In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, Matt Berry, Kathryn Hunter, Alan Tudyk, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez, Patton Oswalt
Release: December 4, 2026 (in select theaters, including 70mm screenings); December 18 (Netflix)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: N/A (updating)
Some Reviews (updating):
The Guardian - Peter Bradshaw - 5 / 5
There are some lovely set piece scenes – especially when Ray and Venus take to the floor at a club which offers a “zero gravity” interlude allowing its dancers and lovers the chance to float surreally around as if in space. We also get a bizarre interlude when a gun turns out to be – temporarily – capable of scrambling the limbs of those in its sights. And on top of all that, the film has something to say about algorithmic ads and data privacy. It’s a charming, very enjoyable movie with a big heart.
Awards Radar - Joey Magidson - 3.5 / 4
Ray Gunn took decades to get across the finish line and it shows. At the same time, while these long in development passion projects can often turn into boondoggles for auteurs, Brad Bird has managed to avoid that fate. This film is fun, rich, and surprisingly effective. Could it have stood to have been about ten minutes shorter? Sure, but if that’s my main complaint about this movie, Bird and company have done something very right.
The Film Stage - Alistair Ryder
The fact that a throwback adventure like Ray Gunn can inspire this level of internal debate should hopefully convince you that this is Bird back at his best, with rich and thorny ideas hidden beneath a joyously crowd-pleasing adventure. Any debate it causes will struggle to overshadow just how much fun it is.
IGN - Jim Vejvoda - 8 / 10
Director Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn is a love letter to film noir and old-school science fiction, beautifully bringing its retro-futuristic world to life with great style and attention to detail. As a detective narrative, though, it runs a bit too long, trying to obscure stuff that’s plainly evident, while the story, while boldly introducing themes like bigotry, never digs deeply enough into the issues it raises. Those matters aside, there’s still much to enjoy in this unique animated film. I know it’s coming soon to Netflix, but do yourself a favor and watch it on the big screen with a good sound system.
SlashFilm - Jeremy Mathai - 8 / 10
More than anything else, this is a film celebrating the inherent humanity of art. Don't overlook the Herculean efforts of composer Michael Giacchino's toe-tapping score, Erik Smitt's immersive and kinetic cinematography, and especially the sound design of Ben Burtt. Much like our misfit heroes, these are reminders that nobody can do it alone.
ScreenCrush - Matt Singer - 8 / 10
It’s been eight years since Bird’s previous directorial effort, Incredibles 2, and more than a decade since his last original film, Tomorrowland. In that time, the present has only gotten bleaker, and optimistic sci-fi films have grown rarer and rarer. Ray Gunn isn’t precisely a hopeful movie, either; its retro future is rife with crime, corruption, and racism. (Aliens like Ray’s pal Eyera face discrimination and bigotry from most of the native human population.) Still, there’s something appealing about its nostalgic futurism now. We can’t go back to a time when a brighter tomorrow seemed inevitable. But at least Brad Bird’s still around to give us a glimpse of one every so often.
Gizmodo - Germain Lussier
As Ray Gunn‘s narrative gets more intricate, with multiple twists and turns, you can’t help but feel something is missing. Ray is a fun character. Venus has some depth to her. But they both exist more to serve the plot instead of vice versa. We’re told things about each character, but they rarely resonate. As a result, the movie feels empty. It looks good. You’re not bored. But flashing an occasional smile is not the same as feeling something for the characters. Which, maybe, was not the intent. Bird isn’t required to make every movie a tearjerker like The Iron Giant or joyfully heartfelt like Ratatouille. There doesn’t need to be a massive, overpouring of emotions. He’s very welcome to simply tell a propulsive story that keeps the audience guessing. Ray Gunn does that and does it well. But without truly wrapping us up in these characters, the movie loses a little something.
