Oscar-winning director Brad Bird debuted his long-gestating animated feature “Ray Gunn” on Saturday at the London Film Festival, presenting a retro-futuristic detective mystery that blends 1940s film noir tropes with science fiction.
The animated project, produced by Skydance Animation and distributed by Netflix, features Sam Rockwell as private eye Raymond “Ray” Gunn and Scarlett Johansson as pop superstar Venus Nova. Written by Bird and Matthew Robbins, the PG-rated movie runs one hour and 59 minutes and marks Bird’s return to feature animation following “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.”
A retro-futuristic detective mystery
The story unfolds in Metropia, a sprawling metropolis officially described as an alternate future imagined from the vantage point of 1939. The setting features towering skyscrapers, flying cars, and holographic advertisements alongside vintage touches such as black-and-white television broadcasts. In this world, humans coexist with an alien population that faces systemic prejudice.
Gunn navigates the case with his cyclopean alien partner, Eye-Ra, voiced by gravel-voiced singer and actor Tom Waits. Accounts among critics varied regarding the specific case that sets the central investigation into motion. Deadline reported that Gunn is hired to protect Venus Nova after she is accused of murdering an ex-husband. A review by the New York Post stated that Arnold, a nightclub operator voiced by Bobby Cannavale, initially retains Gunn to spy on the singer. Both reviews noted that the assignment quickly pulls the detective into corporate manipulation surrounding Megamax, an entertainment conglomerate run by the singer’s former husband, voiced by Alan Tudyk.
The ensemble voice cast also includes Michelle Rodriguez as Police Capt. Roz Drexler, Matt Berry as alien mobster Slugsy, alongside Michael Chernus, Kathryn Hunter, and Kether Donohue.
Origin in music and creative independence
During the premiere at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Bird revealed that the project began decades ago following a musical misunderstanding. Bird recalled mistaking the B-52’s 1979 song “Planet Claire” for a variation on Henry Mancini’s “Theme From Peter Gunn,” sparking the idea for a science-fiction private investigator, Variety reported.
The world premiere also coincided with the birthday of frequent Bird collaborator and composer Michael Giacchino. Bird, Rockwell, and Johansson led the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to the Oscar-winning composer on stage before screening the film.
Johansson praised the opportunity to collaborate with Bird, telling attendees that working with the director was a long-held ambition. “It was a dream of mine to collaborate with him on anything — I just wanted to work with him so badly,” Johansson said, as reported by Variety. Beyond voicing the character, Johansson performed original songs written for the film by the musician Kimba, Deadline reported.
Release schedule
Bird originally conceived “Ray Gunn” decades ago as a hand-drawn animated film before developing it with Skydance Animation in 2021, according to IndieWire. Producers on the project include John Lasseter, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Bird.
The film is scheduled to open in select theaters on Dec. 4 before making its worldwide streaming premiere on Netflix on Dec. 18. The London Film Festival runs through Oct. 18.
