Everything We Know About Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn

Brad Bird’s most personal project in decades is nearly upon us.

Ray Gunn premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 10, and critics are already responding with a 91% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 34 reviews at the time of writing). With the first trailer out too, the film’s already shaping up to be one of the most distinctive animated films in years.

The film also marks the director’s first new film since 2018’s Incredibles 2, bringing to life the passion project he’s reportedly been trying to make for 30 years.

Ray Gunn Netflix poster

(Ray Gunn via Netflix)

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The Story of Ray Gunn

Set in Metropia, a gigantic city imagined as the future looked from 1939, Ray Gunn follows private eye Raymond Gunn as he’s drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a scandal-plagued pop star named Venus Nova.

Brad Bird has described the concept as “The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers,” blending detective noir with retro-futuristic sci-fi.

The Talented Voice Cast

Sam Rockwell leads as Ray, with Scarlett Johansson as Venus Nova and Tom Waits as Ray’s alien partner, Eyera.

The massive, star-studded supporting cast also includes Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Chernus, Michelle Rodriguez, Patton Oswalt and Kathryn Hunter, as well as John Ratzenberger, a longtime collaborator from Brad Bird’s time with Pixar.

Brad himself (who previously voiced Edna Mode in The Incredibles movies) even voices two characters, and in a fun bit of trivia, he cast his son’s former soccer coach in a small role as a weapons dealer.

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Bringing a Long-Time Passion Project to Life

Brad Bird is the Oscar-winning director behind The Incredibles, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant, and has called this project a true realization of where his artistic journey has taken him.

The film comes from Netflix and Skydance Animation in a partnership that the two studios have confirmed is winding down following the recent Paramount-Skydance merger, making Ray Gunn one of their final collaborations.

Visually, early looks at the movie draw comparisons to The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc. and Meet the Robinsons. This makes sense given the director’s legendary tenure at Pixar throughout the early 2000s.

The score also comes from composer Michael Giacchino, a frequent collaborator known for his work across the Pixar catalog.

What Critics Are Saying About Ray Gunn

Following its world premiere in London, Ray Gunn debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 91% Tomatometer score based on 34 reviews. Early scores started in the low 90s with a smaller batch of reviews, so the number may shift as more critics weigh in. The Popcornmeter audience score has not been populated yet.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw gave the film a perfect five stars, calling it “smart, witty, humane: a fantasy spectacular with old-fashioned entertainment values.” Slashfilm’s Jeremy Mathai gave it an 8/10, writing that “Bird has returned with a vengeance.”

Many reviewers singled out the retro-futuristic world of Metropia, the action set pieces and Michael Giacchino’s jazzy score. Others praised Sam Rockwell’s swagger in the lead role and Tom Waits’ gravelly voice work as Eyera. Several critics also noted that the film’s themes of technology and autonomy feel surprisingly timely.

Not everyone is fully on board. The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han called it “a blandly palatable jumble of sci-fi and neo-noir clichés.” Screen International praised the film’s visuals but found the screenplay laboured, and io9 found it highly entertaining but light on the emotional punch of Bird’s earlier work.