Brad Bird's Noir Sci-Fi ‘Ray Gunn’ Officially Recaptures His ‘Incredibles’ Magic | Review

Published Oct 12, 2026, 11:46 AM EDT

One of this winter's most anticipated releases is Ray Gunn, Brad Bird’s first film since 2018’s The Incredibles 2, and his first original story since 2007’s Ratatouille. The director makes a rare journey away from the Disney empire, teaming up with Netflix to create this animated detective adventure that he co-wrote with legendary Steven Spielberg collaborator Matthew Robbins (whom Bird worked with on 1987's Batteries Not Included). It also features big names in the voice cast, with Oscar winner Sam Rockwell in the title role and Scarlett Johansson as the femme fatale who might be his ally or his enemy. Will the result be the birth of a new classic? Or a sign Bird should have stuck with the House of Mouse?

What Is ‘Ray Gunn’ About?

Image via Netflix

Set in a retro-futuristic world where humans live alongside alien species (who are stigmatized as outsiders), Ray Gunn follows the titular former cop turned private detective (Rockwell), who finds himself continually in debt due to his refusal to take on corrupt cases. He and his alien partner, Eyera (Tom Waits), are hired to protect Venus Nova (Johansson), a popular but volatile pop star who is prone to self-destruction. What starts as a “babysitting job” turns dangerous when Nova becomes implicated in a murder, leading Ray to discover a web of lies and conspiracy.

While this is an original story, Bird has been influenced by numerous movies of the past: Sci-fi films of the 1950s inform the visuals, while the story has an air of film noir, as well as the intricate world-building of his Pixar movies. In short, it’s everything Bird is good at rolled into one, and the finished product is a nostalgic-yet-refreshingly-different family adventure that is suitable for kids without being patronizing or boring for adults.

Brad Bird Creates a Jaw-Dropping Future World

Image via Netflix

One of the first things that strikes you about Ray Gunn is that it is utterly gorgeous to look at. The characters — animated with a mixture of Pixar-like facial features and sharper edges that suit the 1950s aesthetic — wander around a city that feels like a painting come to life. The care taken is present in small details, like little nods to the past in the form of sleek offices and moody lounge bars, as well as larger set pieces like the floating car chases, and an exchange on a floating dance floor that is both humorous and beautiful.

It’s clear that Bird has been allowed to craft exactly the type of movie he wanted to make, and Ray Gunn is all the better for that freedom. It’s not as reliant on slapstick as the average animated studio movie (although there is a very funny misadventure in a rocket-powered elevator that works in that vein), with the filmmakers trusting that the strength of the plot will be enough to keep viewers young and old invested without pandering. It feels like it is made to sell theater tickets, not toys, with the mixture of adventure, mystery, and fun making for a movie that feels like a complete experience.

Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson Are Perfectly Cast

Image via Netflix

The presence of Rockwell in the credits might lead you to believe that Ray Gunn would be a shades-of-gray type of character, given the many morally murky roles the star has played in the past. However, here he finds a level with the idealistic Gunn, making the protagonist flawed but well-intentioned, a good guy in a world that lost its need for virtue a long time ago. He’s paired perfectly with Waits, whose gravelly tones and deadpan humor lead to some hilarious exchanges. Their banter alone provides more than enough material for a solid movie, but Bird and Robbins’ script crafts a world that feels rich and realized, populated with memorable characters.

The always-wonderful Matt Berry appears as “Sluggsy,” an alien gangster looking to go legit, while Michelle Rodriguez, Alan Tudyk, and Bobby Cannavale all impress in their various supporting roles. But it’s Johansson that proves the standout. Mixing comedy with an air of genuine femme fatale mystique, she has sizzling chemistry with Rockwell and puts a lot of dimension into her performance, so that the true motivations behind her character are revealed in more than just the visuals. Like all the best animation, these actors are more than just famous voices brought in to look impressive on the poster. Rockwell and Johansson uplift the already-compelling material in a way that makes you emotionally invested, particularly in the big-hearted final act.

‘Ray Gunn’ is a Detective Mystery That’s Non-Stop Fun

Ray Gunn might seem like a risk on the surface, given that the last time Brad Bird tackled retro-futurism was in 2015 box-office disaster Tomorrowland. Detective stories inspired by cinema of the past also may make some studio executives nervous, given that animated titles are generally designed to be crowd-pleasers that don’t ask too much of their young audiences, rather than requiring a knowledge of film history. Ray Gunn is different, in that it has the ability to please both cinema historians looking for depth and people who just want to see a great-looking, fun adventure movie.

Will the average eight-year-old pick up on the influence of films like The Maltese Falcon, Blade Runner, and Buck Rogers? Of course not. But that won’t preclude them from gasping at the vast cities filled with levitating convertibles, or laughing at a malfunctioning laser gun that reforms the molecules of its user. Just as the best Pixar movies can be enjoyed on multiple levels, Bird makes Ray Gunn accessible to all, whether they're viewing it in its limited theater run or the Netflix release (although this critic recommends the biggest screen possible to enjoy the beautiful animation).

Ray Gunn may miss the devastating emotional punch of some of the best animated works of the 21^st century, but it has all the hallmarks of a passion project fully realized. An intricate plot, stunning visuals, and witty one-liners make for a movie that feels like the best stories of the past, made with all the technical prowess of the present. It's a must-see for anyone who wants animated action combined with intelligent execution.

Cast

• 

  Raymond Gunn (voice)

• 

  Venus Nova (voice)

Pros & Cons

• A thrilling detective story
• Brad Bird?s world is jaw-dropping
• Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson are perfectly cast

• Some of the movie references may go over the heads of very young viewers.