Director Brad Bird has opened up about the development of his animated feature Ray Gunn, explaining why he chose to take the project to Skydance Animation rather than Pixar. The film, a noir detective caper set in a retro-futuristic world, is scheduled to premiere at the BFI London Film Festival before launching on Netflix.
Moving beyond Pixar’s wheelhouse
Conceived nearly three decades ago after Bird heard The B-52s’ song “Planet Claire,” Ray Gunn follows a private detective voiced by Sam Rockwell alongside a superstar singer played by Scarlett Johansson. Bird stated that he never pitched the concept to Pixar because it fell outside the studio’s primary focus on younger audiences.
“If you put a Pixar label on it people would go, ‘Oh well, it’s meant for the same audience that these other films were meant for,’” Bird explained. He noted that while children have access to a vast number of animated films, far fewer are produced for teenagers and adults, despite those demographics making up a large share of moviegoers. Bird argued that creating animated films for older audiences “shouldn’t be a controversial decision,” though he claimed it was often treated that way at Pixar. Despite the detour for Ray Gunn, Bird is returning to Pixar for his next project, a third Incredibles film.
A long gestation and musical collaboration
After falling through at several other studios over the years, Ray Gunn finally gained traction through Skydance following Bird’s work on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Skydance Animation, headed by Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, provided a home for the project’s different demographic target.
Composer Michael Giacchino scored the film, marking his sixth collaboration with Bird. Recording took place with a 74-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London. According to Bird, the screenplay changed very little from his initial 1990s drafts, retaining core themes centered around art, technology, and corporate greed that he believes remain relevant today.
