Finding animated gems littered all over Netflix’s top ten charts from all around the world is nothing new. While some of us regularly indulge our inner children with repeated comfort viewing, some station their toddlers in front of the colourful moving pictures in lieu of having actual childcare sometimes. No judgment on parents who are doing the heroic task of raising future generations without the help of the proverbial villages around them. But this means we have a brand-new breakthrough animated film storming the Netflix charts globally.
This lively animated action comedy from 2023 might have flown under the radar upon its initial release, but it’s making big waves on Netflix globally, storming the screens with its blend of humour, heart, and, of course, a boatload of krakens and mermaids.
Directed by Kirk DeMicco, with Faryn Pearl co-directing in her debut, and a witty script penned by Pam Brady alongside the dynamic duo of Brian C Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken boasts a star-studded voice cast as well. It features Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Colman Domingo, and Jane Fonda, among others. With such talent lending their voices, it’s no wonder this film has become a sensation, racking up 9.8 million hours viewed in just one week on Netflix and garnering 6.5 million individual views.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken follows sweet and awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (voiced by the delightful Lana Condor), who just wants to fit in at Oceanside High. However, her dreams of teenage normalcy are dashed by her overprotective mom (Toni Collette), who forbids her from venturing onto the nearby beach, let alone the ocean.
When Ruby defies her mother’s orders, she uncovers a deep-sea secret: she’s a descendant of fierce Kraken queens. And she is destined to inherit the throne from her grandmother and protect the oceans from power-hungry mermaids. As Jane Fonda lends her voice to Grandmamah, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, the Schitt’s Creek and Kevin Can Go F**k Himself star Annie Murphy dishes out her vendetta against the Gillman family as Queen Nerissa, the evil queen of the mermaids.
The film, inspired by coming-of-age classics like Easy A and Lady Bird, delivers a different take on the age-old battle between good and evil, set against a backdrop of underwater intrigue and teenage angst. With a musical score by Stephanie Economou and original songs by British artists Mimi Webb and Freya Ridings, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken creates an immersive world where laughter and adventure go hand in hand.
Despite its lukewarm reception at the box office upon its initial release, this undersea adventure has found new life on the streaming platform. You can watch Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken on Netflix and catch the trailer here:
