Summary (tl;dr)

The highly anticipated trailer for "Ray Gunn," an animated sci-fi noir film directed by Brad Bird and featuring a star-studded cast, has been released, creating significant excitement ahead of its limited theatrical and Netflix streaming debuts later this year.

Essential Background

"Ray Gunn" is a passion project conceived over 30 years ago by Academy Award-winning director Brad Bird, renowned for his work on beloved animated features like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Bird's vision for "Ray Gunn" reportedly pre-dates his work at Pixar and blends the aesthetics of classic film noir with retrofuturistic science fiction, drawing comparisons to "The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers".

The Full Story

"Ray Gunn" is trending as Netflix released the official debut trailer for the animated feature on September 23, 2026. The trailer provides the public with an extended look at the film, which stars Sam Rockwell as the titular private investigator, Raymond Gunn, and Scarlett Johansson as the multimedia star Venus Nova, who finds herself entangled in a mystery involving aliens and murder in the sprawling city of Metropia. The film, produced by Skydance Animation, is scheduled for a limited 70mm theatrical release on December 4, 2026, before its global streaming premiere on Netflix on December 18, 2026. It has already had its world premiere at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2026, and was an animation centerpiece at the 15th Montclair Film Festival on October 17, 2026.

Why It Matters

The release of the "Ray Gunn" trailer is generating considerable buzz within the entertainment industry and among film enthusiasts, largely due to director Brad Bird's esteemed reputation and the film's unique genre fusion. The project's long development history as Bird's passion project, coupled with its A-list voice cast that also includes Tom Waits, adds to its appeal. Furthermore, Netflix's decision to provide a limited 70mm theatrical release signals strong confidence in the film's visual quality and its potential to be a significant cinematic event, challenging traditional notions of animated films being exclusively family-friendly.

Geographic Location

• London, Greater London, United Kingdom (world premiere at BFI London Film Festival)
• Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey, United States (animation centerpiece screening at Montclair Film Festival)
• Austin, Travis County, Texas, United States (Texas premiere at Austin Film Festival)
• Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Brad Bird attending Q&A at Ottawa International Animation Festival)
• Virtual/Online (Netflix streaming release; film animated by Skydance Animation)