The Sea Beast

There was a time when children’s stories were frequently about hunting and killing, going on expeditions, engaging in the rites of manhood as they were then. These tropes don’t sit easily in an age when numerous species teeter on the brink of destruction, masculine aggression is no longer vaunted in most contexts and society at large has noticed that girls exist – but does that mean we have to say goodbye to perilous journeys into undiscovered territory, or the thrill of the chase? Sea Beast is one of several films which have tried to find a new way of telling such tales. It doesn’t have much narrative sophistication, but it’s impressively animated and well developed, well acted characters make it an entertaining watch.

Foremost among them is Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator), a little girl with a big grudge against the notorious beast said to have killed her parents. Looking for revenge – and adventure – she escapes from her orphanage and runs away to sea to join her hero, legendary monster hunter Jacob Holland (Karl Urban). His plans to take her straight back again are disrupted by an encounter with enormous red sea beast the Bluster, and the pair end up marooned. it so happens that the island on which they’re trapped is the place where the Bluster is raising its young, and after a series of scares, first the girl and then the sailor come to realise that the beasts don’t want to eat people – that they have simply been responding to mistreatment, and that they and the people of the city could be friends.

Of course, ending a war is a lot harder than starting one. Maisie gradually comes to understand that there are a lot of vested interests in the status quo, and that the king and queen who rule over the city have no intention of letting peace break out. Nor has Captain Crow (Jared Harris), who is technically Jacob’s boss and has an Ahab-style obsession with killing the Bluster. Overcoming these enemies presents a different kind of challenge, and before the end, Jacob will be forced to reassess his own past and find a way of reconciling his good intentions, the heroic reputation which he has enjoyed, and the reality of what he has done.

There are quite complex issues here for children to engage with, but they’re presented in an accessible way, and repeat viewings will prompt kids to ask different questions as they get older. There’s also some cheeky humour which even the youngest will appreciate, along with entertaining sequences of physical comedy. The cute baby monsters – one of which Maisie adopts – will tug at the heartstrings of many a viewer. They’re brought to life by wonderfully fluid animation, which also gives the stormy sea sequences a proper sense of power and danger. Parts of this will be scary for sensitive children, as will the prolonged sequence near the end when it looks like the Bluster is in serious danger. There’s plenty of subsequent reassurance, but parents should be ready to handle tears in the meantime.

With its bright colour palette, lively action and appealing heroine, Sea Beast is well targeted at a young audience and a pleasant enough watch for adults, even if it feels a bit by-the-numbers in places. It won’t join the ranks of great maritime yarns, but it’s an adventure with spirit, nonetheless.