Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 2023

It's a shame because the voice talent is pretty serviceable. The animation above the tolerable line. But the writing and art design were just awful. The first thing I noticed was that for a movie about a human girl who finds out she's a Kraken I'm confused why this was ever a mystery. She looks like a sea creature. Which could have been "a choice" if everyone looked crazy but they don't. It's an odd style and one I don't like but everyone else looks very distinctively human.

It's not clear what Ruby sees in herself. At one point she mentions they're hiding from monsters. Is that just an angry rant or was there something serious behind it? She mentions hiding her gills but she never goes in the water why does she think she has gills? Why does she have tentacle hair? Why is she blue so very very obviously blue when everyone else is skin-toned. There's a degree to which she moves like a squid but that might be just cartoonish embellishment.

Eventually when you get over this and try to understand the story. Very quickly you realize this feels like an Asylum version of Turning Red. A young girl turns into a giant monster that only females in their family turn into something that she wasn't told about or warned about and happens right about the age some girls in real life get their period. Oh but this monster is Blue so... suck it. Unfortunately where as Turning Red really leans into the metaphor and focuses on the character maturing and growing while being seen as an agent in her own life. RGTK decides well in that movie there wasn't really a bad guy so we should have a bad guy. The problem with inserting a bad guy into this story is that you don't have enough room for one.

The story has three musical montage breakdowns and rather than feeling magical or interesting they just feel like oh they didn't want to write anything they just wanted to skip over this part and move to the next.

The real problem is the missed opportunity to make this something less traditional. Rather than making it a coming of age young girl movie but now with a boring generic bad guy. Why not make this Turning Red but mean girls. Heck ALL the ingredients are there. Ruby could have been a new student running from monsters. or crazy theory flip the dynamic. Ruby is the townie and the mermaid is the new girl but still have Ruby be Katy. Rather than the story of a new girl who invades the popular clique. It's the story of a new girl who forms a popular clique with the outsider girl. You lose a lot of "Regina has been bullying me since 2nd grade" stuff but whatever MG already did that. That could have been interesting. Enough to make this movie stand on it's own. I mean they even have a boy toy love interest setup. The boy Ruby likes that the mermaid gets credit for saving while looking beautiful. They start a friendship over being sea creatures. I mean it's just sitting there on the storyboards. It just needed someone to actually write it. Instead we have something that is as empty and lame as it's animation style. Congrats on making curly hair look good and literally nothing else.

Edit: Also the Gilmore Girls was sitting right there. Rudy, her mom and her grandmother the queen. I mean it's RIGHT. THERE.

"Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" emerges as a production clearly aimed at a children's audience, leaving little room for adults to find pleasure in watching it. The film enters a realm where the character design seems to be stuck in a bygone era, reminiscent of the lazy designs seen in the 1990s. The feeling that the characters are moulded from plasticine is unavoidable, adding a layer of artificiality that makes it difficult to immerse oneself in the story.

The film's plot unfolds in a predictable and dull manner, offering few surprises or moments of real excitement. The lack of unexpected twists or meaningful conflict contributes to a sense of monotony that may cause even younger viewers to quickly lose interest.

In addition, "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken" faces criticism for its portrayal of male characters. They seem relegated to comic supporting roles with no real weight in the plot, resulting in a sense of invisibility and lack of depth. This lack of balance in gender representation can alienate certain viewers and contribute to a sense of disconnection from the story.

Personally, I find it a step backwards for Dreamworks, which has been known for animated productions that have captured the imagination of audiences of all ages. The film fails to meet the standards of quality and originality expected of the studio, and its overly child-oriented approach may limit its appeal and reach.