Hollywood met retro-futurism at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 10 October, as Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino arrived for the world premiere of Ray Gunn at the 70th BFI London Film Festival. The latest animated feature from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brad Bird, Ray Gunn blends classic detective noir with science fiction, Art Deco design and a distinctly 1930s vision of tomorrow.
For Bird, best known for The Incredibles, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant, the premiere was particularly significant. The project has been in development for more than three decades, predating some of his most celebrated work.
Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Michael Giacchino at the London premiere
On the blue carpet, Scarlett Johansson brought Hollywood glamour to the Southbank in a striking strapless red gown, joining Sam Rockwell, Brad Bird and composer Michael Giacchino for the film’s world premiere.
Johansson’s casting as Venus Nova, a celebrity navigating scandal and public scrutiny, adds another layer to the film’s exploration of fame and public perception, while Rockwell lends his voice to the hard-boiled detective at the centre of the story.
Also attending was Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, whose credits include Up, Ratatouille and The Batman. Distract caught up with Giacchino on the red carpet, asking which emotion he finds most challenging to communicate through music.
Reflecting on the difficulty of expressing sadness authentically, Giacchino spoke about the delicate relationship between a composer’s own feelings and the emotions unfolding on screen. His response offered a glimpse into the creative decisions behind cinematic storytelling, where music must do more than simply accompany the visuals.
Our separate interview feature explores Giacchino’s thoughts on emotional authenticity and the art of making sadness feel real through film music.
Ray Gunn: A retro-futuristic world with a dark side
Set in an alternative 1939, Ray Gunn follows private detective Raymond Gunn (voiced by Sam Rockwell) through Metropia, a sprawling futuristic city where humans and aliens coexist, but power and corruption remain firmly embedded in society.
When a murder investigation draws him into the orbit of controversial superstar Venus Nova (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), Gunn finds himself navigating a world of celebrity, scandal and criminal intrigue.
The film’s visual identity is among its most intriguing elements. Drawing on Art Deco architecture and the stylised atmosphere of classic Hollywood noir, Metropia imagines a future of towering skyscrapers, flying cars and technological ambition.
Yet beneath that polished vision lies something less optimistic.
The contrast between glamour and corruption is familiar territory for noir, but placing it within an imagined future gives Ray Gunn a contemporary resonance. Technological progress doesn’t necessarily eliminate society’s darker instincts, and celebrity culture remains as powerful and complicated as ever.
There’s also something compelling about revisiting the future as earlier generations imagined it. Rather than presenting tomorrow through today’s technological lens, Bird draws on a period when futuristic design was shaped by modernist optimism, architectural experimentation and a fascination with what might be possible.
Brad Bird and the art of bringing a 30-year vision to life
Bird has long approached animation as a cinematic medium without rigid boundaries.
From the emotional storytelling of The Iron Giant to the superhero satire of The Incredibles and the richly constructed culinary world of Ratatouille, his work has consistently combined entertainment with a distinctive visual perspective.
Ray Gunn takes that approach into a different genre, borrowing from the atmosphere and moral ambiguity of 1940s detective cinema.
Its lengthy development also speaks to a wider reality of creative work: some ideas survive long beyond their original moment.
First conceived more than 30 years ago, the project has evolved through significant changes in animation technology and the film industry itself. Its eventual arrival raises an interesting question about what it takes to preserve an original creative vision while the medium around it continues to change.
For Bird, Ray Gunn is an opportunity to revisit an idea from the beginning of his career with the resources and experience of a filmmaker whose work has helped shape contemporary feature animation.
When is Ray Gunn released in cinemas and on Netflix?
Following its world premiere at BFI London Film Festival, Ray Gunn is scheduled for a limited theatrical release, including selected 70mm screenings, on 4 December 2026, before arriving globally on Netflix on 18 December 2026.
At a time when animation continues to expand its creative and cinematic possibilities, Ray Gunn arrives with an ambitious aesthetic and an interesting history of its own.
Whether audiences connect with Bird’s particular vision of the future remains to be seen. But after more than three decades in development, Ray Gunn is finally making the journey from long-held idea to the big screen.
Watch the Ray Gunn trailer below.
Distract attended the world premiere of Ray Gunn at the 70th BFI London Film Festival on 10 October 2026.
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