Released in 2023, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken was a sweet-natured story about the titular young woman, a teenager forced to balance her daily life with surprising revelations about her status as a Kraken. The film has a lot of fun with the concept, fusing a high-school set story with the scope of a massive underwater adventure. Although Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken bombed at the box office, it’s found a welcome home at Netflix where it has landed in the streamer’s Top Ten.
A follow-up to the Dreamworks film could take all sorts of forms, giving the characters of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken plenty of exciting new avenues to explore in future entries. The film even teases some of these potential directions, which could focus on smaller character beats or the massive threats still awaiting Ruby as she assumes a role protecting the seas from dangerous enemies. Here are some of the ways a potential sequel to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken could expand on the events of the first film.
8 The Origins Of The Trident Of Oceanus
The Trident’s Name Connects It To Greek Mythology
The Trident of Oceanus plays an important role in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. The ancient weapon was an immense source of power for Nerissa, who used it to wage war on the Krakens until Agatha was able to strip her of it. Disguised as Chelsea, Nerissa was able to reclaim the trident by manipulating Ruby into recovering it, only for the Trident to be destroyed by the united Gillman family. However, there are still numerous mysteries surrounding the origins of the Trident that could come into play in any potential sequel.
The Trident being named for Oceanus implies that it is connected to Greek mythology, as Oceanus was a Titan who ruled over the seas before figures like Poseidon took over. This could introduce all sorts of other creatures and figures from that mythology into Ruby’s world. There’s also the possibility that the Trident wasn’t the only one of Oceanus’ weapons, which could set up all sorts of new mystical weapons of mass destruction for Ruby to contend with in future stories.
7 How The World Responds To The Truth About Krakens
Governments May See The Gillmans As A Threat
The ending of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken confirms the existence of Krakens to the general public. Their epic battle with Nerissa revealed them to the town of Oceanside. Still, a reoccurring element in the film was the ways social media could draw attention from around the world to the unique inhabitants of the town. While Oceanside has made peace with Ruby and seemingly accepted her as a protector by the film’s end, the rest of the world may feel differently.
Potential follow-ups to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken could explore how the rest of the world responds to the knowledge that there is an entire kingdom hidden away deep in the ocean. The surface world could even come to see Ruby and her people as threats, mistaking their battle for Oceanside for the beginnings of a conflict between the land and sea. A sequel exploring those elements could further explore Ruby Gillman’s central themes of embracing her heritage while feeling at home in Oceanside, all while expanding the scope of the world.
6 The Other Dangerous Creatures Hiding In The Sea
Ruby Might Have More Than Just Mermaids To Worry About
While introducing Ruby to the legacy and responsibilities she needs to accept as a Kraken, Ruby’s grandmother hints that the sea is full of dangerous creatures that need to be kept in check by the royal line. While the mermaids are established as their primary foe under the sea, her grandmother shows her several statues representing some of the other monsters that the Krakens have been called upon in the past to combat. These monsters could factor into future stories, which the filmmakers seem particularly keen on.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken co-director Kirk DeMicco revealed during an interview with Cinema Blend that those monster designs are a particularly exciting tease. Those creatures (like the Devil Whale Ruby is called upon to confront at the end of the film) could give Ruby plenty of dangerous foes to contend with in the future. By embracing the full scope of the monsters under the sea, Ruby’s next adventures could introduce some new big bads for Ruby to face off against.
5 How Other Mermaids Respond To Chelsea’s Capture
There’s Plenty Of Potential In Ruby Gillman’s Take On Mermaids
The mermaids are established in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken as the primary threat to the oceans. The mermaids are described as a ruthless and vicious species that, under Nerissa’s rule, came close to wiping out the Krakens and taking over the sea. Although the mermaids were defeated, the manipulations of Nerissa while disguised as Chelsea Ruby suggest the mermaids are still very much a threat. Expanding on the mermaid’s history and current fate in the world could be an interesting avenue to explore in future installments of the series, especially given Nerissa was captured.
The other mermaids could easily become antagonists in future films if they broke escaped of their imprisonment, seeking to free their captured queen or take revenge on the Krakens for defeating them. Ruby could still seek to establish a peace between the Krakens and the Mermaids, presenting a potentially interesting intergenerational conflict with her more war-minded Grandmother. There could even prove to be some heroic mermaids, who could join the cast of any sequel and provide a new perspective on the universe of Ruby Gillman.
4 The Relationship Between Ruby & Connor
Ruby’s Big Romance Is Fertile Ground For A Sequel
One of the biggest emotional elements of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is Ruby’s infatuation with Connor. A fellow student at her local high school, Ruby spends much of the film pining after Connor, unaware of his interest in her. By the end of the film though, Ruby has found the confidence to reveal her feelings for him and the pair are shown to be in a romance. This relationship could easily factor into any expansion to Ruby’s story, as it’s a quietly important detail for both the surface and underwater worlds.
Ruby and Connor’s relationship can be seen as proof that the two societies could easily unite, finding common ground. However, Ruby’s responsibilities to protect the oceans might interfere with their relationship, similar to Ruby’s focus on training while fooled by Chelsea isolated her from her friends. This is on top of the general problems that teenagers encounter during young romance. With Ruby’s duties extending to the wider world and potentially taking her far away from Oceanside, it’d be compelling to see if her young love could survive the strains of Ruby’s responsibilities.
3 How Ruby Deals With Her Royal Responsibilities
Ruby Gillman’s Life Could Follow A Classic Teenage Archetype
Ruby’s relationship with Connor might not be the only thing impacted by her royal responsibilities. As Ruby grows up, she’ll have to contend with the full weight of her lineage. As Ruby’s grandmother makes clear during the film, Ruby is technically next in line for the throne. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a teenager, on top of her continued protection of places like Oceanside. Any potential follow-up to Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken would likely have to showcase how Ruby contends with these additional challenges.
It would give Ruby a classic teen hero dilemma, especially if her commitment to the sea began to interfere with her school commitments, friendships, or relationships. This could easily serve as one of the underlining themes of any Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken follow-up, playing on the inherent conflicts all teenagers encounter as they juggle responsibility with life. Now that Ruby knows how important her lineage is, it would be interesting to see how she contends with finding a balance between her heritage and her passions.
2 How The Gillmans’ Lives On Land Change After The Ending
The Gillmans Might Have Plenty Of Challenges Ahead Of Them
Ruby isn’t the only sea creature currently living in the town of Oceanside. Her mother Agatha, her father Arthur, and her brother Sam have also all made lives for themselves on the surface. The knowledge that they are actually sea creatures could introduce all sorts of new complications and conflicts to their lives. Agatha seems to be taking this revelation to the public in stride, incorporating her connection to Ruby into advertisements for her business. This could paint a target on her back if anyone comes for Ruby.
Sam is shown through the film to be particularly drawn to make a spectacle of himself, especially when it comes to sports like dodgeball. Thanks to his unique biology, Sam could push the boundaries of what sea creatures strive to do on land, focusing on more sports and potentially complicating any human/sea-life relations. Even Ruby’s father might find himself targeted, considering his connection to a future queen of the sea.
1 How Oceanside Deals With Chelsea After Her Evil Plans
The Mermaid Queen Could Be An Interesting Wildcard In Future Stories
Mermaid Queen Nerissa, aka Chelsea, is the primary antagonist of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Her defeat at the end of the film notably results in her capture by Gordon, who live-streams her in a cage on his fishing boat. Her final fate isn’t revealed, however, which could set up further expansion in other stories. Nerissa could be sent back into imprisonment with the rest of her kind, stewing with rage over her latest defeat against the Krakens. This could position her as a recurring threat to the world that Ruby has to contend with.
A more interesting direction could keep her on land, however. Kept away from the ocean as punishment for her actions, Nerissa could fully embrace her human identity of Chelsea — something she seemed content within the film’s final moments as she tried to look appealing on Gordon’s livestream. Falling in love with land could even be a way for Nerissa to change her tune and become more than just a villain, adding a bit of complexity and redemption to the overall Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken story.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
- Director
- Kirk DeMicco
- Studio(s)
- DreamWorks Animation
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Writers
- Pam Brady , Brian C. Brown , Elliott DiGuiseppi
- Cast
- Lana Condor , Toni Collette , Annie Murphy , Sam Richardson , Liza Koshy , Will Forte , Colman Domingo , Jaboukie Young-White
