‘The Sea Beast’ Review: Netflix’s Latest Animated Film Is An Escapist Adventure

As a sensory piece of wide-screen animation that’s as beautiful as it is unexpected, “The Sea Beast” is a gorgeous escape. But it’s not entirely unexpected, as the film is also the solo feature debut for animator Chris Williams, known for his work on “Frozen” and John Musker‘s splashy, Oscar-nominated “Moana,” a film with similar nautical pleasures.

“The Sea Beast” takes place on the azure plains of a magical world where beasts intermingle with humans and oceans sway with music. As written by Williams and Nell Benjamin, “The Sea Beast” has a lot in common with “Moana,” especially when our hero sets out on a voyage. In fact, its story of Jacob Holland, the captain of a ship on the Ivory Coast, at times feels like a mashup between “Moana,” “Encanto” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” another animated flick about a boy who learns to love the monsters he was born to hate, hunt and despise. Maybe those creatures are actually kinda…cute? Cuddly? Harmless?

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Jacob (Karl Urban) aims to catch every fish in the sea, a goal he set for himself after his father died in a boating accident, but there seems to be more to these fish than just large scales and sharp teeth. There appears to be a human quality about them, a soul beneath those frames that make Jaws look like a minnow and Moby Dick look like a tadpole. There aren’t many people who see things that way, though, mainly because their history books have taught them that fish have been killing humans for centuries when really it’s the other way around. It’s the king who hires Jacob to kill a monster that is minding its own business, a monster so huge it can take out a ship with a swing of its red tail.

It isn’t long before he’s thrust into battle, with sailors leaping off the side of the ship, cannonballs tearing across the sky, and a virtual camera diving under the surface to find a creature wrapped around a mossy hull. Jacob tries to save a girl (Zaris Hator) who has lost her way on board, stepping between her and the beast, but the monster swallows them both whole and swims to a nearby island. There, the two survivors move from wanting to kill the fish to teaming up with the fish to find their crew.

The animation style is crisp, cool, and vibrant. Though nothing innovative in terms of aesthetics, the animation fits the themes and mood of the film and appeals to the audience of youngsters who just want to be whisked away by ocean vistas. The plot moves as briskly as a ship sailing across the sea, which should please young viewers. While “The Sea Beast” has some timely messages, it’s mainly just a chance to escape from our living rooms. [B-]