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, with praise towards the acting and animation but criticism towards the film’s story. It was a box office failure, grossing $41 million against its $70 million budget, becoming the lowest grossing DreamWorks film, with projections of as much as an $80 million loss for Universal.
About Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken:
Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Jaboukie Young-White, Ralph Breaks the Internet), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Oscar® nominee Toni Collette, Knives Out), has forbade Ruby from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.
The Kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. There’s one major, and immediate, problem with that: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Emmy winner Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek) just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will ultimately need to embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.
- Rating: PG (Some Action| Rude Humor| Thematic Elements)
- Genre: Kids & family, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
- Original Language: English
- Director: Kirk DeMicco
- Producer: Kelly Cooney
- Writer: Kirk DeMicco, Brian C. Brown, Elliott DiGuiseppi
- Release Date (Theaters): Jun 30, 2023 Wide
- Release Date (Streaming): Jul 18, 2023
- Box Office (Gross USA): $15.6M
- Runtime: 1h 31m
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
- Production Co: DreamWorks Animation
- Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
- Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1
Cast & Crew:
- Grandmamah (voice)
- Ruby Gillman (voice)
- Agatha Gillman (voice)
- Arthur Gillman (voice)
- Sam Gillman (voice)
- Gordon Lighthouse (voice)
- Margot (voice)
- Bliss (voice)
- Trevin (voice)
- Connor (voice)
- Chelsea Van Der Zee (voice)
- Uncle Brill (voice)
- Janice (voice)
- Doug (voice)
- Home Buyer (voice as Brianna Arsement)
- School Principal (voice)
Critic Reviews:
The color experience, on the most primal, visual aesthetic level, will be fun for little kids and fine for their parents.
July 21, 2023 | Full Review…
Christy LemireFilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken turns into something bigger and better than your average kids’ pic.
July 6, 2023 | Full Review…
TOP CRITIC
A likable film that can’t decide if it’s a Turning Red-style menstrual metaphor, a generational conflict story, a Nickelodeon teen diary sitcom, or Harry Potter except with creatures of the deep.
July 4, 2023 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
TOP CRITIC
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” blends teenage angst with a fun and vibrant take on sea-creature lore that subverts fairy-tale expectations.
July 3, 2023 | Full Review…
TOP CRITIC
Beautifully designed and voiced, this has a solid message at its heart. But it’s a well-told tale that suffers from being too well-trodden already.
July 3, 2023 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
TOP CRITIC
A likable if slight story of teen crises…
July 3, 2023 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
TOP CRITIC
There are good pieces, but they are mixed in with elements that aren’t as tasty.
August 9, 2023 | Rating: C | Full Review…
Rick BentleyKGET-TV (Bakersfield, CA)
It’s a nice movie, but it inspires no greater superlatives than that.
July 25, 2023 | Full Review…
To call this “derivative” would be kind.
July 21, 2023 | Full Review…
Charles SolomonFilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
Ruby Gillman doesn’t quite break new ground in the “powers as a metaphor for puberty” subgenre of sci-fi/fantasy, but it’s beautiful and exuberant enough to make for a fun and heartwarming trip under the sea.
July 12, 2023 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Morgan ShaunetteWillamette Week
This is a fun, colorful coming-of-age story.
July 10, 2023 | Rating: 3 stars | Full Review…
Linda CookOurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois)
If only the story could match the visuals. The script … is a by-the-numbers coming-of-age story that, like Pixar’s “Turning Red” before it, equates female puberty to transformation into a giant creature.
July 10, 2023 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
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