Decider - Jesse Hassenger
All of this makes Ray Gunn enormously fun to watch, and to listen to. The visual and audio elements only come into conflict when Bird accidentally finds the trouble with hiring actors as vocally distinctive as Rockwell and Johansson...Yet there’s no escaping some compromise or another, as he probably knows, especially in a world (on and off screen) so infatuated with digital fakeness. Bird originally wanted to do Ray Gunn in classic hand-drawn animation, and there are moments where the gee-whiz smoothness of his big-budget CG feels at odds with the pretense that his is a noirish mystery. He’s a child of Tomorrowland through and through, which makes it all the more baffling that no one at Disney or Pixar ever wanted to spot him the cash to make what is ultimately a close-to-all-ages sci-fi thriller with a few lovely romantic grace notes. They let him make the actual Tomorrowland movie, a far stranger and less appealing enterprise than this piece of pop entertainment. Which company actually puts up the money is immaterial, of course, except that Ray Gunn very much deserves to be seen on a big screen — that’s how I saw it, and it plays great both on a big canvas and in front of a big crowd — and Netflix mostly only affords that as a vanity sideshow. (There are 70mm prints being struck, so New York City or Los Angeles residents especially should have a shot at seeing it in an ultra-analog format.) It’s that extratextual knowledge that adds a little bittersweet oomph to the film’s satisfying ending; yes, a streamer took a chance on this not-especially-risky crowdpleaser for now, but what’s the move for his next one?
Polygon - Matt Patches
Stunning, snappy, and mannered like its nonexistent live-action counterpart from the 1950s, Ray Gunn really delivers. Bird does it all. Maybe too much! But after more than 30 years of false starts — through his Pixar triumphs, his detours into live-action spectacle with Tom Cruise and George Clooney, and an industry that couldn't quite imagine who this movie was for — he's finally gotten his shot. He doesn't flinch. Here is a sophisticated animated adventure comedy for adults, a kind of movie that basically doesn't exist in mainstream Western animation. For all his frustration with Hollywood's limitations, Bird's ultimate rebuttal isn't another angry mid-interview declaration about the medium's potential. The movie proves his point. It's just a shame that this big-screen spectacle will play on so few big screens. At the very least, dim the lights when you catch it at home. Ray Gunn is one of the year’s best action movies, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and romances all rolled into one.
The Hollywood Reporter - Angie Han
Bird has said he’s been trying to make this project happen since before The Iron Giant, which I suppose makes this a professional triumph for him if not a creative one. But I can’t decide if that explains its mediocrity — this feels very much like a first draft of a project — or makes it all the more baffling that with decades to mull it over, he hasn’t managed to make it more interesting.
Variety - Guy Lodge
....She (Scarlett's character) has a suitable partner on that front in the analog-inclined, trenchcoat-sporting Ray, but his image, too, doesn’t entirely add up: Rockwell voices him with jaded slyness, but he has the unlined face and swooshy hair of a Disney prince, rather than any stubbly Bogart gruffness. It’s just one reason why we can’t altogether warm to him — and why he doesn’t light up the center of Bird’s beautifully rendered dark-pastel dystopia. Rather like the man himself, “Ray Gunn” has slick, boundless energy and resourcefulness to spare, but that doesn’t quite amount to charm.
The Wrap - Drew Taylor
“Ray Gunn” stands as one of the rare passion projects that was worth the wait. Never once will you think, He wanted to make this for 30 years? There are so many tantalizing ideas, lovable characters and unforgettable set pieces crammed into its 119-minute runtime, that you’ll want to race back to this strange, enchanting world again and again. (The film will be playing in select theaters, at the beginning of December, in 70mm. Make it a priority or regret it forever.) Long ago Bird established himself as one of the most exciting, talented filmmakers of his generation. With “Ray Gunn,” he’s finally been able to make his dream a reality. And somehow, the reality is even better than the dream.
