Complete creativity on DreamWorks Animation’s part Writers Brian Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi came up with the original concept, which revolved around marine creatures, and pitched it to the studio. Originally titled simply Meet the Gillmans, it followed a family of marine creatures as they made a new life for themselves on dry land. Pam Brady expanded on the story further in her writing. Launching in theaters on June 28, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” is DreamWorks’ next coming-of-age YA film starring Lana Condor (of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series) as the eponymous character. With 86 times in the studio the most recordings were done by Lana Condor (“Ruby Gillman”) (15 times).

Ruby’s phrase, “prophesied princess warrior of an interspecies vendetta,” is one of the most difficult to utter. The directors liked the statement so much that they had Lana record it about 20 times, each time in a different setting. The statement “Grandmamah! It goes UP on the second Mah” was an improvised remark by Jane Fonda. During their discussion of the characters’ underlying motives, Jane wrote this note for her co-director, Faryn Pearl.

A hilarious and heartfelt action comedy, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” plunges into the choppy waters of high school with a quirky teen who learns that she is a member of a legendary royal lineage of mythical sea krakens and that her destiny, in the depths of the oceans, is bigger than she ever imagined. The waters have been at war with the vain, power-hungry mermaids for a very long time, and the kraken have pledged to defend them.

Ruby Gillman, the eldest child of the Gillman family and a champion mathematician, is navigating high school while concealing her true identity. She is not the most popular girl in school, but she has the support of her family, including her mega-selling realtor mother Agatha (Toni Collette, Knives Out) and her laid-back, supportive father Arthur (Colman Domingo); even her younger brother Sam (Blue Chapman) thinks she’s fine. As the titular heroine in the 2018 adolescent romance drama To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, rising young actress Lana Condor, who captivated the hearts of audiences everywhere, found much to admire in Ruby and was happy to explore all of Ruby’s beautiful quirks. According to Condor, “Ruby is wildly earnest, and she has a very big heart.” She places a high value on her relationships with those around her. She is a genuine angel. She is refreshingly authentic, upbeat, and unwavering. The only thing she wants to do is hang around with her pals; she’s a little odd and timid.

Ruby is a conflict avoider who has always followed her mother’s orders—until the night her prom proposal to Connor went horribly wrong and she had to plunge into the water to save his life. As she dives further, Ruby changes into a massive kraken, much to her shock. After learning that her mother has been withholding information, Ruby sets out to discover the truth about her background. During her travels, Ruby meets and bonds with her oversized Grandmamah, the Kraken Queen (Academy Award® winner Jane Fonda), who is only too ready to see Ruby become her successor and forms an ill-advised friendship with Chelsea, who has a hidden goal of her own. Ruby has a lot to learn before she can take over as queen. She has to learn to love and accept herself, no matter where she is or how she got there. Then, and only then, will she be able to fully realize her heroic potential.

From the makers of unforgettable hit movies worldwide, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is directed by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Kirk Demicco (Vivo, The Croods) and produced by Kelly Cooney Cilella, p.g.a. (Trolls World Tour, Trolls), with Faryn Pearl (The Croods: A New Age, Trolls World Tour) serving as co-director.

The end product is a visually magnificent, emotionally poignant, and extremely amusing aquatic coming-of-age drama about a girl who learns more about herself and the world than she ever believed possible while trying to find her place in it. DreamWorks Animation President Margie Cohn says, “DreamWorks Animation has a long, comic tradition of subverting the hero’s journey, whether it’s an ogre that saves a princess, a panda that becomes a warrior, or a progressive Viking teen and his injured dragon who change the course of their community.” ” Ruby Gillman represents a new chapter in that tradition: a teenage girl with unexpected and extraordinary powers.”

 A DreamWorks film and Universal Pictures presentation, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken,” opens in Philippine cinemas on June 28 and is still showing!