The Sea Beast

Terrifying monsters roam the high seas and the monster hunters set sail in their wake, hunting the great beasts for fortune and glory. And in this world, there is no hunter more beloved than the great Jacob Holland, which is why young Maisie Brumble has run away from her orphanage, to stowaway on his ship…

Clearly influenced by Pirates of the Caribbean, Moana, and especially How to Train your Dragon (since it tells the same basic tale), with a little bit of kaiju movies thrown in for fun, and set in the middle of a great war between man and monster, in a world that is vaguely reminiscent of The Lies Of Locke Lamora fantasy series (kinda), The Sea Beast is a great example of a good children’s movie.

Fun, funny, and entertaining. Hands down.

This was a good time.

But most of all, I was impressed with how the myriad of character motivations on display here are complex enough to perhaps prompt deeper conversations with the kids after watching, but are also completely clear as to who’s on the side of the angels, and who isn’t. The message of “you can be a good person, with the best of intentions, and still be wrong,” seems like something worth examining with the kids, especially these days. The fact that they balanced this theme with a rollicking adventure fighting monsters and pirates on the high seas is definitely laudable. And not only did they stick the landing there, but it’s really nice to see a kids’ film trust its audience enough not to spoonfeed it too.

Overall, The Sea Beast is cute and funny, with some pretty good representation, and some even better action. It sets itself up for a possible sequel too, one that, if it happens, will probably be named… The Sea Beast: Beyond the Dregmoor.

Bet.

For now, for a Not-Pixar Pixar film, it’s worth watching.