Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Theatrical release poster

***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 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. 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 received mixed reviews from critics, praising the characters and animation but criticising the plot and marketing leading up to it. It is currently a commercial failure, grossing $26.7 million against its $70 million budget. Despite the weak turnout, it has garnered a strong positive reception from audiences.

## 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. During the fight, Ruby saves her friends and Connor on the prom boat, impressing him in the process.

Realizing that the trident can be destroyed with enough power, Ruby, Agatha, and Grandmamah use their laser eyes to destroy the trident 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 shy freshwoman who is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High despite being a kraken. She is described by the film's producer Kelly Cooney as "a really normal teenager".
* Toni Collette as Agatha Gillman, Ruby and Sam's overprotective mother, Grandmamah's daughter, Brill’s older sister, and Arthur's wife who works as a real estate agent and does not want her daughter to go to the sea with her would-be friends.
* Annie Murphy as Queen Nerissa "Chelsea Van Der Zee", a red-haired snobbish Canadian-accented mermaid-turned-human who is the popular new girl at Oceanside High, and secretly the evil queen of the mermaids with a vendetta against the Gillman family.
* Colman Domingo as Arthur Gillman, Brill's brother-in-law, Ruby and Sam's supportive father and Agatha's husband.
* Jane Fonda as Grandmamah, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas who is Ruby and Sam's grandmother and Agatha's mother.
* Sam Richardson as Brill, Agatha's little brother, Grandmamah's son, Ruby and Sam's enthusiastic uncle, and Arthur's brother-in-law.
* Will Forte as Captain Gordon Lighthouse, a crazy old sailor in Oceanside who works as a tour guide.
* Jaboukie Young-White as Connor, Ruby's skater-boy crush who only seems to admire her for her math skills, though he becomes genuinely interested in her.
* Liza Koshy as Margot, a dramatic girl and Ruby's best friend.
* Blue Chapman as Sam Gillman, a second-grade student and Ruby's energetic and loyal younger brother.
* Eduardo Franco as Trevin, a gamer and one of Ruby's friends.
* Ramona Young as Bliss, a goth girl and one of Ruby's friends.

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

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