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From the mind of Academy Award-winner, Chris Williams (“Big Hero Six”, “Moana”) comes a new animated adventure from Netflix. The Sea Beast follows lovable pirate Jacob Holland (Karl Urban) and stowaway girl, Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator) as they embark on a treacherous journey to find a legendary sea beast.

Set in a fictional 17th Century kingdom, the King and Queen have hired Captain Crow (Jared Harris) of The Inevitable to hunt down the titular sea beast. Alongside his surrogate son, Jacob, they set out to hunt down the beast so they can claim their earnings. Unfortunately, a young stowaway by the name of Maisie puts a kink in their plans and through a series of events, Jacob and Maisie find themselves separated from The Inevitable and at the mercy of the sea beast.

The Dynamic Duo

Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE and Karl Urban as JACOB HOLLAND in The Sea Beast
THE SEA BEAST – Zaris-Angel Hator as MAISIE BRUMBLE and Karl Urban as JACOB HOLLAND. Cr: Netflix © 2022

If done right, stowaway stories can be fun and exciting, and The Sea Beast certainly falls into that category. It’s by no means the best-animated film in the world or even the best Netflix Animation film, but its rambunctious characters make up for its otherwise generic plot.

Nell Benjamin and Chris Williams’ screenplay may not bring anything new to the table, but what The Sea Beast lacks in originality is made up by the chemistry between Jacob and his new surrogate daughter, Maisie. We spend a large majority of the movie with just the two of them and this otherwise “okay” film only grows better and better the more time we spend with them.

Jared Harris as CAPTAIN CROW in the Sea Beast
THE SEA BEAST – Jared Harris as CAPTAIN CROW. Cr: Netflix © 2022

Karl Urban’s performance of Jacob is one of his best performances outside of The Boys. Despite his accent being a peculiar Kiwi-British mix, his performance as a whole is fantastic and he shows he’s more than capable of voicing animated characters.

As for Matilda alumni, Zaris-Angel Hator, this is only her third film, but you would think she’s been voice acting for years. Hator brings in the charm, humour and professionalism of a seasoned veteran, which all help create what is probably one of the best performances in the entire movie.

It should also be noted that Benjamin and Williams have written The Sea Beast with adults in mind. It very much is a family film, but it is written in such a way that adults can enjoy it as well. The movie doesn’t shy away from aspects that you wouldn’t typically find in a children’s adventure, where the characters happily drink alcohol and even swear.

Alarmingly Amazing Animation

THE SEA BEAST – (Pictured) Zaris-Angel Hator as Maisie Brumble. Cr: NETFLIX © 2022

As previously stated, The Sea Beast isn’t the greatest animated film in recent years, but it certainly does have some of the best character animations I’ve seen. Yes, the characters are very much 3D-animated in the vein of Walt Disney Animation Studios, but they’ve been created in such a way that makes them look incredibly unique – to the point that I would argue that some characters look real enough that they could be stop-motion marionettes.

The action sequences are among the best you’ll see in animation. It’s filled with a stylised flair that makes these scenes as exciting as they are captivating.

The Sea Beast does feel like it’s Netflix’s answer to How To Train Your Dragon, it even has a similar-looking beast, and while it’s not as good as the Dragon movies, it certainly is a good start that has left me eager for more adventures with Jacob and Maisie.

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This article was edited by Sarah Taylor.

2 Comments on “‘The Sea Beast’ Review: A Harmless and Charming Adventure At Sea for Everyone”

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