Does the Latest Teenage Coming of Age Film Sink or Swim?

Parents lie to protect their children. Teenager finds out the truth. Teen decides she will make her own decisions. This causes the teen to trust the wrong person. After the teen almost destroys the world, the teen asks her parents for help. In this Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Christian Movie Review & Parent Guide, I give you the information you need before viewing this movie with your children.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Christian Movie Review

Studio Synopsis:

Sometimes the hero you are meant to be lies just beneath the surface. 

This summer, 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. 

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 she mostly just 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, and 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 forbade 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. 

My Synopsis:

While Ruby Gillman knows she is different than other teens, she doesn’t know how different. When she finds out she is a giant Kraken, she is angry with her parents for lying to her. This causes her to make her own life decisions without all the knowledge necessary. 

To complicate matters, it is prom time, and Ruby wants to ask Connor to prom. However,  when she attempts to ask him, everything goes horribly wrong. Can Ruby live a normal teen life?

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Christian Movie Review What Parents Want to Know

Language:

While there is no foul language, there was one use of OMG. Additionally, the phrase “mother flipping mermaid” is spoken as well as “flipping mermaid,” and “son of an angler fish.”

Furthermore, the use of dumb is used repeatedly. “You just got played, Dumb-Dumb,” “Dumb teenager,” and “People are stupid.” Another character says, “I am a monster.”

Ruby comments that prom is “a post-Colonial patriarchal concept.”

Violence:

There is a lot of animated violence. However, no one is killed. A person is hit in the head with a spear.

There is a fight scene at the end between Krakens and a giant evil mermaid. 

Additionally, Ruby Gillman turns into a giant Kraken and destroys a library, a house is destroyed, and there is a fight in the ocean. A character gets injured and lies at the bottom of the sea. 

A woman hits an unknown figure on the road. She later realizes that it was a Kraken.

Spiritual Powers:

Be advised that this movie is about magic, magical powers, and mythical creatures. Furthermore, a character says, “Show me how to use my powers.”

In addition to the mermaid and Kraken, there is also mention of a Leviathan. 

Other Content:

First, one of Ruby’s best friends is a lesbian. She asks another girl to prom. Additionally, there is a scene with a Promposal, where a young man is asking another man to prom. 

Additionally, there are scenes with a girl holding a sign that says, “Marry Me.” In the first scene, she is holding it for 

A young man follows a woman into the women’s restroom. 

Ruby is told that “your body is going through changes,” and “you’re blossoming.”

One character says, “I want to be homeschooled again” in response to a disaster at the library.

Deception:

There is a lot of deception and lying within the movie. Ruby’s parents live in a town undercover. No one knows they are Kraken. Therefore, Ruby has learned to hide who she really is. 

When Ruby wants to go to prom, her mom says NO because she wants to protect her. Ruby says, “Does it bother anyone that we are lying to everyone.” Her mom says, “We’re not lying; we are omitting the truth.”

Later, one of Ruby’s friends suggests Ruby lie to her mom about prom. “What if you don’t tell her?”

Positive Content:

When Ruby gets into serious trouble, she realizes there is power in working with her mom and grandma. Family (without hidden secrets) can be a powerful force in fighting against evil. 

However, I tend to believe that it is through prayer that we can come together as a family and pray against evil.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Christian Movie Review Viewing Recommendations

Overall, this movie is about teen decisions and the teenage world. However, very few teens will want to see this movie. Instead, pre-teen and younger girls will be attracted to seeing a movie about a Kraken trying to fit in with her friends. 

Because so much of the content involves teen life, I do not recommend this movie for younger children. Our society is constantly trying to get kids to grow up. Let them stay young as long as you can. 

About the Movie:

Rating: PG some action, rude humor, and mature thematic elements

Runtime: 1 hour, 31 mins.

Release Date: June 30, 2023

Genre: Coming of Age

Style: Animation

Studio: Universal Pictures

Director: Kirk DeMicco

Written by: Pam Brady, Brian C. Brown, Elliot DiGuiseppi

Producer: Kelly Clooney Cilella

Editor: Michelle Mendenhall

Music by: Stephanie Economou

Produced by: DreamWorks Animation

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Cast of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken:

Lana Condor as Ruby Gillman

Toni Collette as Agatha Gillman (Ruby’s mom)

Annie Murphy as Chelsea Van Der Zee

Jane Fonda as Grandmamah

Sam Richardson as Brill

Colman Domingo as Arthur Gillman (Ruby’s dad)

Wil Forte as Gordon Lighthouse

Jaboukie Young-White as Connor (Ruby’s love-interest)

Liza Koshy as Margot 

Blue Chapman as Sam Gillman (Ruby’s younger brother)

Eduardo Franco as Trevin

Ramona Young as Bliss 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where can I watch Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken?

Ruby Gillman was released into the movie theaters on June 30, 2023. It was not streaming anywhere at that time.

Is there an end-credit scene for Ruby Gillman?

No, there is no end-credit scene.

Is there LGBTQ+ content in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken?

Yes. One of Ruby’s friends, who is a girl, asks another girl to go to prom. Additionally, there is a young man who asks another man to prom. Furthermore, the character Sam Gillman (Ruby’s brother) is voiced by Blue Chapman, who is a transgender boy.

How old is Ruby Gillman?

Ruby Gillman is a freshman, and she is 15 years old.

Will Ruby Gillman stream on Disney+? Can Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken be streaming on Disney Plus? Will Ruby Gillman stream on Peacock?

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks has a deal with Netflix. Therefore, after streaming on Peacock for 4 months, Ruby Gillman should be on Netflix after that.

However, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken will not stream on Disney+.

How much did it cost to produce Ruby Gillman?

The budget for Ruby Gillman was $70 million.

What does the Bible say about leviathan?

The Leviathan, a creature alluded to in Job 40 and Psalm 74:14, has baffled scholars, and no one seems to have a clear conclusion as to what this beast is. Read more about the Bible and the Leviathan.