Disney’s much-anticipated Little Mermaid live-action remake is out this week, which makes the timing of DreamWorks’ new trailer for Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken — which features “evil mermaids,” as well as the perils of high school — feel not entirely coincidental.
There’s also a bit of The Princess Diaries in this one, in that a geeky teen gets the “surprise, you’re royalty!” shock of her young life — albeit there are way more giant tentacles involved in this particular fairy tale. Here’s the official synopsis, which also casually name drops the movie’s incredible cast:
“Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman (Lana Condor, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise) is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s maths-tutoring her skater-boy crush (Jaboukie Young-White, Ralph Breaks the Internet), who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom (Oscar nominee Toni Collette, Knives Out), has forbade Ruby from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mum’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior Kraken queens and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda), the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas. The Kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids who have been battling with the Kraken for eons. There’s one major, and immediate, problem with that: The school’s beautiful, popular new girl, Chelsea (Emmy winner Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek) just happens to be a mermaid. Ruby will ultimately need to embrace who she is and go big to protect those she loves most.”
As seen in the trailer above, Chelsea bears a strong resemblance to a certain red-headed animated Disney mermaid… which also cannot be a coincidence. The rest of the cast includes Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead), Sam Richardson (Veep), Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Nicole Byer (Nailed It!), Eduardo Franco (Stranger Things), and more. It’s directed by Kirk DeMicco (Vivo, The Croods), with Faryn Pearl (The Croods: A New Age, Trolls World Tour) as co-director, and is written by Pam Brady (South Park, Lady Dynamite), and Brian C. Brown (Briarpatch) and Elliott DiGuiseppi (Lucy in the Sky).
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken hits theatres June 30.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.