Brad Bird Animated Sci Fi Noir Ray Gunn Opens to Critical Praise

Director Brad Bird’s animated sci-fi noir feature Ray Gunn has received initial critical praise following its premiere, according to reports from The Wrap and JoBlo. The film is produced by Skydance Animation and distributed by Netflix, as reported by The Wrap. The story premiered at the London Film Festival 2026, according to The Wrap. [5][7]

According to Next Best Picture, the story follows private eye Raymond Gunn and his alien companion Eyera in Metropia, a city set in an alternate future as viewed from 1939. The plot centers on Gunn investigating secrets related to pop star Venus Nova, Next Best Picture reported. Sam Rockwell provides the voice for the title detective, while Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits also star in the voice cast, according to the Guardian and Little White Lies. [2][3][4]

Aggregated critical scores on Rotten Tomatoes have been published following the initial reviews, according to Comic Basics, IMDb, and ScreenRant. Animation Magazine and Dark Horizons reported that early reviews praised the animated project for its visual style and retrofuturistic world design. [1][8][9][10][11]

The project marks Bird’s return to feature animation after previously contributing to major animated features at Pixar, according to Little White Lies. The Guardian described the production as a fantasy adventure with classic entertainment values, while Little White Lies noted the hardboiled, retrofuturist tone of the movie. [2][3]