Blu-ray Review: RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN

Home » Blu-ray Review: RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN

Sep 25, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Ruby Gilmore (Lana Condor) seems like your typical awkward high school junior. She enjoys hanging out with her friends, Margot (Liza Koshy), Bliss (Ramona Young) & Trevin (Eduardo Franco), arranging protests, and participating as a Mathlete. Ruby is always worried about blending in—which is made even more difficult due the fact that she is not actually human. She and her family are sea monsters—krakens to be exact. Agatha Gillman (Toni Collette)—a real estate agent—and husband Arthur (Colman Domingo)—who builds ships in a bottle on his YouTube channel—had moved to the small town of Oceanside to start a family and a new life. Agatha has always warned Ruby and her younger brother Sam (Blue Chapman) to never go in the ocean, saying that there are all kinds of creatures down there that want to harm krakens. This had managed to work, until now.

Prom is coming up, and Ruby wants to ask her crush Connor (Jaboukie Young-White) to the dance. The only problem is that the prom is being held on a ship in the middle of the water, and so there’s no way Ruby will be allowed to go. However, after Ruby accidentally falls into the ocean, she discovers that the water turns her into a giant kraken—her mother had been lying to her all her life! News of her transformation travels quickly and Ruby finds out that she not only has relatives she never knew existed—her Grandmamah (Jane Fonda), who’s queen and protector of the oceans, and her wild and crazy Uncle Brill (Sam Richardson)—but that she’s actually royalty. As Ruby explores the undersea world, she befriends a young mermaid named Chelsea Van Der Zee (Annie Murphy), and learns about the past that made her mother leave the ocean. But in the process she inadvertently reawakens a long-standing feud that could put both the sea creatures and the humans of Oceanside in danger. While Ruby may just want to be a normal teenager, she’s going to have to embrace and release her inner kraken if she has any chance of saving the creatures under the sea, and the humans of Oceanside.

One can’t help but see some similarities between DreamWorks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and Disney’s Turning Red. Both are female-centric coming-of-age stories about a girl struggling to fit in, only to discover that she has a secret that her mother has been keeping from her. And she must learn to embrace her differences in order to help save the world. That said, I enjoyed this movie so much more. Ruby Gillman goes on a fun and exciting journey to discover the confident hero she’s always had inside her.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is filled with so many rich characters and relationships. There’s an emotional story about family, forgiveness and self-acceptance at the core of the film, as we see the three generations of women come together, with Agatha realizing she’s repeating the exact same mistakes with Ruby that her own mother made with her. Meanwhile, Grandmamah tries to make amends and right some wrongs from the past.

In addition to the more heartfelt story, the film also has some action-packed moments, and lots of wacky humor—from witty dialogue and puns, to quirky characters, and some fun homages to horror tropes. The dialogue and situations had me laughing out loud quite a bit. There are also some hilarious side adventures for the Gillman men. Ruby’s transformation into a giant kraken didn’t go unnoticed. Sea Captain Gordon Lighthouse (Will Forte) has been telling people for years that he had been attacked by a kraken, and now he sees his chance to finally prove that he’s not crazy, by capturing the kraken. However, he doesn’t realize that the crew he hired—Arthur, Sam & Uncle Brill—are actually the creatures he is seeking, tying to foil his plans.

UPHE has only released Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken on Blu-ray & DVD, but it is also available in 4K via Digital. I was sent the Blu-ray for review. The picture quality is excellent, with an incredibly clean and clear picture throughout. The animation looks crisp and detailed. The colors are rich and beautiful, not only in the unique, and often murky, landscapes of Oceanside, but also in the bright, bioluminescent undersea world. These glowing pastel colors never bleed into one another or look over-exposed. I can’t imagine this film looking any better. The audio track provides clear dialogue and an excellent-sounding soundtrack and score. The stereo and surround channels are well-utilized to provide an immersive experience. This is particularly noticeable when Ruby first starts to transform and imagines the crowd all around her commenting on her appearance. The track also shines during the more action-packed moments.

