Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken review

RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN: 

LATEST DREAMWORKS FILM IS A FAMILIAR BUT CHARMING BEAST! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

The titular teenage kraken in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

 

            A young kraken disguises herself as a teenage girl in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, the latest animated feature from DreamWorks. The film is directed by Kirk DeMicco (Space Chimps, The Croods, Vivo) and written by South Park’s Pam Brady and heavily inspired by John Hughes films, Lady Bird, and Booksmart.

            When the trailers started coming out, people were criticizing it as a generic animated film with the same quality as a Boss Baby movie…I was one of the few people who actually thought it looked okay. Keep in mind, I didn’t think it looked like one of the gold standard DreamWorks films like the first two Shrek movies, the Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon trilogies, or even last year’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, but I was also optimistic about it and that perhaps the film’s charm will win me over despite a derivative plot. 

            That’s pretty much what happened, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a perfectly serviceable animated film for kids and families that doesn’t really excel at engaging storytelling, but the imaginative creature designs and world-building, likable characters, and heartfelt family moments keep it afloat (No pun intended). Honestly, I guess you could call this a repeat of my thoughts on Pixar’s Elemental where the movie is subpar compared to the studio’s other work, but the charm of the characters and creativity shine through. 

            The film follows Ruby Gillman (voiced by Lana Condor-X-Men: Apocalypse, To All the Boys franchise, Alita: Battle Angel), a shy freshman desperately trying to fit in at her new high school But when Ruby discovers she’s actually a descendant of the warrior kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her Grandmamah (voiced by Jane Fonda-9 to 5, Book Club 1 and 2, 80 for Brady), she learns that the kraken have been at war with power-hungry mermaids for eons. On top of that, the popular new girl she befriends Chelsea (voiced by Annie Murphy-Schitt’s Creek, Black Mirror, Praise Petey) happens to be a mermaid and is like if Ariel from The Little Mermaid had the personality of Regina George from Mean Girls. 

            Ruby will need to embrace what she truly is in order to protect those she loves from the wrath of the evil mermaids. 

            The film also features the voices of Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, Knives Out) as Ruby’s overprotective mother Agatha, Sam Richardson (Veep, Detroiters, The Afterparty) as Ruby’s enthusiastic uncle Brill, Colman Domingo (Lincoln, If Beale Street Could Talk, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) as Ruby’s supportive father Arthur, Will Forte (Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 1 and 2, MacGruber, Scoob!) as Captain Gordon Lighthouse, Jaboukie Young-White (Ralph Breaks the Internet, C’mon C’mon, Strange World) as Ruby’s skater-boy crush Connor, Liza Koshy (Liza on Demand, My Little Pony: A New Generation, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) as Margot, Eduardo Franco (Booksmart, Superintelligence, Y2K) as Trevin, and Ramona Young (Legends of Tomorrow, Blockers,Wendell & Wild) as Bliss. 

            Overall, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a fine animated film that doesn’t reach the success of other DreamWorks titles, but it has enough likability and imagination to make for a decent night with the family. Like Pixar’s Elemental, the plot is very derivative of other animated features and films in general and in this film’s case, Turning Red, Luca, Mean Girls, The Incredibles, and a little bit of The Incredible Hulk for good measure and because of that, the story is the weakest aspect of the film. 

            The film also skimps out on important plot points and details, specifically the reasoning behind Ruby’s mother’s decision to leave the kraken world and raise her family amongst the humans. To the point where I need to remind myself that she was once a mighty kraken warrior before she left because I don’t think the film ever explores that outside of a few mentions. 

            I’m not saying it needed a big exposition dump, but maybe a little more information about it told in a visually pleasing way. Even Elemental, for as derivative as that film is did this kind of thing better. 

            While the plot may be shallow, the characters are quite likable starting with the titular Teenage Kraken herself. I think Ruby Gillman is a very endearing protagonist who has this adorkable charm to her personality and despite being a kraken is also easily relatable as a high school student. 

            Whether it’s asking that special person to the prom or simply trying to fit in at school, make new friends, or if you’re simply a social outcast, Ruby’s reactions to high school drama feel very natural and something I think any teenager or anyone who ever went to high school can relate to in some shape or form. 

            Jane Fonda (literally) dominates as Grandmamah AKA the Queen of the Sea who teaches Ruby how to use her kraken powers. She even gives the best line in the movie when Ruby comments on how people love mermaids “Well of course they do, people are stupid!” which made seeing the trailer for this before Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid remake truly glorious. 

            Annie Murphy is a lot of fun as Chelsea the Mermaid who again, is pretty much Ariel if she had the personality of Regina George. Also, it’s just amusing to see an animated movie for kids where the sea monsters are the heroes, and the mermaids are the villains. 

            The heartfelt moments and family aspect of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is very strong and the emotional highlights of the film. I think the scenes where she’s interacting with her mother and grandmother are very heartwarming, I love how she’s part of a group of equally quirky friends, and the romance between her and Connor is quite sweet. 

            While the animation and character designs are pretty standard are on land, they truly come to life in the underwater world. I love the use of neon colors on the krakens’ forms, Grandmamah’s kingdom alone is a visual marvel, and all kinds of imaginative characters, it’s a good contrast to the semi-murky, all too familiar seaside town. 

            Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a mostly harmless DreamWorks film that has bursts of imagination and a lot of charm. Kids will probably love it and parents will likely appreciate elements of it, I’d say it’s worth checking out if you're curious and you've already seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Elemental.