This Summer, DreamWorks Animation will blow the myths about mermaids out of the water and introduce a new hero from the ocean depths! From the studio that brought you Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon comes the Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken trailer, starring Lana Condor as a mythical creature on the verge of discovering her hidden powers and becoming a legend.
Per DreamWorks’ official press release, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 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.
Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High but mostly feels invisible.
She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Jaboukie Young-White, Ralph Breaks the Internet), who only seems to admire her for her fractals. She’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Oscar nominee Toni Collette, Knives Out) has forbidden Ruby from ever getting in the water.
But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas.
The Kraken are sworn to protect the world’s oceans against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. One significant and immediate problem: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Emmy winner Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek), happens to be a mermaid. Ruby must ultimately embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.
Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) joins the cast as Ruby’s supportive dad, Sam Richardson (Veep) plays Ruby’s enthusiastic uncle, and Blue Chapman (Council of Dads) plays Ruby’s cool little brother. Will Forte, Nicole Byer, Liza Koshy, Ramona Young, Eduardo Franco, and Echo Kellum also star.
Kirk DeMicco (Vivo, The Croods) directs, with Faryn Pearl co-directing and Kelly Cooney Cilella producing.
“At the start of our movie, Ruby Gillman is just your typical high school teenage girl who is bursting to tell someone her secret; she’s been hiding who she is and has to act how people tell her to so that she “fits in,” said Demicco. “But on this journey, she learns to be honest with who she truly is, to both herself and the world, and finally feels empowered. We see Ruby coming into her own and learning to do the right thing instead of the safe thing and in doing so, finds where she truly belongs.”
“Ruby is wildly earnest and has a big heart,” Condor says. “She’s genuinely optimistic and steadfast. She’s determined to follow her dreams despite the obstacles she faces living as a Kraken in a human community. I love her fearlessness and sense of adventure, but most of all, I love her unwavering loyalty to her family and friends. Over the course of the film, we see Ruby go on an amazing journey from being shy and insecure about her unique powers as a Kraken to fully embracing them and using them to protect the people that she loves. I had so much fun bringing her to life and I’m excited for audiences to see her vibrant, powerful story unfold on the big screen.”
“I play Ruby’s Grand Mama who also happens to be an ancient giant Kraken and the Queen Warrior of the 7 Seas,” says Fonda. “She is a force to be reckoned with and I never thought in my wildest imagination I’d be playing a Kraken! The Queen has been protecting the oceans all by herself and she’s lonely and is desperate for a successor. She is beyond thrilled to be reunited with her granddaughter who has reappeared in her ocean world and the Queen believes in her heart that Ruby is the rightful heir to her throne. The Queen really teaches Ruby to know who you are and own it and take that power with you wherever you go, a powerful message for all of us!!!”
You can check out the official poster for Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken below: