Brad Bird has directed some of the most beloved animated films of the last two decades, but one project kept slipping through his fingers. Ray Gunn, his animated neo-noir, has been in the works since the 1990s, and Bird says the experience felt like being Charlie Brown, lining up to kick the football only to end up flat on his back. Studios repeatedly passed on it because it wasn’t aimed at young kids.
That wait is finally over. Netflix will release Ray Gunn on December 18, with Sam Rockwell voicing private detective Raymond Gunn and Scarlett Johansson voicing Venus Nova. The PG-rated film follows a murder case through the retro-futuristic city of Metropia, mixing aliens, mystery and noir style. Longtime Bird collaborator Michael Giacchino is handling the music, and Netflix even hosted a secret press event in Burbank back in July to preview footage.
Bird has also weighed in on AI in filmmaking, calling it disturbing when it replaces artists but potentially valuable as a tool. His bigger message is simpler: not every animated film has to be made for five-year-olds. After thirty years, he finally gets to prove it.
Are you planning to watch Ray Gunn when it drops? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
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