Film Review: RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN (2023): A Cute, Fun Animated Movie That Will Be a Pleasant Summer Treat for Audiences

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Review

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl, written by Pam Brady, Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi and starring Lana Condor, Jane Fonda, Toni Collette, Colman Domingo, Blue Chapman, Will Forte, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Eduardo Franco, Jaboukie Young-White, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Nicole Byer, Echo Kellum, Brianna Page Arsement, Juju Green and Jordan Matter.

A good time is to be had while watching directors Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl’s wildly funny and touching new animated movie, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. The film revolves around a teenage kraken named–that’s right– Ruby Gillman (voice of Lana Condor), an awkward blue teenager living life as a regular girl and attending a local high school where she has a trio of close friends who she adores spending time with. Ruby has the desire to attend the prom with a nice guy who she tutors in math named Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) but she’s too shy to ask him out. Ruby’s mom, Agatha (the terrific Toni Collette), sells real estate for a living and wants what’s best for her daughter who is not actually aware she’s a teenage kraken which complicates matters for the film’s story line.

As a local sailor is looking to capture any kraken he may find, Agatha is very protective of her daughter Ruby. However, when Ruby saves Connor’s life by jumping into the water, she learns that she is actually a kraken and she accidentally destroys a local library which puts townsfolk in search of the kraken which is supposedly a sea monster that must be stopped. These krakens are actually good, though, and do not want to hurt anybody. Agatha just wants to give Ruby a better life above the water. Ruby proceeds to rebel against her mom with her newfound knowledge of being a kraken.

In the interim, a popular girl at school with long hair named Chelsea Van Der Zee (voiced by Annie Murphy), gets the credit for saving Connor. Chelsea is secretly a mermaid who needs Ruby’s help to make things more peaceful for krakens and mermaids to co-exist together. Chelsea may not be as honorable as she makes herself out to be, however. Chelsea and Ruby become friends but there may be more to Chelsea’s wishes than simply making peace with krakens.

Jane Fonda expertly does the voice of Ruby’s “Grandmamah” who tries to make Ruby take her place as a kraken under the water rather than above it. However, Ruby wants to go to prom with Connor and live a normal life. Ruby becomes torn between the wishes of “Grandmamah,” her mom Agatha, and Chelsea as Ruby tries to figure out the right way to live her life. Ruby is embarrassed by the secret that she is a kraken at first but will eventually learn to embrace who she really is.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is really sweet in nature and is easy to admire. It’s fun to be entertained by the story as characters compete for Ruby’s attention. Ruby is well-written as a teenager who sneaks out to try to find her true calling by going under the sea and associating with those who may make her understand what she should be doing with her life. The film ends with the prom happening on a boat and Ruby and her kraken family must take on a secret evil character who threatens to end their existence. This scenario plays out in a crowd-pleasing and emotionally satisfying way.

Lana Condor is a perfect Ruby. Condor adds charm to Ruby which makes her one of the most likable animated characters of the year. Collette voices the concerned mom very nicely but Jane Fonda absolutely runs away with the film’s most juicy role. As the green kraken who seems larger-than-life, “Grandmamah,” trains Ruby to use her powers for good, audiences will be pleasantly surprised at how nicely all the material on screen plays out. It helps that the animation is colorful and the music and dialogue has a lot of personality behind it.

There are some flaws here. The film’s brief running time and slight plot suggest that this material was pretty thin at the start. Luckily, the voice talent creates their characters in such a way that the movie feels like the plot has more substance than it probably does in actuality. These are small flaws though and don’t lessen the quality of the picture as a whole too much. Ruby will actually be pretty relatable to children who see this new animated movie.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is pleasant entertainment for those who have already seen the superior Elemental. Jane Fonda never fails to amaze when she plays a part and her role here is one of the most memorable supporting characters at animated movies this year. This is a film that could improve over time thanks to its showy visuals which could stand the test of time and ultimately make this a kid-friendly favorite for family audiences.

Rating: 7.5/10

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