Brad Bird Unveils First 7 Minutes of Ray Gunn at SDCC 2026 — And It Looks Like the Sci-Fi Noir We Never Knew We Needed

What Is Ray Gunn and Why Should You Care?

San Diego Comic-Con 2026 just got a whole lot more interesting. On Thursday, legendary Pixar director Brad Bird — the creative mind behind The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant — took over Hall H to premiere the first seven minutes of his long-awaited animated film Ray Gunn. And honestly? The buzz is real.

This is a project Bird has been trying to get made for thirty years. Yes, three decades. He first conceived Ray Gunn back in the mid-90s, but studio after studio passed on it. Now, thanks to Netflix and Skydance Animation, this sci-fi noir detective story is finally happening — and it hits the streaming platform on December 18, 2026.

Bird himself described the film as "Buck Rogers meets The Maltese Falcon" — a hard-boiled detective mystery set in an alternate retro-future crammed with flying cars, jetpacks, and towering art deco skyscrapers. Think Blade Runner but animated, with a lot more heart and some very Looney Tunes-style slapstick sprinkled in.

Meet the Cast: Rockwell, Waits, and Alien Arms Everywhere

The voice cast alone should get you hyped. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Iron Man 2) voices the titular Ray Gunn, a square-jawed, sardonic private investigator with a good heart buried under layers of cynicism. His partner-in-crime? Eye-ra, a lanky one-eyed green alien with spider-like legs, voiced by none other than Tom Waits. Yes, that Tom Waits — the gravel-voiced singer-songwriter who last lent his unmistakable rasp to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Seven Psychopaths.

The villain of the piece is Vanzine, a towering alien described as looking like Oogie Boogie in a dress — and she has four extra arms concealed beneath her outfit, which she unleashes during a ferocious office shootout. The footage shown at SDCC features a fight sequence where Ray traps her head in a block of ice using an industrial AC unit, then — in a very Ray Gunn move — goes back to smash it open because he can"t just let her suffocate.

Metropia: The City That Steals the Show

If there"s one thing Bird emphasized during the panel, it"s the importance of Metropia, the film"s primary setting. Nearly the entire movie takes place in this one city, described as "sci-fi but very urban." Imagine Coruscant from Star Wars mashed together with Gotham City from Batman: The Animated Series, dripping with 1930s art deco aesthetics. Construction workers float around on jetpacks. Businessmen with briefcases fly through the sky. Every frame is packed with visual details — Bird promised the audience that "you can let your eye drift and there will be something for it."

The score comes from Michael Giacchino, Bird"s longtime collaborator who has scored every one of his films since The Incredibles. Giacchino made a surprise appearance at the Hall H panel and revealed the soundtrack blends "50s sci-fi, 30s and 40s noir, and some slight jazz." He also admitted his biggest worry was making sure it didn"t sound anything like The Incredibles — and assured fans it definitely doesn"t.

Why This Matters for Animation Fans

Ray Gunn isn"t just another animated movie. It"s Brad Bird returning to original storytelling after years of franchise work. His last completely original animated feature was The Incredibles way back in 2004 — everything since has been sequels (Incredibles 2), adaptations (Ratatouille was based on a book concept), or live-action (Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, Tomorrowland).

For millennials who grew up on The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, Ray Gunn feels like a homecoming. It"s also a refreshing counterpoint to the endless parade of sequels dominating the animation landscape — looking at you, Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, and Frozen 3.

Mark your calendars for December 18, 2026. If the first seven minutes are anything to go by, this might just be the most stylish animated film Netflix has ever put out.