Critics hail Ray Gunn as an awards contender after its London World Premiere
Brad Bird’s long-awaited sci-fi noir, animated by Cinesite for Skydance Animation and Netflix, earns rave reviews after debuting at the BFI London Film Festival.
On Saturday 10 October, Ray Gunn had its World Premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, and the reviews that followed have been outstanding. We are proud to have animated the film for director Brad Bird, Skydance Animation and Netflix.
Set in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, the film follows private eye Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) as he is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and multimedia star Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson). Tom Waits voices Ray’s one-eyed alien partner, Eyera.
Our animation crews have been working on Ray Gunn for many years, though not quite as long as Brad himself, who first imagined the film more than 30 years ago. As Polygon put it, all that time was worth it: Bird’s patience is visible, they wrote, and “it shows in every frame.”
On the red carpet
Members of the Cinesite team were in London to celebrate the premiere and walk the red carpet alongside the filmmakers. After years of work on Metropia and its residents, seeing the film on the big screen with a festival audience was a special moment for everyone involved.
Members of the Cinesite crew on the red carpet at the Ray Gunn World Premiere, BFI London Film Festival.
What the critics are saying
Critics have singled out the film’s visuals, world-building and animation, and several are already tipping it for awards season. Ray Gunn currently holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Deadline sees Ray Gunn as a serious Oscar prospect, describing it as a
“visually sumptuous and clever ‘toon that is ripe for the Best Animated Feature category.”
The review also praised the vibrant CG techniques that bring Metropia to life, blending two worlds centuries apart into an original universe that feels completely convincing. Read the review
TheWrap called the film
“a visually stunning, thematically rich masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of Western animation.”
The review ranked its lighting and camerawork among the very best in recent years, pointing to subtle camera moves and countless jaw-dropping moments throughout. Read the review
Screen International highlighted the craft behind every shot:
“painstaking care which has gone into every visual aspect is evident throughout”
The review added that the result hangs together as a single, unified vision. Read the review
The Guardian hailed Bird as animation’s answer to Spielberg and praised a film that rescues the medium from formulaic stories and visuals, calling it
“a fantasy spectacular with old-fashioned entertainment values and some amazing cityscape design.”
Polygon captured the decades of devotion behind the project in its headline: Bird took 30 years to make Ray Gunn, and it shows in every frame.
Coming soon to cinemas and Netflix
Ray Gunn opens in select cinemas on 4 December, including screenings in 70mm, before premiering worldwide on Netflix on 18 December. Congratulations to Brad Bird, Skydance Animation and Netflix, and a huge thank you to every member of our Ray Gunn crew across Cinesite for the years of talent and dedication you poured into Metropia. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to see it.
