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Dreamwork is on quite the winning streak after the surprise hit of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at the end of last year and while Ruby Gillman doesn’t quite reach that high, it’s still pretty fun. In many ways it feels a lot like one of their classic pictures, focusing on subverting a fairy tale while also making fun of Disney (something I am all for considering their subpar remakes and streaming shows) but combines them with a modern sense of flair keeps the movie fun and relatable for younger audiences.
It has slices of recent hits like The Mitchells vs The Machines and Turning Red but it does attempt to be its own beast with a good coming-of-age story about friendship, family, and being stuck between worlds. It’s held back a little simpler but not doing much new with the genre which may be a turn-off for older audiences, but I found that the high animation and snappy writing were able to keep it fresh and above water.
My Life As A Teenage Kraken
Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor), is a teenage Kraken, who along with her family lives in a seaside town, pretending to be human. she’s forbidden by her mother Agatha (Toni Collette) from ever going into the water or attending any school functions near the water, including the upcoming high school prom which she wants to ask a boy named Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) to.
When said boy falls into the ocean Ruby jumps in to save them and turns into a kaiju-sized Giant Kraken, and if that’s not enough a new popular girl named Chelsea (Annie Murphy) saves her crush and turns out to be a mermaid, the mortal enemies of the Krakens who they claim are pure evil. From here, Ruby has to learn of the secrets of her heritage hidden by her mother, balance her high school life and deal with the elusive new Mermaid who seems friendly enough but her family claims is a danger to everyone.
Under The Sea
If that description sounds a bit cliched, that’s because it really is. Ruby Gillman’s biggest fault is that outside of turning into a kaiju Kraken, there’s not much new with the movie that hasn’t been done in a number of other high school comedies. That being said, being done before doesn’t mean it’s bad thanks to the movie’s solid pacing and writing.
The movie has a very 90s Nickelodeon cartoon feels to it, with an expressive art style mixed with lighthearted family comedy, action, and drama but with a modern sense of storytelling. It deals with a lot of the same coming-of-age conflicts as the aforementioned Mitchells vs The Machines and especially Rurning Red, with the emphasis on Ruby’s relationship with her mother, feeling unable to trust her following the reveal of her Giant Kraken heritage.
What makes it more unique, is while the movie’s monster transformation can be seen as a puberty metaphor, it’s not the main dilemma of the movie as Ruby is quickly able to control her newfound powers. Instead Ruby struggles with being the child of two worlds.
The conflict centers around her learning about her hidden Kraken heritage and their history with the mermaids, but as she further investigates she also learns that things aren’t so clear cut and certain parts of Kraken society make be best left behind. I feel like it’s a story that’s relatable to a lot of mixed-race people of kids born into the minority diaspora, feeling alienated from the people around them (she’s a literal fish out of water) while also being out of touch with their original culture. While the movie doesn’t delve too deep into it, it’s still there and gives the movie a bit more nuance beyond the comedy.
Meet Ruby Gillman
Despite being blue and having no bones, Ruby excels as a main character, encapsulating the awkwardness and insecurity of a teenage girl. Her voice actress Lana Condor does a good job of giving her a range of emotions and displaying both her sense of bravery at confronting the various sea creatures in her and her child-like nativity. Nothing too special when it comes to awkward teenage characters but likable enough to route for her throughout the film.
The rest of the cast is much the same, somewhat standard for the genre but does well in the roles with the highlight going to Ruby’s mother Agatha who’s caring and protective but with some great comedic and action timing. You can hear through Toni Collette’s acting just how much she’s trying to keep her family together while still respecting Ruby’s independence. Her dad, brother, and uncle also make for some pretty good comic relief, getting into some funny slapstick alongside this classic Captain Ahab-style sailor (Will Forte) that’s trying to hunt Ruby for being a giant Kraken.
The one character I’m mixed on is surprisingly the mermaid Chelsea. This character was plastered all over the marketing and while she is an important character, her rivalry and friendship with Ruby are not the focus of the film which spends more time centered around Ruby’s family drama as opposed to a Kraken vs mermaid conflict like the marketing implied, although it does lead to a great fight scene by the end of the movie. She still steals the show in a lot of her scenes bringing the eccentric energy to Ruby’s straight-man routine but it would have been nice to see their relationship more fleshed out.
[Minor Spoilers] With that being said, one thing I like about her is that, unlike a lot of female antagonists with attractive designs, Chelsea is a straight-up villain, with no redemption arcs whatsoever. She does admittedly fall into the annoying twist villain trope that modern Disney likes but you can kind of tell from the beginning she’s up to no good. Other than that she’s manipulative and fierce while still also being fun and lively, very much in the style of classic Disney villains. Another win for Dreamworks in the villainy department.
Great Animation
In terms of animation Ruby Gillman likewise follows the trends, using a similar animated style to that of recent Sony Pictures and Puss in Boots movies with the use of pop art alongside more fluid and off-model animation. It looks great and works well with a main character that doesn’t actually have any bones allowing Ruby to move in a number of expressive ways, not to mention she is cute as a button with her squishy blue face.
The character and environment design in general are gorgeous, very much feeling like a 3D version of classic 90s cartoons like Rugrats or Hey Arnold. The seaside town is decorated in eye-catching Ocean decor and the characters have wide exaggerated faces and body proportions that help them all stand out. I especially like Ruby’s friend Trevin, a scene gamer kid with those long emo bangs that cover his eyes, it’s been ages since I’ve seen a character that looks like that.
The Teenage Kraken
Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken, is a great example of not rocking the boat but keeping it shipshape. The movie is very reminiscent of 90s sitcom cartoons but does so with a modern flair that keeps it feeling both nostalgic and fresh. I liked Ruby as a protagonist, she’s relatable, and her struggle with confronting her mother and wider Kraken bloodline is a fun concept further bolstered by putting her against a fun villain (even if I would have liked her to get a bit more development).
The action and animation work well to create a likable world and cast that are expressive and fun to watch in motion from the acting scenes to the slapstick skits. Overall Ruby Gillman is a classic summer family movie, it’s not going to move you but it left me in a good mood and sometimes that’s all a movie needs to do.
The Review
Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken
PROS
- Plot is lighthearted and manages to remain fresh
- Highly expressive animation and character design
- The Main character is likable and relatable
CONS
- The plot is a simple sitcom that doesn't do much new
- It would have been cool to see more of the villain
