The Sea Beast

 is an animated adventure movie directed by Chris Williams.

The movie tells the story of Jacob Holland, a legendary sea monster hunter whose life is turned upside down when a young girl, Maisie Brumble, stows away on his ship and finds an unlikely friend in a terrifying sea monster.

This project was first announced in 2018 and was originally titled Jacob and the Sea Beast and was pitched as "A charming seafarer sails into uncharted waters and discovers an unlikely ally in a sea monster."

Summary
"The life of a legendary sea monster hunter is turned upside down when a young girl stows away on his ship."

- Official Netflix synopsis

"When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot."

- Official Netflix synopsis

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.

Plot
For hundreds of years, sea monsters have surfaced to wreak havoc against mankind. In response, sailors venture outward on their ships to hunt the beasts across the ocean, the most famous of these being the crew of "The Inevitable"; led by the legendary Captain Crow, his first mate Sarah Sharpe, and his adopted son Jacob Holland. They are financially backed by the King and Queen of The Crown, who have established a distinguished society dubbed Three Bridges. After being nearly killed during a hunt, Crow tells Jacob that he will make him captain once they kill a female beast known as the Red Bluster that took his eye.

The crew returns to Three Bridges to collect payment for their latest catch, but are told by the King and Queen that they will soon be replaced by a naval vessel named "The Imperator", headed by Admiral Hornagold, who will carry on the hunting of sea beasts in their place. Jacob proposes that his crew be given one more chance to kill the Red Bluster to continue hunting beasts in their name should they succeed, which the King and Queen accept but turn it into a “race” between the inevitable and the imperator. Crow accepts this.

After they depart, the crew discovers that an orphaned girl named Maisie Brumble has stowed away on the ship to join them, having been inspired to do so by her late parents who died during a hunt. She is then taken in for a while by Sharpe. Later, the Inevitable finds and attacks the Red Bluster. Against Crow's orders, Jacob hesitantly allows Maisie to cut a rope connecting the ship to the Bluster, which saves the crew, but lets the Bluster escape and throws Jacob and Maisie into the sea while the red bluster retreats. Angered, Crow holds both of them at gunpoint and demands Jacob bring Maisie to him before the Bluster emerges from the depths and swallows Maisie and Jacob whole.

The Bluster takes Jacob and Maisie to an isolated island populated by several other beasts. Maisie discovers that the Bluster is not malicious and makes an acquaintance with the beast, naming her Red. Maisie begins to believe that the monsters are really just misunderstood creatures, which Jacob denies. She also befriends a smaller creature she names Blue. After Red saves them from a large crab beast, Jacob and Maisie convince her to take them to Rum Pepper island, so they can secure a ship to return to Three Bridges.

Believing Jacob to be dead, Crow slips into vengeful obsession over his desire to kill Red. He seeks out an elderly merchant named Gwen Batterbie, who gives Crow a poison powerful enough to kill Red and a massive harpoon. While on Red's back, Jacob and Maisie bond with the creature and each other. Jacob slowly grows to support Maisie's belief of the beasts being innocent and comes to renounce his ways as a hunter. They reach Rum Pepper Island but discover that the Imperator and Hornagold are stationed there. Red attacks the vessel, which rains hail fire at the beast with cannons, one of them wounding Maisie. Before the beast can kill Hornagold after she destroys the Imperator, Jacob momentarily stops her from doing so. Red spots the Inevitable and attacks, but is shot with the poison-tipped harpoon and nearly dies, with Crow keeping her alive long enough to bring her to The Crown as a trophy.

Maisie is nursed back to health, but then imprisoned in her room aboard the Inevitable as it arrives at Three Bridges with Red in tow. Blue frees Maisie, and upon noticing that The Crown's sigil is featured in all the books about sea beasts and their hunters, she realizes that they are propaganda created by The Crown to extend their rule, and the creatures were only acting in self-defense. In front of a large gathering of civilians, Crow prepares to publicly execute Red before being stopped by Jacob. Crow and Jacob fight with Crow knocking Jacob into the water, while Maisie and Sharpe, who begins to believe Maisie's worldview of the beasts as well, free Red from her binds. Maisie and Jacob convince Red to spare Crow, and they subsequently expose The Crown for their deceptions. The kingdom renounces its beliefs about the beasts, including Crow.

With Red and the other sea beasts left alone, Maisie, Blue, and Jacob begin their new lives together as a family.

Cast and Characters

 * Karl Urban as Jacob Holland
 * Zaris-Angel Hator as Maisie Brumble
 * Jared Harris as Captain Crow
 * Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sarah Sharpe
 * Dan Stevens as Admiral Hornagold
 * Kathy Burke as Gwen Batterbie
 * Jim Carter as The King
 * Doon Mackichan as The Queen

Monsters

 * The Red Bluster (Red)
 * Blue
 * The Brickleback
 * The Purple Crustacean