Ray Gunn Review: The Grown-Up Pixar Movie of Brad Bird’s Dreams
Director Brad Bird’s long-gestating animated film Ray Gunn has finally entered production under Skydance Animation in 2026. The retrofuturist murder mystery represents the culmination of Bird’s decades-long advocacy for animation as a serious art form rather than a children’s medium.
Bird scripted Ray Gunn before making his feature directorial debut with The Iron Giant in 1999. For nearly 25 years, he has repeatedly argued that “animation is NOT a genre” but rather “an art form that can do ANY genre,” advocating for American audiences to adopt the perspective of Japan, France, and other countries that treat animated films as legitimate works for all ages.
The project reunites Bird with longtime collaborator John Lasseter at Skydance Animation. With Ray Gunn finally becoming a reality, Bird has created what amounts to a meta-commentary on his own career arguments—a grown-up animated thriller that exemplifies his vision for what the medium can achieve beyond family entertainment. The film represents a significant moment for the director’s long-standing mission to elevate animation’s artistic status in mainstream American cinema.