FILM #17
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“THE SEA BEAST”
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
NETFLIX
DAY 24
OF 48
Best ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
Filled with a talented voice cast including Karl Urban and Jared Harris, “The Sea Beast” looks at a world where pirates are hunters of sea creatures. Harris voices Captain Crow, the epitome of a pirate whose adventures revolve solely around finding the elusive red sea beast. When the king and queen pose Crow with an ultimatum to kill the beast once and for all, he throws out all his morals to get the job done and keep the “hunter” life alive. But it’s his second in command, Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), and a child stowaway Maisie that find that there might be more to the beasts than just destruction.
“The Sea Beast” does not reinvent the pirate film and does little to push forward the animation genre. The beasts are some of the worst animations I’ve seen from an Oscar-nominated movie in quite some time, with little to no detail even shown to them. The story is decent enough to keep your attention, and some action sequences are reminiscent of Godzilla. But you wish they made the creatures more memorable than amorphous blobs.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
Chris Williams
| 87th Academy Awards (2014) | Best Animated Feature Film | “Big Hero 6” | WINNER |
| 81st Academy Awards (2008) | Best Animated Feature Film | “Bolt” | Nominee |
Jed Schlanger
| First-time nominee |
In an era when terrifying beasts roamed the seas, monster hunters were celebrated heroes — and none were more beloved than the great Jacob Holland. But when young Maisie Brumble stows away on his fabled ship, he’s saddled with an unexpected ally. Together they embark on an epic journey into uncharted waters and make history. From Academy Award winning filmmaker Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero Six, Bolt), The Sea Beast takes us to where the map ends, and the true adventure begins.
Directed by Chris Williams
Netflix
June 24, 2022
115 minutes
ACCOLADES
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards — Best Animated Feature Film (Nominee)
Annie Awards — Best Animated Feature (Nominee)
Visual Effects Society Awards — Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature (Nominee)
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
2. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
3. “Turning Red”
4. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
5. “The Sea Beast”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
2. “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
4. “Turning Red”
5. “The Sea Beast”
