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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKirk DeMicco
Written by
Produced byKelly Cooney Cilella
Starring
CinematographyJon Gutman
Edited byMichelle Mendenhall
Music byStephanie Economou
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • June 15, 2023 (2023-06-15) (Annecy)
  • June 30, 2023 (2023-06-30) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70 million[2]
Box office$41.7 million[3][4]

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a 2023 American computer-animated action-comedy film[5] 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 stars the voices of Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Colman Domingo, and Jane Fonda, with Sam Richardson, Liza Koshy, Will Forte, Jaboukie Young-White, Blue Chapman, Ramona Young, and Eduardo Franco being featured in the supporting roles. 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).

The film was first pitched to DreamWorks Animation by Brown and DiGuiseppi, and had been in the works for several years. 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 and lacklustre marketing. 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.[6]

Plot

In the seaside town of Oceanside, California, fifteen-year-old Ruby Gillman lives with her family, who are trying to fit in with the humans despite being krakens. Her mother Agatha forbids her from going to prom at her high school due to its location being on a ship in the ocean. Ruby originally decides not to go, but her friends Margot, Trevin, and Bliss convince her to go so she can ask out her crush Connor. Before she can ask him, due to a mishap Connor falls into the water. Ruby jumps in and saves him. Instead after Ruby placed him on the boat ramp, he believes he was saved by the new girl Chelsea Van Der Zee who tries to befriend Ruby.

When Ruby goes to hide in the library after seeing bioluminescent suction cups on her fingers, she transforms into a colossal, monstrous form as a result of her touching salt water. Temporarily halting her size growth, she is startled by the librarian and accidentally destroys the library in the process of her transformation. Chelsea stares in awe at Ruby's kraken form while Ruby runs to the lighthouse. Agatha finds out and chases her, reuniting with her brother Brill along the way. Agatha calms a distressed Ruby down and she shrinks down to her normal size. Back at the house, Ruby's father Arthur and her little brother Sam find out about Ruby's transformation. Agatha tells Ruby that she also turns into a giant kraken.

Angered that Agatha never told her about what she was capable of, Ruby runs away to meet her Grandmamah, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, along with Brill's help. Grandmamah tells Ruby that she is a princess and next in line to take the throne. She also tells Ruby that mermaids are actually the most evil creatures in the seas and that they found a powerful trident called The Trident of Oceanus to defeat some of the krakens. Her mother trapped them for all eternity and hid the trident as well, leading Agatha to run away to the surface to raise Ruby and keep her safe. Ruby declines the throne, but is thankful to have finally met her grandmother. On her way home, she is trapped by elderly sailor and Oceanside tour guide Gordon Lighthouse, who almost kills her. However, Chelsea reveals herself to be a mermaid, saves Ruby, and helps her escape.

The next day, Ruby tries to go back to her normal life, but footage of her in her kraken form becomes viral. She ditches school with Chelsea, who tells her that her mother, the evil mermaid Queen Nerissa, was supposedly killed trying to get the Trident back. She asks Ruby to get it to help unite the krakens and mermaids, so Ruby trains with her grandmother to be powerful enough to get it.

On prom night, Ruby goes to tell her mother about Chelsea. Disappointed that Ruby made friends with a mermaid, Agatha forbids her from seeing her grandmother again. Ruby runs away to grab the trident for Chelsea. However, when she is able to retrieve it, Chelsea reveals that she actually is Nerissa, revealing that she escaped her imprisonment to find a kraken to manipulate into fetching her the Trident. As she starts growing into a monstrous size, she traps Ruby under some rubble before going to destroy the town. Agatha and Grandmamah try to fight her off while Brill finds a wounded and upset Ruby trapped. After he gives her some words of encouragement, she goes to the surface to stop Nerissa. As Nerissa overpowers Agatha and Grandmamah, Ruby rises to challenge her. During the fight, Ruby saves her friends and Connor on the prom boat, impressing him in the process.

Nerissa gains the upper hand, but not before Ruby disarms her, realising that the trident can be destroyed with enough power. The trio use their laser eyes to destroy it together, defeating Nerissa and shrinking her back to her normal size where she is captured by Gordon. Ruby reconciles with her friends and asks Connor out to prom, to which he accepts. Some time later, everyone goes back to their normal lives with Ruby and Connor becoming a couple as she becomes the protector of Oceanside.

