James Gillman Popular Books

James Gillman Biography & Facts

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is a 2023 American animated teen comedy film directed by Kirk DeMicco and written by Brian C. Brown, Elliott DiGuiseppi and Pam Brady. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures, the film stars the voices of Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Colman Domingo, and Jane Fonda. The film follows a shy Kraken girl named Ruby Gillman (Condor) who is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High. When she breaks her mother's (Collette) rule by going into the ocean with any would-be friends, she discovers that she is a direct descendant of battle-hardened krakens who have protected the sea from evil mermaids for generations, and is also destined to inherit the throne from her grandmother (Fonda). Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 15, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 30. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the voice acting and characters but criticized the screenplay. It was a box-office failure, grossing $46 million against a $70 million budget. Plot In the town of Oceanside, 16-year-old Ruby Gillman and her family are secretly Krakens. Determined to fit in with humans, Ruby's mother Agatha forbids her from going near the ocean, including her school's prom at sea. Ruby's friends Margot, Trevin, and Bliss convince her to ask out her crush Connor anyway, but she accidentally knocks him into the water. Ruby jumps in and saves Connor — unknowingly triggering an underwater transformation — but new student Chelsea Van Der Zee takes the credit. Noticing bioluminescent suction cups on her fingers, Ruby hides in the school library but transforms into a Giant Kraken. She is spotted by Chelsea and by Agatha, whose ocean-dwelling brother Brill has been summoned by Ruby's transformation. Agatha calms her distressed daughter down to human size, and Ruby confronts her parents, who explain that the women in their family turn into powerful Giant Krakens while underwater. With a reluctant Brill's help, Ruby sneaks into the ocean to meet her grandmother, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, who reveals that Ruby is in line to rule as protector of the ocean. Other creatures have tried to seize power, including Leviathans, Umibōzu, and most dangerous of all, Mermaids. The evil Mermaid Queen Nerissa found the Trident of Oceanus but was defeated by Agatha, who hid the Trident before abandoning her kingdom for a life on land. Returning home, Ruby is attacked by vengeful sea captain Gordon Lighthouse, but is saved by Chelsea, who is actually a mermaid. Gordon's footage of Ruby in Kraken form goes viral, but Chelsea befriends Ruby, taking her on a "Super Sea Girl Ditch Day". Chelsea suggests that by finding the Trident, they can end the war between Krakens and Mermaids; her mother, Nerissa, was killed trying to recover the Trident from the Well of Seas. Grandmamah trains her granddaughter to master her Kraken powers, unaware she is using them to practice entering the Well of Seas, and Ruby neglects her friends to spend time with Chelsea. Ruby's father Arthur, younger brother Sam, and Brill trick Gordon into "capturing" their pet sea creature Nessie, letting him believe he has ended the Kraken threat. Ruby introduces Chelsea to her mother, but Agatha is unwilling to trust a Mermaid and forbids her daughter from returning to the ocean, but an angry Ruby transforms and storms off. Agatha confronts Grandmamah, who explains that Nerissa never had a daughter, while Ruby retrieves the Trident but is betrayed by Chelsea, who is revealed to be Nerissa herself. Trapping Ruby underwater, Nerissa surfaces to use the Trident to destroy the Krakens, interrupting prom night as she fights off Agatha and Grandmamah. With encouragement from Brill, Ruby arrives to face Nerissa and saves the prom ship. Combining their powers, Ruby, her mother, and grandmother destroy the trident, and Nerissa is captured by Gordon. Ruby's classmates hail her as their Kraken hero and she reunites with her family and friends while Connor accepts her invitation to prom, and Agatha and Grandmamah reconcile. Some time later, Ruby and her family have embraced their identity as Krakens, while Ruby and Connor become a couple. Brill warns that a Devil Whale is heading toward the Kraken Kingdom, and Ruby leaps into action as the protector of the seas. Voice cast Lana Condor as Ruby Gillman, a 16-year old kraken girl who is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High and has the ability to turn into a giant three-legged kraken when she is in the ocean like all royal female krakens do. She is described by the film's producer Kelly Cooney Cilella as "a really normal teenager". Toni Collette as Agatha Gillman, Ruby's overprotective real estate agent mother who has the ability to turn into a giant four-legged kraken when she is in the ocean. Annie Murphy as Queen Nerissa, the evil queen of the mermaids with a vendetta against the Gillman family who poses as Chelsea Van Der Zee, the snobbish, popular new girl at Oceanside High. Colman Domingo as Arthur Gillman, a male kraken who is Agatha’s husband and Ruby's supportive father. Blue Chapman as Sam Gillman, Ruby's 7-year-old energetic and loyal younger brother who loves to play dodge ball. He is loosely based on co-writer Brian C. Brown. Jane Fonda as Grandmamah Gillman, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas, the mother of Agatha, and Ruby and Sam's maternal grandmother. Sam Richardson as Brill Gillman, a kraken male who is Ruby's dim-witted and enthusiastic maternal uncle, Grandmamah's son and Agatha's brother. Will Forte as Captain Gordon Lighthouse, a kraken-obsessed old sailor with a peg leg who works as a tour guide and has a crab named "Davy". Jaboukie Young-White as Connor, a skater-boy who became Ruby’s love interest. Liza Koshy as Margot, a dramatic girl and Ruby's best friend. Eduardo Franco as Trevin, a gamer and one of Ruby's friends. Ramona Young as Bliss, a goth girl and one of Ruby's friends. Additionally, Echo Kellum and Nicole Byer respectively voice Doug and Janice, Internet personalities Preston and Bri Arsement portray a home buyer and a tourist respectively, web film commentator and newcomer Juju Green voices a gym teacher, father and daughter webstars Salish and Jordan Matter portray a kraken kid and the school principal respectively, sound designer Randy Thom voices the Gillman family's pet sea creature Nessie and a confetti cannon, Spirit Untamed producer Karen Foster voices the school librarian, newcomer Atticus Shaindlin voices Topher, folk musician-songwriter Suzanne Buirgy voices Carol, and vlogger/podcaster Emma Chamberlain voices a reporter. Production Development In 2016, screenwriters Brian C Brown & Elliott DiGuiseppi pitched the story of a family of sea monsters living on land in plain sight to many major studios and producers, including Brad Grey at Paramount Pictures, Nancy Utley at Fox Sea.... Discover the James Gillman popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Gillman books.