The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Animation · Family · Fantasy · 2023
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
Movie details
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
“Discover the hero just beneath the surface.”
2023 Animation · Family · Fantasy 1h 32m
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
5.7 / 10
14.2K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
65 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
50 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
7.1 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie
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Barbie: The Pearl Princess
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Barbie plays Lumina, a mermaid girl with the power to change the color of pearls. Cheerful and creative, Lumina finds herself working in a mermaid salon customizing fabulous hairstyles. And when Lumina has the chance to attend the royal ball, her friends adorn her with a gown fit for a princess. At the ball, villains try to seize power over the kingdom, and Lumina finds within herself an unexpected power that proves she is much more than a hair stylist.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Kirk DeMicco
Written by
Pam Brady · Brian C. Brown · Elliott DiGuiseppi
Lana Condor
Ruby Gillman (voice)
Toni Collette
Agatha Gillman (voice)
Annie Murphy
Chelsea Van Der Zee (voice)
Sam Richardson
Uncle Brill (voice)
Liza Koshy
Margo (voice)
Will Forte
Gordon Lighthouse (voice)
Colman Domingo
Arthur Gillman (voice)
Court is in session
Put Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.