By: Andrew Wing

The Sea Beast is a 2022 computer-animated adventure film directed by Chris Williams (Bolt, Big Hero 6), who co-wrote the screenplay with Nell Benjamin (most noted for her work in musical theater) and produced with Jed Schlanger. The film stars the voices of Karl Urban (Thor: Ragnarok, The Boys), Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris (The Crown, Chernobyl), and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Blindspot, Homecoming).

It tells the story of a young orphan girl, Maisie Brumble (Hator), who joins a group of sea monster hunters on their search for the elusive Red Bluster.

The film began a limited theatrical release on June 24, 2022, before debuting on Netflix on July 8, 2022.

THE GOOD

Going into 2022, The Sea Beast wasn’t even on my radar. Even going into this month, I hadn’t even heard a peep about it. But it didn’t take long after it was released on Netflix to see that it was getting good reviews everywhere. And after finally watching the trailer, I was hooked. It felt like Pirates of the Caribbean, yet only an animated version and that was right up my alley. Seriously though, I grew up watching the Disney Pixar films just like everyone else my age, but in the past couple of years I have fallen back in love with all animated movies, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Also, this movie has been getting some early buzz when it comes to getting a Best Animated Feature nomination at the Oscars next year, and me being the Oscar fanatic I am, I just couldn’t resist. But enough of the chit-chat, let’s dive into this review!

Alright, I won’t beat around the bush, The Sea Beast was a fun time! It was an epic adventure of an open sea ship battling against giant sea monsters, so what’s not to love about that? I was really impressed with Chris William’s direction here, and I wasn’t surprised when I saw that he had previously worked on two other solid animated movies in Bolt and Big Hero 6. Speaking of being impressed, I was very impressed by the sense of scale this film had. It was large, and it really felt like a Pirates of the Caribbean tale, but only in an animated PG version. But what was arguably more impressive was how well developed all of the characters were, and that’s just a huge testament to William’s direction and the screenplay we got from Nell Benjamin.

Another reason we loved these characters other than how well-developed they were was because of the voices behind them. The best voice of the talented voice cast was without a doubt Karl Urban. He just has an iconic New Zealand accent, and it’s impossible not to be a fan of it. You’ll agree with me if you watch the Amazon superhero series The Boys, which is probably one of the best shows out right now, but I’d say the audiences between that show and this movie wouldn’t be too similar, so I’ll stop myself. Another great voice in the cast was Jared Harris. He just has a great voice too that’s perfect for animated movies, and he was excellent as the antagonist in this. And finally, I’d be remiss to not bring up the vocal performance from the young Zaris-Angel Hator who voices the main character here. She was fantastic and she was a huge reason why the movie worked so well.

At the end of the day, this is a computer-animated adventure movie that is meant for kids but can definitely still be enjoyed by anyone, so I won’t be writing a dissertation on this. That said, I can’t finish highlighting things I enjoyed without talking about the animation in The Sea Beast. I really found it to be stunning and I loved the look of all of the sea monsters we got in this. I was utterly captivated whenever they were on the screen, and it’s no surprise how good the animation was given who was behind it in Sony Pictures Imageworks and Netflix Animation. I’m pretty sure the last time Sony and Netflix teamed up on an animated movie, it was for The Mitchells vs. the Machines (see my full review here) which was easily my favorite animated movie from last year.

THE BAD

Just like I won’t be writing a dissertation on this because it’s ultimately a movie meant for kids, I also won’t be critiquing it a bunch. This movie is a lot of fun and I had a good time with it. That said, there is one big problem with it that made me take off a lot of points, and that is the film’s runtime. It comes in at just under two hours, and if you’re asking me, that is way too long for an animated movie.

When I was about to hit play on Netflix, I saw the runtime and I audibly gasped. I mean it was well-paced and it flowed nicely, but the movie is meant for kids at the end of the day, and most kids have a short attention span, so I was just confused why they decided to have this be so long. I also thought some of the sound work was a bit choppy from time to time but other than that and the runtime, this movie was smooth sailing.

THE VERDICT

Backed by stunning animation and a great voice cast led by Karl Urban, The Sea Beast is a computer-animated epic adventure of open sea ship battles against giant sea monsters that was a good time from start to finish and a pleasant surprise.

Sure, it could’ve been much shorter if you ask me, but nevertheless, I’d still recommend checking it out as audiences of any age range will be able to enjoy this one.