DiscussingFilm - Andrew J. Salazar - 4 / 5
In another timeline, Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn was released long ago in hand-drawn 2D animation, as its teaser poster shows. While a 2D version of Ray Gunn would have certainly been amazing, the CG version we have isn’t a downgrade. Sleek costumes, inspired action set pieces, captivating characters, and even a steamy romance at its heart make this sci-fi noir destined to age like fine wine. It’s already aged in a pretty insane way since its initial conception, with Bird’s story ultimately taking a stance against AI in art. Somehow, this iteration of Ray Gunn feels more special than if it perhaps came out decades ago. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait as long for Bird’s next passion project.
EscapeFilmClub - Jack Ailing - 4 / 5
The rich environment and world-building ultimately become more interesting than the characters that inhabit it. The voice cast is strong, but there isn't a standout role with more attention paid to the visionary environment and style - though I may have been a bit too distracted by the futuristic magnetic neck ties… A recognisable animation style and the blaring orchestral horns of Michael Giacchino's score are constant reminders that rather than reach for something new, Ray Gunn treads familiar, and somewhat safe, ground despite its bold ambitions.
Popped - Josh Martin-Jones - 4 / 5
After more than three decades in development, Brad Bird has delivered a visually spectacular, wonderfully imaginative sci-fi noir adventure with Ray Gunn. Metropia is easily the star of the show, brought to life through some strong animation, Michael Giacchino’s excellent score and an outstanding voice cast led by Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits. Whilst the central mystery lacks the scale and unpredictability that its expansive world deserves, Bird more than makes up for it with inventive action, comedy and surprisingly relevant social commentary. Ray Gunn might not be among Bird’s very best films, but it’s an absolute visual delight, bursting with personality and imagination, and a reminder of just how exciting original animated storytelling can be. I would happily return to Metropia for another adventure.
InSession Film - Alex Papaioannou - 'B+'
Bird is able to frame the constantly shifting relationship between Ray and Venus as a way to grapple with the difficulties of parsing through so much noise and confusion in ways that work wonderfully to the film’s benefit. This shouldn’t be a shock considering Bird gave us the incredible dynamic between Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl in The Incredibles, but it’s also amazing to see just how tantalizing and sensual this film can feel whenever these two characters are flirting with one another. As intentions remain veiled or shockingly revealed, there’s a genuine romance to this film beyond the characters’ love lives. The romance ultimately lies in the steadfast belief that truth, and some semblance of justice, can prevail despite so much around us telling us otherwise. Ray, alongside many of the characters in this film, might feel imprisoned within their own sets of beliefs and circumstances. But Bird takes that feeling of being stuck, and channels it into a truly delightful and creative tale about breaking free without losing your truest self.
IndieWire - Kate Erbland - 'B-'
...Such messaging sure feels weird in our post-Skydance world. While Bird’s film stays firmly on the side of its creative stars, it’s odd messaging to consume and consider in this day and age. Massive corporations who treat their greatest assets as grist for the mill are bad, you say? Organic invention is better? Over-engineered entertainment doesn’t have any heart? That’s old school messaging, the kind of stuff that was true when Bird first cooked up “Ray Gunn,” and that we can only hope still inspires creative output far into the future.
The Playlist - Marshall Shaffer - 'C'
How bizarre, then, that the film settles into a concluding act that wants to score points against the crass commercialization of creativity. “Ray Gunn” ends on a discordant note, trying to reframe the action as a statement against creating art without artists (with a bit of anti-corporate satire thrown in for good measure). Beyond being a 2026 concern transposed flimsily into 1939, it also feels like a complete non-sequitur from the story that came before. Even if it didn’t feel so unearned, a film that offers little more than copy-pasted pastiche isn’t an ideal vessel for making such an argument.
ScreenRant - Ben Gibbons - 6 / 10
In the end, Ray Gunn builds a fascinating world, with deeply thought-provoking themes and intriguing characters. Despite this, the film does not rise to the heights that it could have, in part because of poorly developed twists, and in part because of the heavy-handed nature of the messaging that ultimately dilutes its value. I hoped for more from Ray Gunn, and ultimately, it felt like there was more potential than what ended up on screen.
