‘Ruby, Adventures of a Teenage Kraken’: A Modern Sea Tale

With few exceptions, it is safe to say that DreamWorks is experiencing a more than interesting creative age. After closing the saga ‘How to train your dragon’ in style in 2019, the factory followed the trail of success and recognition with ‘Abominable’ and, unlike Disney, was one of the few animation factories that opted to release its titles in movie theaters during the pandemicwith box office hits like the stupendous ‘The Croods: A New Age’.

With magnificent recent bets such as ‘The bad guys’ or ‘Puss in boots: The last wish’, the factory is taking a risk again with an original film, going deep into the sea with ‘Ruby, Adventures of a Teenage Kraken’with which he takes the opportunity to subvert the good reputation of mermaids that came after Disney’s eighties hits with ‘One, two, three… Splash’ and, above all, ‘The Little Mermaid’, in which he was associated forever that these mythological beings were red-haired and not blond, as had traditionally been shown.

It is completely an original bet, since it does not adapt any book or comic. Definitely, a curious reinterpretation of the figure of the villain, associated with that other mythological being of Nordic culture; which may remind the most nostalgic of the way of reinterpreting the figure of the ogre in ‘Shrek’ or that of the villain of the Illumination saga ‘Gru’. In this case, the film directed by Kirk DeMicco, director of the first installment of ‘The Croods’ and ‘Vivo’ for Sony, who brings back that concept of family union for this marine proposalwith a script by Pam Brady, Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGiuseppi.

DreamWorks takes the sting out of ‘The Shark Tale’ with this stupendous adventure under the sea

‘Ruby, Adventures of a Teenage Kraken’ has as references the films of John Hughes and other more modern titles such as ‘Mean Girls’, ‘Rumors and Lies’, ‘Lady Bird’ or ‘Super Nerds’. Bold movement but with which the film manages to bring that point of balance between family cinema with elements typical of adolescent films. Make good use of clichés to narrate a story of emancipation and acceptance of the other as it is, whose most dramatic sequences are reminiscent of those of ‘Red’, by Pixar. Moreover, mother-child relationships end up playing an even greater role.

Added to this is the image of good and bad. DreamWorks opts for the classic formula. Now, he also knows how to play with her and that is reflected in how he portrays mermaids, bringing to the present the classic concept of the myth, of using its charms to catch its prey. In this case, within adolescent logic. With charismatic leading characters and scene-stealing secondary characters, the icing on the film is its animation, almost psychedelic and some sequences worthy of kaijû tapes in the purest ‘Godzilla’ style.

The factory had not had a marine adventure since the failed ‘The Shark Tale’. Its animation style has evolved a lot, with a story that also bets on different designs and that It is appreciated that he follows that line that the aforementioned ‘Bad Guys’ and ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ have already opened and that it is related to ‘The Mitchells against the machines’ and the also mentioned ‘Red’.

Universal is living its own golden age of animation for both Illumination and DreamWorks. The Comcast factory has managed to find its own way, without looking at the competition, managing to bring magnificent proposals to which ‘Ruby, adventures of an adolescent kraken’ joins. While waiting for its results at the box office, there is no doubt that this is a potential saga.