Netflix has a new blockbuster movie on its hands, and the streamer should learn a valuable lesson from the fact that it's an animated film.
The Sea Beast, an intrepid CGI adventure film from the mind of Chris Williams, whose credits include Frozen II (writer), Moana (writer) and Big Hero 6 (director), received critical acclaim ahead of its release on January 8. July.
The Netflix film stars The Boys' Karl Urban as Jacob Holland, a legendary hunter who leads his motley crew on numerous missions to kill the ocean's deadliest sea monsters. However, when a stowaway girl named Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator) ends up befriending the most dangerous sea creature of all, Jacob and his fellow hunters begin to realize that these supposedly deadly beasts are much more than meets the eye. . And, with the villainous Captain Raven (The Foundation's Jared Harris) hunting down the monster Maisie befriends, it's up to Jacob and company to protect him from harm.
Netflix's latest family movie doesn't seem to be reinventing things from a story perspective or archetypal character. However, that didn't stop critics from praising the film.
Prior to the public release of The Sea Beast, the film has a new certified critical rating of 92% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes (opens in a new tab). That's an impressive score to reach for pre-release, one that will propel The Sea Beast into the Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 Movies list on Netflix (opens in a new tab) (based on critical ratings). As of this writing, The Sea Beast has not made it to this list. However, once it's ready, it will sit alongside other fan-favorite movies available on Netflix, including Full Metal Jacket, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Da 5 Bloods, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Uncut Gems. Not bad for an animated movie, huh?
On IMDb.com, The Sea Beast (opens in a new tab) with a score of 7,9 out of 10 (that is, among critics) would rank it tied for second on the movie list. new tab). Only 2019's Klaus, a Christmas-themed fantasy film, beats The Sea Beast with a rating of 8.1 out of 10. It included former Black Widow actress Scarlett Johansson and former Star Wars actor Adam Driver.
Of course, The Seas Beast's ratings are sure to change once Netflix subscribers get a chance to stream it. However, there's no denying that it resonates with critics, and it's rare for a Netflix movie, an animated movie, no less, to get a rating above 90% among commentators in the entertainment industry. Just look at the mixed to lackluster reception that Netflix's big-budget movies like The Adam Project or Red Notice have received from reviews to see how impressive The Sea Beast's score really is.
And that's a big deal, especially considering the fact that Netflix slashed and canceled many projects in its in-house animation department earlier this year.
The streaming giant has suffered unprecedented losses in 2022 so far, shedding 200 subscribers earlier in the year and enduring its slowest quarterly growth period in over 000 months (opens in a new tab). Unsurprisingly, Netflix's financial troubles have caused the company to lay off employees and cancel numerous shows, with the bulk of those cancellations and layoffs affecting Netflix's animation department. The company's internal fan website, Tudum, was also affected, though not to the same extent as its animation team.
However, the critical success of The Sea Beast proves that Netflix was wrong to primarily remove its animation department. The streamer continues to move forward with the development of movies starring top-tier actors. Meanwhile, Netflix is still trying to successfully turn iconic anime and manga series, like Death Note and One Piece, into live-action properties.
Netflix subscribers, however, have shown that they are not only interested in this type of production. Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop TV show was discontinued when it premiered last year; Netflix later canceled the series after a lonely season. As mentioned above, Netflix's original movie offerings don't always fit the bill with fans and critics.
The Sea Beast shows that there is still an audience for animated movies and shows, and potentially a big one. Arcane, Castlevania, The Mitchells Vs. the Machines, Klaus, and Love, Death & Robots have proven that Netflix subscribers enjoy animation just as much as their live-action counterparts. With the critical acclaim that The Sea Beast and its contemporaries have garnered, Netflix shouldn't cut back on its animation department, but rather pump more money into it.
For more Netflix-based content, check out our pick of the 10 best original movies on Netflix.
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