Ruby the Teenage Kraken: A Big New Adventure Animated by the Creator of The Croods

Recommended from 6 years

once : 15-year-old Ruby Gilman is as clumsy as she is cute. He is desperately trying to find his place at Oceanside High School, where he feels completely transparent. She gives math lessons to a young skater with whom she is secretly in love.

His overprotective mother strictly forbade him to swim in the ocean. But the day she disobeys him and breaks this golden rule, she discovers that she is a direct descendant of the Kraken’s line of warrior queens, and that she is destined to ascend the throne previously held by her great mother: the Warrior Queen. seven seas

Krakens are sworn to protect the world’s oceans from the greed and vanity of mermaids, their sworn enemies. Ruby’s only real problem is that she has to contend with Chelsea, the most popular freshman in high school, who just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will then have to come to terms with her fate and take it upon herself to protect those she loves most.

What they love: The latest version from DreamWorks Studios takes the famous fairy tale about the Little Mermaid and completely updates it. The beautiful mermaid – who bears an uncanny resemblance to Ariel in the 1989 animated version – is actually a monstrous creature, and the heroine is a teenage Kraken who lives hidden on Earth.

Feeling sick and in the midst of an existential crisis, Ruby wants only one thing: to go to prom with Connor at the end of the year. But the ball takes place on a boat and the mother forbids it near the ocean. Of course, the latter will not obey and will discover the secret of his origin.

Directed by Kirk DeMicco, to whom we owe The Croods, the film plays on mythological beliefs and the image of krakens, mermaids and other sea “monsters” that convince us that appearances are deceiving. With its twists and turns and many winks, the film will take the audience on a great adventure.

Pixar Studios’ Luke For sea creatures that live in the deep and red alert for transformation and aging, Ruby the Teenage Kraken uses myth to tell a universal story.

A worthy successor to Shrek

The new hero of DreamWorks studios is a worthy successor of the previous heroes of the studio: Ogre Shrek, Kung Fu Fan Panda or even a Viking friend with a dragon. Anti-heroes who manage to change their prejudices and take control of their lives.

Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation, said in a press release: “Ruby Gilman represents a new milestone in this tradition: a female, adolescent figure with unexpected and extraordinary powers.”

What might be bothering them: The scene in which the mermaid reveals her true colors (and which is clearly reminiscent of the one with Ursula at the end of The Little Mermaid) may frighten the youngest.

But above all, certain themes, such as the conflicted relationship with the mother at the beginning or the fear of rejection and betrayal, may disturb young viewers. However, the resolution will allow them to understand that communication and mutual support will solve many problems.

What will they keep inside: If the movie has mythological creatures as heroines, it still deals with the concerns of teenagers: body transformation, fear of others’ gaze, family relationships that become complicated when we don’t understand each other anymore or don’t say something. , illness and interrogation.

The feature film talks about the transition to adulthood and shows that it is normal to feel bad at some point, but it passes and allows us to move forward and build ourselves up.

A film about adolescence

During an interview with producer Kelly Cooney, he explained: “This film tells the story of how teenagers go through existential moments that allow them to mature and find their place in society.

We were inspired by our own teenage years. I was also a teenager who felt bad. So Ruby is a bit like me in that respect. Ruby is like all young girls. He needs to find his voice so he can truly express what he feels. I think every young girl can relate to him.”

Ruby will be able to become who she was meant to be, despite her worries. A young girl confident in herself, who knows her qualities and shortcomings and accepts them.

Ruby, the teenage Kraken It’s also a feminist film that speaks to children as much as adults and their parents. Among the Kraken, it is the women who are destined to become queens. They are heroic warriors who become huge, glowing and invincible, while the males are mere krakens, as Ruby’s uncle points out in the film.

A world that opposes people and their prom; “Pure product of the patriarchy,” as the adults in the film say, who only want one thing: to go there.

Note also that the characters in the original version were voiced by Lana Condor (For All the Boys I’ve Loved), Toni Collette and Jane Fonda. Actresses known for their feminist stances.

The audience will leave the film lightly, telling themselves that nothing is insurmountable.