AV Club - Siddhant Adlakha - 'C'
There’s much to like in Ray Gunn, especially in how it looks. Each movement feels purposeful and momentous, as is Bird’s M.O. in nerve-wracking live-action films like Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol. Even in animation, his “camera” retains a sense of weight, presence, and purpose. However, even if Gunn’s trenchcoat is the right size and fit for a noir throwback, his film isn’t built to contain any of its themes, rendering Ray Gunn‘s central ideas as lip-service at best. That its narrative aim is so blinkered and askew prevents the film from soaring to Bird’s usual heights.
What's On Netflix - Rendy Jones - 3.5 / 5
The lead character designers, longtime collaborators Tony Fucile and Teddy Newton, and Devonn Wilson, lay out a world as if The Iron Giant‘s geometric, curved humans coexisted among the exaggerated-shaped cells from Osmosis Jones, but were instead aliens. You can tell it is all hands on deck (if I were a director on any of their past projects, I’d be fuming considering how this is the one where they “locked in” because Brad Bird was the word), and it’s thoroughly mesmerizing. Every so often, you do wish it were as 2D-animated as he originally envisioned, especially in visible areas where corners were cut; the animation on incidental characters and crowd shots lacks polish, and the movement seems a bit stilted. It’s still a Skydance animation film after all.
DEADLINE - Pete Hammond
Using vibarant CGI techniques to bring this world to life, Bird and his talented artisans manage to successfully merge two very different worlds, centuries apart in a cohesive and viable original universe that somehow seems right. You don’t have to be a fan of noir and Dark City detective yarns to appreciate the story, and it doesn’t matter if you aren’t a sci-fi aficionado either. The human/alien blend blends and helps to make this Skydance Animation production an entertaining proposition for adults and even their kids who get dragged to see it, rather than the usual other way around for ‘toons.
SciFi Now - Katherine McLaughlin - 3 / 5
Visually the world building gets a bit bogged down in nostalgia. Certain images are reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and the aliens too close in looks and mannerisms to the creatures from Lilo & Stitch or Monsters Inc. The songs by Kimbra aren’t especially inspired and the plot twists are all fairly obvious. Luckily the voice cast are all extremely charismatic and they carry the film along in an entertaining enough way. Johansson has a decent set of pipes on her which she uses to infuse an electric energy into a jazz number. Johansson’s character and narrative too is written with a satisfying amount of mystery and intrigue, and she exudes moxie in her performance. Ray Gunn is an animation that works best for a YA audience as an introduction to noir and neo-noir, which may one day lead to an interest in seeking out films such as Blade Runner or even In a Lonely Place.
Flick Feast - Katie Smith-Wong - 3 / 5
Given the popularity and success of his earlier features, Bird’s return to directing has been highly anticipated. Although Ray Gunn is visually striking, it stumbles in its attempt to blend family-friendly entertainment with film noir.
NOC - Mike Manalo - 'B+'
Overall, the world and the style Bird has cultivated in Ray Gunn is absolutely gorgeous and worthy of multiple visits. It’s truly a unique animated film with a sophisticated maturity to its themes that we know the filmmaker loves to challenge his audiences with. The visuals and concepts, from the production and sound design, the character design, and the narrative history of this universe are unlike anything we’ve really seen in recent animation. The music, from Giacchino’s score to Kimbra’s songs, is equally charming. The only downside is the film’s predictability and, in some ways, its thin plot. Thankfully both are redeemed by terrific, complex characters with a pitch-perfect voice cast bringing them to life. Is Ray Gunn on the same level of films like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, or Ratatouille? Definitely not. But damn if it isn’t an absolute blast, and, if not the best, certainly the coolest and most stylish animated movie of the year so far!
HOLR - David Mile
Ray Gunn combines the conventions of classic film noir with an imaginative science-fiction setting, p