Jun 30, 2023

-Ruby Gillman-Reviews Roundup: A sharp-looking adulthood story, perhaps too familiar.

Dreamworks is riding high after the success of last year's bad guys and Puss in boots: The Last Wish. The studio expects similar results to the latest film "Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken".

The film is an adult story about a nasty 16-year-old who wants to fit into Oceanside heights. There, she tutors the skater boy crush, but she hardly seems to recognize her. At home, she has to deal with an overprotective mother, who forbids rubies from entering the water. Ruby learns that when a teenager does not obey what she does, she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken Queens and will one day inherit the throne from her incredibly powerful grandmother.

Kraken, unlike their historical reputation suggests, are in fact the guardians of the sea and are constantly faced with power-hungry mermaids trying to swap them at the very top of the sea hierarchy. Imagine Ruby's disappointment when she found out that Chelsea, the most popular girl in school, is actually a mermaid.

Ruby Gillman's review isn't bad, but it doesn't approach the high bar set in last year's Dreamworks release. Most reviews give the film the equivalent of a 3-star rating and compare it to 2 recent Pixar films, Luca and Turning Red, which are very similar in narrative terms. Again, it is setting a very high bar that Ruby could not reach.

Here's what the review says about Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken.

Of the reviews we read, Ellen E Jones of The Guardian best summed up the critical consensus and wrote:

Pixar's Turning Red certainly had a prettier metaphor for adolescent metamorphosis, but instead of originality, the film boasts an engaging tactile animation – Gilmans' slimy seaweed breakfast looks good enough to eat – and an excellent vocal cast.

Indiewire's Kate Erbland was keen on Ruby Gillman's heart, but expressed a desire to want a little more in execution:

This may all seem familiar, but it's both a consolation and a disappointment. Kids always need an elegant story about the power of being themselves in a world that isn't necessarily built to accept differences (of all sizes, of all kinds), and stories like Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, can do it with leeway. But why don't get more flashy, why don't take more risks, why don't get bigger and weird, when it is also the very narrative purpose you're saying - audiences of all ages deserve those leaps, the more huge and the better.

In her review of The Washington Post, Kristen Page-Kirby lamented the lack of originality of the film's narrative, but still says she enjoyed the film:

Overall, Ruby Gillman is not so similar to last year's Turning Red, in that it is a story of a girl who comes to terms with her family and personal history, told through a charming, loving, shape-changing protagonist. It won't break new ground and soar to great heights, but it's a perfectly great way to pass the time. And sometimes it's just what you need.

Alonso Duralde's review of the film review was one of the most distressing things we've seen, ranking far behind Dreamworks' latest Pixar predecessor.1

No wonder the American Writers Association is concerned about the threat of AI.The latest work from DreamWorks Animation, Ruby Gillman and Teenage Kraken feeds the screenplay for the recent Pixar title Luca, turning Red into Chat GPT and playing the result like an animated result. Unfortunately, this new adulthood story is not close to the depth or joy of its predecessors.

Finishing with positive notes, Nell MinowでRogerEbert.com

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a shy, academically talented young girl with a protective mother and devoted friend who transforms into a giant creature as a metaphor for adolescence Yes, it resembles a wonderful red, but this story has its own joys. One of the best family films of the year, Ruby Gilman, Teenage Kraken, has humor and heart, buoyant energy, witty and imaginative visuals, and never less