The Blu-ray release includes both a Blu-ray and a DVD, placed on either side of a standard HD keepcase, which is covered by a glossy embossed cardboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the film, as well as a code to redeem for Universal Rewards points on the flip side. The bonus material is the same on both discs, consisting of a filmmaker commentary, 3 deleted scenes, over 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/filmmakers, and almost 25 minutes of instructional videos for film-related activates.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:31:12)

1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 5.1 Dolby Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 9/30/2024):

HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)
Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 9/30/2024)
Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of a dozen free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

Deleted Scenes (10:04)
Co-director Faryn Pearl provides an optional introduction to three deleted scenes cut from the final film. Scenes are presented in rough storyboard format with audio. Play All, or select from:
- Prologue (2:43)
  In this alternate version of the prologue, we flash forward to the film’s big epic prom night battle before jumping back to one week earlier.
- Walk to School (3:04)
  As Ruby and her friends walk to school, they stop into a market to free some sea creatures.
- Crab ‘N Skate (4:14)
  Ruby and Chelsea (in this version she’s called Marissa) go to a skate park/restaurant where Ruby asks Connor to prom. Afterwards, Ruby’s friends stop by, upset that she’s ghosted them.
Squad Solidarity: Adventures in ADR (3:02)
Footage of the cast running their lines and having fun in the recording booth. Includes Annie Murphy (“Chelsea Van Der Zee”), Lana Condor (“Ruby Gillman”), Liza Koshy (“Margot”), Colman Domingo (“Arthur Gillman”), Will Forte (“Gordon Lighthouse”), Toni Collette (“Agatha Gillman”), Jane Fonda (“Grandmamah”), Ramona Young (“Bliss”), and Eduardo Franco (“Trevin”).
The Kraken: Myth or Monster (3:32)
Stars Lana Condor & Annie Murphy narrate this animated look into some of the many stories of mythical sea beasts that have led to various kraken legends.
Meet the Gillman Cast (9:03)
The cast talk about their characters and what it was like working on the animated film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda, Colman Domingo, Sam Richardson (“Uncle Brill”), Annie Murphy, Jaboukie Young-White (“Connor”), Liza Koshy, Eduardo Franco, Ramona Young & Will Forte.
The Kraken Krew: Meet the Humans Behind the Gillmans (9:58)
The cast and filmmakers talk about working on the film, collaborating to create the characters, the origin of the movie, the character design, the visual styles of the two worlds, the town of Oceanside, and more. Includes concept artwork, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Kirk DeMicco, co-director Faryn Pearl, head of story Glenn Harmon, producer Kelly Cooney Cilella, production designer Pierre-Olivier Vincent, character look development supervisor Megan Lea Walker, head of character animation Carlos Fernandez Puertolas, VFX supervisor Dave Walvoord, head of cinematography/layout Jon Gutman, location modeling supervisor Emilie Austin, co-producer Rachel Zusser, film editor Michelle Mendenhall, and stars Lana Condor, Jane Fonda, Annie Murphy, Sam Richardson & Toni Collette.
Prom Stories (4:37)
The cast and crew share their own prom stories and prompposal ideas. Includes interviews with stars Lana Condor, Annie Murphy, Jane Fonda & Eduardo Franco, co-director Faryn Pearl, and head of story Glenn Harmon.
Super Sea Girl Besties (5:05)
The cast and crew discuss the creating the first DreamWorks film with a female titular character, the themes of the movie, the female presence behind-the-scenes, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Kelly Cooney Cilella, film editor Michelle Mendenhall, co-director Faryn Pearl, co-producer Rachel Zusser, head of lighting Joanna Wu, location modeling supervisor Emilie Austin, character look development supervisor Megan Lea Walker, and stars Annie Murphy, Toni Collette & Lana Condor.
Oceanside Drawing Guide (14:28)
Head of Story Glenn Harmon teaches viewers how to draw some of the characters from the film. Play All, or select from:
- Ruby Gillman (3:06)
- Kraken Ruby (3:08)
- Grandmamah (2:28)
- Chelsea Van Der Zee (2:03)
- Mermaid Chelsea (3:42)
Make Your Own Aquarium
Learn how to bring the undersea world into your own home with these two instructional videos. Select from:
- Krakenarium (7:47)
  Make your own kraken in a jar with this craft project.
- Well of Seas (2:49)
  Recreate the Well of Seas, the source of all the ocean’s power, with this science project.
Feature Commentary (1:31:12)
The filmmakers provide a fun and lively commentary throughout the film, sharing lots of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, talking about how things evolved over the course of making the film, and more. Participants include producer Kelly Cooney Cilella, director Kirk DeMicco, co-director Faryn Pearl, head of cinematography/layout Jon Gutman, and head of character animation Carlos Fernandez Puertolas.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a fun addition to the Dreamwork family. It has a female-centric story, but it’s one that’s filled with heart and humor, and still feels very universal. The film features a stellar voice cast, beautiful animation, and is highly re-watchable—I enjoyed it just as much, and noticed new things to enjoy, this second time around. Universal’s Blu-ray presentation looks and sounds great, and includes hours of entertaining bonus material. The release is an easy recommendation for Dreamworks or animation fans, and especially for families with daughters.