Netflix has been making a huge push in the field of animation for several years, with Oscar-nominated features like “Klaus” and “Over The Moon,” as well as animated projects by famous filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Henry Selick. The streaming behemoth shows no indications of relenting in its attempts to control the market.
Late last year, it was revealed that the streaming service will collaborate with Oscar-winning Disney veteran Chris Williams, co-director of Moana and Big Hero 6, on a new animation film named Jacob and the Sea Beast.
The title of the film has subsequently been changed to just “The Sea Beast.” Fans of animation and Chris Williams’ past work are excited to see what the animated film has in store for them when it arrives on the streaming platform. Here’s everything we know so far about “The Sea Beast,” as well as when we may anticipate it to emerge from the deep.
What’s the release date for The Sea Beast?
When the film was first announced, it was scheduled to be released in 2022. However, this was before the COVID-19 epidemic knocked everything down. The picture may very well be postponed until 2023, but during the shutdown, animated projects have the luxury of allowing the creative team to work from home, as evidenced in series like “Bob’s Burgers” and movies like “Soul” (via Entertainment Weekly), thus the film is likely still on track.
Netflix also has a goal of releasing six animated films each year (via Cartoon Brew), and they currently have a full slate with del Toro’s “Pinocchio,” Selick’s “Wendell & Wild,” Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10 1/2,” Nora Twomey’s “My Father’s Dragon,” and Mark Osborne’s “Escape From Hat.”
There really is no statement on the how similar the film is to completion, and there has been no announcement of an exact release date in 2022, but fans should probably wait until the fall of next year at the earliest, based on when Netflix has released several of its other animated titles and what else is on the horizon.
Who will be casting for The Sea Beast?
As of yet, no one has been announced as part of the voice cast for “The Sea Beast.” When it comes to unveiling the voice cast for its animation projects, Netflix can be extremely unexpected, sometimes taking years and other times only a few months. Netflix also does not appear to be as obsessed with casting A-list celebrity voice actors as other animation studios.
There is still the possibility that some of the actors from Williams’ past films, such as Dwayne Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Maya Rudolph, Jamie Chung, Ryan Potter, Aulii Cravalho, Temuera Morrison, and Jemaine Clement, will give their voices to the picture. Netflix veterans might potentially join the cast, which could feature Millie Bobby Brown and Will Arnett in the major roles. Williams, who is no stranger to making voice cameos in previous films, such as Oaken in the “Frozen” trilogy, is one cast member who is expected to appear in the film.
What’s the plotline for The Sea Beast?
The story of “The Sea Beast” revolves around a little girl who stows away on the ship of a renowned sea monster hunter. When the famous sea monster hunter finds that the girl has befriended one of the toughest and most deadly sea monsters in the high seas, everything he thought he knew is turned upside down. Because the original title of the film was “Jacob and the Sea Beast,” it’s reasonable to infer that Jacob will be the name of the hunter, unless the young girl was meant to be Jacob in the film’s early phases.
We may probably anticipate the two main characters to establish an unexpected friendship. The monster designs in the film are reported to be strongly inspired by the fanciful animals that adorned high seas charts in the 16th and 17th centuries, so we may expect a more traditional look for the eponymous Sea Beast.