disclosure: I was invited to a special screening of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.
Are you the proud parent of an angsty-t(w)een? If so, this may be the movie you need to see this summer. Summer movies are always fun and something my teenager and I look forward to every year. We happily settled in to a Saturday morning screening with popcorn and a slushie(summer breakfast of champions), ready to experience a different under the sea adventure.
DreamWorks Animation dives into the turbulent waters of high school with a hilarious, heartfelt action comedy about a shy teenager who discovers that she’s part of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever dreamed. Get ready to meet Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken!
RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN – In Theaters June 30
Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | #TeenageKrakenMovie
Set in a present day seaside town, Ruby Gillman(Lana Condor) is a teenage kraken pretending to be a human. Ruby’s family seems like the normal, modern day family: over-protective mom, Agatha(Toni Collette), is a high powered realtor; her dad, Arthur(Colman Domingo), makes ships in a bottle for a hobby; her younger brother, Sam(Blue Chapman, is the quintessential little brother. Ruby’s life is far from perfect. No one finds it odd her family is blue. Her over protective mom has forbid them from going anywhere near the ocean. If something happens to raise a suspicion, they claim to be from Canada.
Between being a kraken-in-hiding and having a super over-protective mom, Ruby struggles to fit in. She has a close group of friends, but would like to hang with the cool kids, too. Her struggles become more intense when she breaks her mom’s number one rule. This of course sets off a chain-reaction of events that lead her to learning who to trust and finding out what being a hero really means.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is perfect to see with your angsty t(w)eens because it shows how both sides (parents and teens) are feeling. Those times in high school where a teen could feel anxious, alone or the odd one out are highlighted, while also showing how a parent can feel disrespected when a teen does not agree with parental decisions or rules. No one is perfect, parents or kids, and sometimes a gentle reminder is helpful.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a beautiful movie, visually. There are so many colors and the bioluminescence gives it all the summer feels. The movie runs at just about 90 minutes, which keeps it perfect for short attention spans. The movie is centered around high school kids at prom time, so expect romantic relationship innuendos, but nothing too strong or overpowering.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a summer movie without fun music. The soundtrack to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken releases with the movie, but you can listen to the first song here. Back Lot Music has released “This Moment” by Mimi Webb.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken stars an extraordinary cast that includes Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson, Liza Koshy, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Jaboukie Young-White, Blue Chapman, Eduardo Franco, Ramona Young, Echo Kellum, Nicole Byer and Jane Fonda.
Want to add extra fun to your movie experience? Be sure to download this Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken activity book! With 12 pages of fun activities, you can keep the fun going at home after the movie.
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A Disney blooded, crafty, fun-lovin’ wife/mom/organizer/planner, etc who is obsessed with all things Disney 🙂 Maria grew up with the Magic Kingdom and has loved watching WDW evolve into what it is today. A firm believer in the Power of Pixie Dust, she is the owner of The Disney Driven Life – A Community for Neurotic Disney People & a d.i.y. crafty blog, Carousel of Projects – create~inspire~share.
