Netflix’s plan to ensure complete and total domination of the streaming space was always going to include animation, but a lot of folks were beginning to notice that the best efforts to debut exclusively on the platform were the ones acquired from other studios, with Sony’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines an obvious example. However, The Sea Beast could see the company turn a corner.
Directed and co-written by animation veteran Chris Williams, who’d previously been involved in everything from Mulan, Tangled, and Frozen to Big Hero 6, Bolt, and Moana in various roles, the rollicking seafaring adventure stars Karl Urban as famed swashbuckler Jacob Holland, who gets more than he bargained for when Zaris-Angel Hator’s ambitious youngster Maisie Brumble stows away on his ship.
Imagine an animated version of Pirates of the Caribbean, albeit one that’s heavily indebted to Williams’ own contributions to Moana, and you’re roundabout halfway towards figuring out what The Sea Beast is, even if it’s not quite so straightforward as that. Of course, one thing that it’s already become is a certifiable smash hit, having rocketed straight to the top of the most-watched ranks.
As per FlixPatrol, The Sea Beast is currently the number one title on Netflix around the world, and has crashed right into the top spot in no less than 37 countries. Throw in a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 93 percent, and you can guarantee the wondrously entertaining, imaginative, and action-packed outing is well-placed to become the streamer’s biggest family-friendly hit of the entire summer season.