Voice cast

  • Lana Condor as Ruby Gillman, a teenage kraken girl desperate to fit in during her freshman year at Oceanside High.[7] She is described by the film's producer Kelly Cooney as "a really normal teenager".[8]
  • Toni Collette as Agatha Gillman,[9] Ruby's overprotective real estate agent mother.[7]
  • Annie Murphy as Queen Nerissa/"Chelsea Van Der Zee", the evil queen of the mermaids with a vendetta against the Gillman family who poses as the snobbish, popular new girl at Oceanside High.[9]
  • Colman Domingo as Arthur Gillman,[9] Ruby's supportive father.[7]
  • Jane Fonda as Grandmamah,[9] the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, Ruby's maternal grandmother.[7]
  • Sam Richardson as Brill,[9] Ruby's enthusiastic maternal uncle.[7]
  • Will Forte as Captain Gordon Lighthouse, a crazy old sailor in Oceanside who works as a tour guide.[7]
  • Jaboukie Young-White as Connor, Ruby's skater-boy crush.[7]
  • Liza Koshy as Margot,[9] a dramatic girl and Ruby's best friend.[7]
  • Blue Chapman as Sam Gillman, a second-grade student and Ruby's energetic and loyal younger brother.[7]
  • Eduardo Franco as Trevin, a gamer and one of Ruby's friends.[7]
  • Ramona Young as Bliss, a goth girl and one of Ruby's friends.[7]

Additionally, Echo Kellum and Nicole Byer respectively voice Doug and Janice.[7] YouTubers Preston and Bri Arsement portray a home buyer and a tourist respectively. Film critic Juju Green voices a gym teacher. Sound designer Randy Thom voices a confetti cannon. Atticus Shaindlin voices Topher. Suzanne Buirgy voices Carol.[10]

Assorted students are voiced by Sydney Bell, Ricardo Hurtado, Qalil Ishmail, Merk Nguyen, Caleb Pierce, and Tiffany Wu.

Production

In June 2021, TheGWW reported that a film originally titled Meet the Gillmans was in production at DreamWorks Animation, with casting taking place and an expected release year of 2022. Former SpongeBob SquarePants showrunner Paul Tibbitt was announced as the director, with Pam Brady confirmed to write the film. Lana Condor, Laura Dern, and Michael Sheen were circled for the roles of Ruby, her mother, and father, respectively, while Annie Murphy was attached to play the role of Clarica. Chris Kuser and Christi Soper were set to serve as executive producers.[11] Production was also expected to start in 2022.[12]

On March 14, 2023, the cast and crew were announced via Universal Pictures Ireland's website. Along with Condor and Murphy's roles confirmed, other 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 (replacing Tibbitt), Faryn Pearl, and Kelly Cooney Cilella were revealed as the director, co-director, and producer, respectively. DreamWorks Animation also announced its official title as Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.[7] The cast, crew, and official title were publicly announced two days later.[13] Following the release of the film's second trailer in May 2023, longtime DreamWorks director Mike Mitchell was revealed to have served as executive producer.[14]

According to Animation Magazine, Cilella stated that the film has been in the works for several years. It was first pitched to DreamWorks about a family of sea monsters that were moved to the land and are hiding in plain sight. She stated: "Our heroine is such a lovable character and I’m so excited for audiences to meet her and fall in love with her the way we have because she starts the movie as a quirky, slightly insecure but bighearted character, but she’s harboring a secret that she can't tell her friends. But ultimately the Kraken is awakened inside her and there’s no hiding this. She learns that her destiny is so much more than being an average high school teenager, and she’s destined to be the next big protector of the seas. Her journey is self-discovery and embracing that side of her that had been dormant for so long, and for her to become a fully actualized character was such an exciting story for me to tell on such a grand scale." DeMicco stated that he cited John Hughes films, Easy A (2010), Lady Bird (2017) and Booksmart (2019) as his inspirations. Pierre-Olivier Vincent serves as the production designer, taking inspiration for the main character from the body of an octopus and bringing the "curviness to all the design language of the film", from the cars to the underwater world.[15]

The film was dedicated to Nick Levenduski, who died before the film was released.

Music

Further information: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (soundtrack)

Stephanie Economou was confirmed to score the film by the first trailer's release on March 16, 2023.[13][16] British singer-songwriter Mimi Webb performed the original song "This Moment", released on June 23 as a single, a week before the film's release.[17] The soundtrack album was released on June 30, 2023, the same day as the theatrical release, in addition to the original song "Rise" performed by Freya Ridings, which plays during the end credits.[18]

Release

Theatrical

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken debuted at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 15, 2023,[19] and was theatrically released in the United States on June 30.[15] The film was screened early on June 19, 2023, at various Regal Cinemas theaters as part of the chain's "Monday Mystery Movie" promotion.[20]

In December 2022, Deputy Manager Director of Universal Pictures International Italy Massimo Proietti revealed that the film would be released in mid-2023.[21] On March 16, 2023, following the release of the first official trailer, it was revealed that the film would be released on June 30, 2023, taking over the original release date of Illumination's Migration.[15]

