Kirk DeMicco Talks About Bringing the Ocean to Life in Ruby Gillman

By Aaron Perine

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken director Kirk DeMicco revealed how he helped bring the ocean to life. Comicbook.com's Aaron Perine spoke to the filmmaker about the DreamWorks animated feature. One thing you cannot miss in Ruby Gillman is how the ocean is rendered on-screen. But, the water can be a scary place and a beautiful one as well. In our interview DeMicco revealed how his team approached the menacing nature of the seas and the true breathtaking quality of sealife as well.

"Our production designer, both worked on the (How to Train Your) Dragons franchise. So, we very much wanted this to feel like an adventure. You know, it's the first female title lead of a DreamWorks movie. But, we wanted Ruby Gillman to have just as much adventure as we'd ever done for any of the guys."

"This is about stakes. We wanted to have that feel because we want the audience to have that. The stakes and that scale and scope, that the water is very dangerous. But, at the same time, she learns to grow, to be a part of it. And, be at home in it."

Director's Real-Life Upbringing Influenced Ruby Gillman's Locations

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(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Oceanside is the locale for a lot of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Comicbook also talked to DeMicco about bringing the coastal city vibes of his upbringing to Ruby's adopted home. There's other touchstones there as well. 

"Well, you know what's so much fun about a town like Oceanside is, there's tons of ocean towns in there because the writers first came in and started in Florida," the director described. "Then, you know, from from Britain to France. So, there's pieces all over, you know? So, yeah, there's probably a lot of Point Pleasant, New Jersey and stuff. I don't know about the Jersey Shore, but you know what I mean? I feel like you're right, you could probably piece it out."

How Important Is Ruby Gillman For Younger Viewers?

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(Photo: Dreamworks)

Ruby Gillman is played by Lana Condor and spoke to Aaron Perine about the drive to render characters that are innately relatable. Rooting for Condor's young girls has become second nature for a lot of viewers, whether they realize she's bringing the voices to life. The actress explains how she approaches these very different people on-screen.

"I think something that I've always really wanted in my career is… I really like playing characters, like goodhearted characters that, maybe will help? Like, I have a bunch of nieces and like younger cousins," Condor said. "I've always wanted to hope that they would watch something of mine and feel like, growing up, 'Like, I can be a good person,' you know? And so, I find that in Ruby a lot."

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"I think we were able to portray the multitude of emotions that teenagers will go through. So, you ca have a really great day," she mused. "And in the same day, you could have the worst day of your life. I think that showing that there's dynamic range in young adults emotions. I think it's what makes her relatable."

Have you seen Ruby Gillman yet? Let us know in the comments!

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