Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Universal Pictures | Release Date: June 30, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
50
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
18
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comNell MinowJun 29, 2023
One of the best family films of the year, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken has humor and heart, buoyant energy, witty and imaginative visuals, and never-less-than brilliant voice talent. Read full review
75
Original-CinJohn KirkJun 26, 2023
Some jokes are a little on the cringeworthy side, but overall, they work. It’s a film that essentially hijacks the cuteness of The Little Mermaid and manages to successfully transfer it to a shy, math-loving awkward teenager who just happens to be able to transform herself into a 50-foot-tall sea-beast. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesTracy BrownJul 1, 2023
As predictable as the movie often is, it’s elevated by Condor’s disarming and charming Ruby, and some vivid character designs. The luminous undersea kraken kingdom is also quite a sight. Read full review
67
ColliderChase HutchinsonJun 26, 2023
The characters are consistently charming, the humor sufficiently silly, and the animation often beautiful, though the standard path it takes holds it back from fully exploring the potential lurking just beneath the surface. When it all bursts free towards the end is when the film is at its best. Read full review
66
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJun 28, 2023
Ultimately, though, the character animation and sprightly vocal performances can’t quite wriggle out of whatever formulas and secondhand story wreckage Ruby Gillman grabs to assemble its stop-and-go plotting. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeJul 4, 2023
It’s a shame that the plot gets so carried away with the supernatural power struggle, since the mile-a-minute movie is far more engaging when focused on Ruby — who makes an appealing addition to the DreamWorks Animation family — and the sitcom-ready aspect of kraken-human relations. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJul 2, 2023
The latest picture from DreamWorks Animation is a likable if slight story of teen crises. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'HaraJun 30, 2023
Beautifully designed and voiced, this has a solid message at its heart. But it’s a well-told tale that’s suffers from being too well-trodden already. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeJun 29, 2023
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken charms and woos in a predictable manner. Read full review
60
Little White LiesDavid JenkinsJun 29, 2023
It’s such a lovely set-up, you wish the filmmakers had attempted to do a little more with it. Read full review
60
The GuardianEllen E JonesJun 29, 2023
Kraken anatomy differs from human in some aspects, but this is a film with its heart, at least, in the right place. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicKaely MonahanJun 28, 2023
For all its issues, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a good excuse to get out of the house with the family and take the kids to see something fun. And that’s what this movie is: fun. Even if I was bored and unmoved, the target audience will have a great time. Read full review
60
Total FilmNeil SmithJun 26, 2023
At least until its Turning Red-ish plot becomes subsumed by a tiresome showdown finale, there’s a lot to take pleasure from here - not least the invertebrate protagonists’ amusing elasticity, which recalls the madcap fun of Tex Avery’s cartoon classics. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandJun 30, 2023
Kids are always in need of gracious tales about the power of being yourself in a world not necessarily built to embrace differences (of all sizes, of all kinds) and stories like Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken can do that, with fun to spare. But why not get more splashy, why not take more risks, why not get bigger and weirder, when that’s also the aim of the very story you’re telling? Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJun 30, 2023
Whatever emotional heft the pic may aim to harness is lost amid glib jokes, overly complicated mythic lore, and ultimately, pat platitudes about embracing who you were always meant to be. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 3, 2023
Although the movie has the capacity to engage and entertain young children, its bland storyline and cut-rate animation won’t impress many adults. This is a classic case of an animated film being targeted exclusively at younger viewers without much consideration about keeping parents from falling asleep. Read full review
50
Screen RantRachel LaBonteJun 30, 2023
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken's story could've used a more well-rounded approach, but the strength of its cast and character dynamics make for a solidly entertaining watch. Read full review
50
The Irish TimesTara BradyJun 30, 2023
It’ll do well enough for summer-break popcorn-lovers, but as DreamWorks Animations go, it’s no How to Train Your Dragon. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineGregory NussenJun 29, 2023
Sweet but narratively thin and didactic, the latest from DreamWorks Animation always seems as if it’s trying to find its footing. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleTrace SauveurJun 28, 2023
An aquatic, animated, all-ages romp full of familiar lessons and a few too many peppy pop songs that plays things so down-the-middle as to become perfectly forgettable. Read full review
50
Washington PostKristen Page-KirbyJun 27, 2023
It’s just charming enough, just exciting enough and just funny enough to not be a flop, but DreamWorks — the studio that has shown it can challenge Pixar when it comes to pushing the animation envelope — has chosen to play it safe here, rather than try to win the summer family film sweepstakes. Read full review
40
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanJun 29, 2023
Not even the matriarchal link at the story’s center feels satisfying, its good intention strangled by the plotty chaos. Read full review
40
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyJun 29, 2023
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken fails to see its own potential – it’s never quite sharp enough to work as a parody, nor sincere enough to make its adolescent insecurities relatable. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 29, 2023
There’s little wit to this, and not enough spark to the story to overcome the tepid jokes. The animation is good, but underwhelming. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJul 1, 2023
The look of Ruby Gillman has a TV-cartoon cheapness, but its frames are cluttered with all manner of objects and elements of odd design, almost as if the filmmakers hope we won’t notice how basic and uninspired everything looks. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanJun 30, 2023
By the time we get to a kaiju-inspired third-act throwdown involving multiple giant sea monsters and a mystical trident, this story feels like it’s gotten too big for its small frame. Read full review
25
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJun 29, 2023
For all its potential, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken remains stuck in the shallow end. Read full review
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