Home media

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was released on Digital HD on July 18, 2023, 18 days after its theatrical release. It is scheduled to be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 26, 2023.[22]

As part of their 18-month deal with Netflix, the film will stream on Peacock for the first four months of the pay-TV window, then will move to Netflix for the next ten, and then will return to Peacock for the remaining four.[23][24]

Reception

Box office

As of August 8, 2023, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken has grossed $15.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $26 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $41.7 million.[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was released alongside Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and was projected to gross $4–8 million from 3,400 theatres in its opening weekend.[2][25] The film made $2.3 million on its first day, including $725,000 from Thursday night previews.[26] The film debuted with $5.5 million, becoming DreamWorks Animation's lowest-grossing opening weekend of any of their feature films to date. The film's sixth place finish also made it the studio's lowest-ranking three-day opening weekend, tying Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas from 2003. Several publications, including TheWrap, /Film, and Variety, attributed the reasons for its low opening to the film's limited three-month marketing, the trailers, and competition from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental.[27][28][29]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 66% of 88 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is littered with too much flotsam and jetsam from better animated features to stand as a true original, but its inherent sweetness and lively style make for likable enough family entertainment."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 68% of filmgoers gave it a positive score.[26]

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."[32]

References

  1. ^ "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 27, 2023). "'Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny' To Whip Up $140M+ Global Opening – Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Grobar, Matt (March 16, 2023). "New DreamWorks Film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Casts Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Colman Domingo, Annie Murphy & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  6. ^ Scott, Ryan (August 7, 2023). "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Is On Track To Become DreamWorks Animation's Biggest Flop Ever". /Film. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lang, Jamie (March 14, 2023). "First Details Revealed For New DreamWorks Film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (June 12, 2023). "Breaking Baz: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Is A Superhero, A Princess & A First For DreamWorks Animation – "The Story Really Is Hers"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) Cast and Crew - Cast Photos and Info". Fandango. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) - IMDb, retrieved July 10, 2023
  11. ^ Pennington, AJ (June 16, 2021). "EXCLUSIVE: Dreamworks Animation Sets Meet The Gillmans For 2022". TheGWW.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Campbell, Jacob (June 16, 2021). "DreamWorks Eyeing Laura Dern & Lana Condor For Meet The Gillmans". Full Circle Cinema. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (March 16, 2023). "DreamWorks Movie Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Casts Lana Condor, Toni Collette". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Laurén, Alexa (May 24, 2023). "New Trailer Drops for Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Zahed, Ramin (March 16, 2023). "Trailer Premiere: Director Kirk DeMicco and Producer Kelly Cooney Cilella Give Us the Scoop on DreamWorks' Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "Stephanie Economou Scoring DreamWorks Animation's Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Film Music Reporter. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  17. ^ "Mimi Webb's Original Song 'This Moment' from 'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken' Released". FilmMusicReporter. June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken' Soundtrack Album Details". FilmMusicReporter. June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  19. ^ Zahed, Ramin (April 20, 2023). "DreamWorks to Bring Ruby Gillman Premiere, Trolls 3 and Puss in Boots 2 to Annecy". Animation Magazine. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (MMM)". Regal Cinemas. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  21. ^ "Massimo Proietti: «Sono necessarie idee dirompenti»" [Massimo Proietti: 'Disruptive ideas are needed']. e-duesse.it (in Italian). December 12, 2022. Archived from the original on December 17, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  22. ^ "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken DVD Release Date". DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved July 18, 2023. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken [...] available on Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes on July 18, 2023.
  23. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  24. ^ Moon, Mariella (July 14, 2021). "Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US". Engadget. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  25. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (June 27, 2023). "'Indiana Jones 5' Won't Reverse Disney's Recent Box Office Woes". TheWrap. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  26. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 30, 2023). "'Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny' Still Eyeing $60M-$65M Opening Weekend, Possible $85M 5-day – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 1, 2023. Universal/DreamWorks Animation's Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken isn't wowing as expected with a $2.5M Friday (including Thursday previews of $725K) and $6M Friday-Sunday take outside the top five.
  27. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (July 2, 2023). "'Indiana Jones 5' Dials Down to $60 Million Box Office Opening". TheWrap. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (July 2, 2023). "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Drowns At The Box Office With $6 Million Opening Weekend". /Film. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  29. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 2, 2023). "Box Office: 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Stumbles With $60 Million Debut, 'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken' Flops". Variety. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  30. ^ "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  31. ^ "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  32. ^ Peter Debruge (June 15, 2023). "'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken' Review: DreamWorks Wrestles With How to Train Its Kraken Concept". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
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