The Sea Beast is a Netflix distributed animated film from Chris Williams, who co-wrote the film with Nell Benjamin. Williams might bot be a household name, but he’s a big name from the house of mouse going from story artist to writer and eventually director with films like Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Frozen, Bolt, Big Hero 6, and Moana, with the latter three involved him as a director. The Sea Beast marks his first major project outside of Disney, and working as a writer, director, and a producer. Of course, after all this time working with Disney, it’s not hard to see how those sensibilities shaped this film.
The film takes place in a fictional land a long time ago in which hunters go out to sea to take out these giant beasts who have been terrorizing ships for many years. We follow Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), a fearless warrior who works under the determined Captain Crow (Jared Harris), who find themselves in a challenge to take out “the Red Bluster,” an especially hard to kill beast. However, things become a bit complicated when a young orphan girl named Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), stows away on board, eager to learn the ways of killing the sea beasts.
The film has the whimsy and wonder that you’d find in a classic Disney film, and in many ways, it’s whole vibe reminded me of something from the Disney Renaissance of the late 80s to mid-90s. Though, it might just be because the King (Jim Carter) looks like he had his whole design copied off of Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas. Of course, there are some differences, this isn’t a musical for one, and it also has a bit more of an edge to it, taking full advantage of its PG rating, there’s drinking, a little blood, and at one point someone even says the word…*looks around to make sure no one is watching*…”ass.”
I enjoyed the film quite a bit, it’s like Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, but with sea monsters. And what can’t be improved by adding sea monsters? Granted, it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise to learn that the message of the film involves the idea that perhaps the so-called beasts are maybe not beasts at all. Which brings to mind things like How To Train Your Dragon, which doesn’t make the film feel totally original, but it’s a winning formula for a reason, and the filmmakers work to its strength.
The animation is gorgeous. Water is something that’s always been very difficult to totally render realistically, and this film manages to do so. Like a lot of mainstream American animation, many of the details with the world are made to look very realistic while the characters have somewhat exaggerated features. I do wish Williams was able to bring a more distinctive aesthetic to the film, since that is one of the biggest advantages with Netflix’s animated releases, just look at the range of stuff like Klaus, The Willoughbys, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood, and of course, all their shows. But still, the animation does look wonderful, and it’d be a shame if this never got to be played on the big screen.
I had a very good time with The Sea Beast. It has a very timeless and classical feel to it, but without feeling stale or tired. It has plenty of excitement, humor, and a sense of adventure that is very easy to get swept up in. The characters are all likeable, and easy to invest in, and the performers all do a wonderful job. Speaking of, I can’t go without giving a shout out to Dan Stevens who plays Admiral Hornagold, the delightfully detestable military commander who thinks his technologically advanced yet unwieldy ship is able to take down the Red Bluster more easily than Captain Crow’s ship. While there are certainly familiar, and predictable, elements at play here, the charm is all in the execution. The story is well told and engaging, the animation is often breathtaking, the action sequences are thrilling, and it’s ultimately got a nice message for kids. If families are looking for an alternative to the other kids movie coming out this weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru (it’s fine, it’s exactly the kind of film it’s selling you in the trailers), then I’d say this is a fine film that you can watch in the comfort of your home.
The Sea Beast is now out on Netflix.