Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2024)

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is an American computer-animated teen comedy-drama film directed by Kirk DeMicco and co-directed by Faryn Pearl, and stars the voices of Lana Condor, Jaboukie Young-White, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy, Colman Domingo and Blue Chapman. Produced by Dreamworks Animaiton & Mike Mitchell Productions. It was theatrically released by Universal Pictures throughout June 30, 2023.

Plot[]

Cast[]

• Lana Condor as Ruby Gillman
• Toni Collette as Agatha Gillman
• Annie Murphy as Chelsea Van Der Zee
• Sam Richardson as Brill
• Liza Koshy as Margot
• Will Forte as Gordon Lighthouse
• Colman Domingo as Arthur Gillman
• Jaboukie Young-White as Connor
• Blue Chapman as Sam Gillman
• Eduardo Franco as Trevin
• Ramona Young as Bliss
• Jane Fonda as Grandmamah
• Randy Thom (voice design) as Nessie, a sea dog and the Gillmans' family pet.
• Echo Kellum as Doug
• Nicole Byer as Janice

Additionally, the Arsement couple voice a home buyer and tourist and Karen Foster voices the school librarian.

Production[]

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was first pitched to all the major studios and producers by childhood friends and screenwriters Brian C. Brown & Elliot DeGuiseppi, it’s about a family of sea monsters that were moved to the land and are hiding in plain sight. The film is based on their experiences growing up in their hometown of Oveido, Florida. almost everyone turn it down, but got a lifeline when Margot Rubin, a development exec with Mike Mitchell Productions got on board with Mike Mitchell signed on as executive producer. Mitchell is directing the jukebox musical film Trolls at the time, and recommend pitching to Chris Kuser, a development exec at Dreamworks Animation, and the film was greenlit into development. According to Kirk DeMicco, he cited John Hughes films, Easy A (2010), Ladybird (2017), and Booksmart (2019) as his inspirations, other inspirations include The Princess Diaries (2001), Mean Girls (2004), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), and Freaky Friday (2003).^[1] In June 2021, TheGWW unofficially reported that Meet the Gillmans was in production at DreamWorks Animation, with casting taking place and an expected release year of 2022. Paul Tibbitt, the director of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), was confirmed as the director. Pam Brady was confirmed to co-write the film, despite the fact that she created a similar concept to Dreamworks back in 2010 called Neighbors From Hell (which is about a family of demons), which lasted one season on TBS. Lana Condor, Laura Dern, and Michael Sheen, among others, were circled for the roles of Ruby, her mother, and her father, respectively, while Annie Murphy was attached to play the role of Clarica (Chelsea). ^[2] Production was also expected to start in 2022.^[3] In October 2022, the film's title was secretly changed to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.^[4][5]On March 16, 2023, the film, cast, and crew were publicly announced. Along with Condor and Murphy's roles confirmed new cast members of the film include Toni Collette, Sam Richardson, Liza Koshy, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Jaboukie Young-White, Blue Chapman, Eduardo Franco, Ramona Young, Echo Kellum, Nicole Byer, and Jane Fonda, while Kirk DeMicco, Faryn Pearl, and Kelly Cooney Cilella were revealed as the director, co-director, and producer respectively.^[6]

Music[]

On March 16, 2023, following the release of the official trailer, Stephanie Economou was confirmed to score Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.^[6][7]

Gallery[]

Videos[]

Release[]

The film was originally planned to be released in 2022, it was later moved to 2023 until it obtained its release date of June 30, taking Illumination's Migration.

Reception[]

Box office[]

In the United States and Canada, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken will be released alongside Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and is projected to gross $4–8 million in its opening weekend.^[8][9]

Critical response[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on four critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing, "South Park veteran Pam Brady, who shares screenwriting credit with Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi, brings all kinds of funny ideas to the film, which DeMicco does an admirable job of executing. But there's a simpler, more sincere movie underneath it all that seems to be taunting audiences, like a glowing shape from deep below. If you buy the notion that krakens shrink down to human scale — and that none-too-bright people might be daft enough not to spot them — then the high school scenes are charming. Ruby's a big nerd with a head for quadratic equations, and she's having trouble working up the nerve to ask her study buddy to prom (it's pretty clear he feels the same way about her). Not that overprotective Agatha would let her attend anyway."^[10]

Trivia[]

• This will be the first DreamWorks Animation film to be authored in ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) as well as HDR (High Dynamic Range) for a completely unique viewing experience that takes full advantage of the medium.
• The film was originally planned for a REALD (3D) release but has been scrapped.
• This is Pam Brady’s Second collaboration with Dreamworks since Neighbors From Hell.
• The film was originally planned to be directed by Paul Tibbit but had been replaced.
• The last name "Gillman" was inspired by The Gillman from Creature from the Black Lagoon.
• This will be the first original film from DreamWorks Animation to be fully made in Glendale without outside location help or by an outsourced studio.
• Faryn Pearl became the youngest female director of an animated feature film at the age of 31.
• This is the 45th movie produced by DreamWorks Animation.

References[]