The "Puberty as a Monster" trope
If you’ve followed the last few years of big-budget animation, you’ve seen this setup before. Turning Red used a giant panda to talk about growing up; Luca used sea monsters to talk about hiding your true self. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken swims in those same waters but keeps its life jacket on a bit too tight.
The film is a direct subversion of classic mermaid tropes. Here, the mermaids are the popular, "mean girl" villains, and the krakens are the misunderstood protectors of the ocean. It’s a clever flip that gives the movie its only real spark of originality. For kids who grew up on a steady diet of sparkly princess media, seeing the "pretty" character revealed as a narcissist is a fun, albeit surface-level, lesson in not judging books by their covers.
Why the scores are split
The gap between the 50 Metacritic score and the 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score tells you exactly what to expect. Critics found the plot formulaic, and they aren't wrong. The beats are predictable: the secret identity, the betrayal by a new friend, the big CGI battle at the end.
However, younger viewers don't care about "narrative innovation." They care about the neon-soaked bioluminescence and the relatable awkwardness of a girl who just wants to go to prom without turning into a giant cephalopod. If you’re looking for something that hits the emotional heights of a Pixar classic, this isn't it. If you need a reliable 90-minute distraction that won't require you to explain any complex moral gray areas, it delivers.
The Lana Condor connection
The movie's lead is voiced by Lana Condor, who brings the same "relatable outsider" energy she perfected in her live-action teen hits. It’s a safe, charming performance that anchors the movie’s more chaotic moments. If your older kids are fans of her work, you might want to check out our guide on Lana Condor: From Lara Jean to Action Hero to see how she’s navigating more mature roles alongside these family-friendly projects.
Where it fits in your rotation
This is a "Saturday afternoon" movie. It lives on Amazon Prime Video, making it an easy pick when you’ve already cycled through the heavy hitters on Disney+. Because it’s so low-stakes, it’s a great candidate for a background movie while kids are doing something else, or for a family night where nobody can agree on what to watch.
If you’re constantly hunting for fresh titles to keep the "I’m bored" complaints at bay, we keep a running list of 10 New Kids Movies to Stream Now on Netflix and Disney+ that covers more ground than just the theatrical blockbusters. Ruby Gillman might not be a masterpiece, but in a landscape of increasingly intense or high-concept kids' media, its simplicity is its biggest selling point. It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is: a colorful, harmless, one-and-done adventure.
