The sea beast

When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters - and make history to boot. When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters - and make history to boot. When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters - and make history to boot.

The Sea Beast, though a touch bloated, is an endearing, rollicking animated adventure that makes for fine summertime family fare. Hailing from Netflix Animation, the film tackles well-traveled themes but the gentle genre mix here, of pirates vs. ocean monsters, as well as some nicely executed action sequences, helps craft a fun fable about acceptance and forgiveness. Directed by Chris Williams ( Play Zaris-Angel Hator's young Maisie is one of these orphans, though she dreams of escaping to the high seas and living a life of monster-hunting like her mom and dad. The set up, establishing both Maisie and one of her heroes, Karl Urban's beast-slayer sailor Jacob, gets a little lengthy -- as there's most definitely a shorter, tighter (better?) movie in here -- but the best, most effective parts of The Sea Beast make up for the chewier parts. Each act is a teensy bit guilty of repeating moments that have already been addressed but the end result is still a fun flick with some great-looking animation. Hator and Urban create a palpable pair, emitting surrogate father/adopted daughter vibes as they bicker then bond over what's to be done about the monsters. At first, they're both on the same page, sea demon-wise, as Jacob's set to inherit the role of captain of The Inevitable from his own adopted father Captain Crow (Jared Harris) while Maisie's ditched her orphanage digs and stowed away on the ship to join her idols in serpent skewering. Then along comes "Red" -- the Moby Dick-typ...

Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. In the early days of feature-length computer animation, there was an unofficial list of objects and textures that were notoriously difficult to master, with hair, water, and human faces chief among them. Netflix’s new animated feature The Sea Beast shows how far the medium has come over the last few decades — but it simultaneously shows how uninspired big-budget animation can still look, sometimes moments after it delivers a visual wow. Specifically, this ocean-set adventure story deploys mega-gallons of computer-animated water with great skill. On the surface, as hunter ships prowl the sea for fearsome beasts that supposedly threaten humanity, the water shimmers and churns. Underneath, when sailors are occasionally dragged down to face enormous, kaiju-esque creatures, the murk creates a spare, ethereal beauty. The creatures themselves are a wonder of economical design: cartoony enough for readable expressions, imposing enough to put a good, momentary scare into smaller audience members. So why is every human in this overpopulated story so dull to look at? The most distinctive by default is Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), a young...

Maisie Bramble is introduced early in “ Obsessed with the seafaring hunters who traverse oceans tracking and killing giant sea monsters, Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator) is first shown regaling her fellow orphans with stories about these warriors’ heroics by candlelight before the children are caught breaking curfew. It’s also hinted that she routinely breaks out of the children’s home. Maisie “is just a force of nature,” said “The Sea Beast” director Chris Williams during a recent phone call. She’s “a character that is absolutely determined to go after what she wants. And if she sees an obstacle, she’ll go through it, around it, under it, but she will achieve what she’s after.” Action-packed, gorgeously animated and actually about something, “The Sea Beast” sets the early pace in the Oscar race. A sweeping animated action adventure, “The Sea Beast,” now streaming on Netflix, is set in a world where terrifying sea monsters terrorizing ships and coastal towns have led to the rise of maritime hunters that protect the defenseless populace. Maisie’s goal is to join the crew of a hunting ship in order to “live a great life” fighting these giant sea beasts, much like her parents did before they died. Partly inspired by (Netflix) “I love the movies where characters leave the known world and adventure into the unknown,” said Williams, who also co-wrote “The Sea Beast” screenplay with Nell Benjamin. “Something about the uncharted islands; the mysteries that lay beyond the horiz...

Maisie Brumble, the feisty protagonist of The Sea Beast, is a small girl with a gigantic personality and off-the-charts chutzpah. As the story opens she’s determined to claim her place in her seafaring country’s monster-hunting tradition; by the time it wraps, she’s turned that tradition inside out, in ways that are not only incisive and profound but deeply affecting. Chris Williams, whose helming credits include Big Hero 6 and The frenetic busyness of the opening sequences might suggest we’re being lured into familiar, action-heavy animation territory. To be sure, there’s plenty of strong action, battles and otherwise, in The Sea Beast, along with leavening touches of the sweet and adorable. But as Maisie’s tale unfolds, the questions that she and the movie ask defy expectations. There’s a subversive edge to the film’s idealism as it aims its sights at war, greed and hypocrisy, leaving official lies dismantled and edifices crumbled and, crucially, making way for much better things. Release date: Friday, July 8 Cast: Director: Chris Williams Screenwriters: Chris Williams, Nell Benjamin Rated PG, 1 hour 55 minutes Set in a world of fantastic creatures and tall-ships verisimilitude circa 1700, The Sea Beast weds cartoon stylization with striking photorealism. The rendering of water — the movie’s main milieu — is especially powerful, whether the filmmakers are capturing its surface roil and glitter or plunging into its tranquil depths. The skies have a breathtaking eloquence ...