Now That It's Nominated For An Oscar, Will You Finally Watch Netflix's The Sea Beast?
Oscar nomination day is often the most exciting and insufferable day of the year for film fans, as we all dedicate far too much time and energy into debating whether or not a group of rich, wealthy, and powerful industry folks made the "right" judgment call on artistic contributions to the world of cinema. I try my best to not hurt my own feelings by getting personally invested in the outcomes, but it's hard to make that emotional separation when you love movies more than anything else in the world. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this conflict, where you want to pretend like none of this matters while knowing deep down, it uh, sort of matters a lot.
Historically speaking, the Best Animated Feature category is where I have the hardest time not getting worked up in my feels about the results. Last year was particularly embarrassing for the Academy after they egregiously decided to declare animated films as "only for children," a complete disregard for the remarkable work done in the medium of adult animation, as well as a gross way to imply animated films appropriate for all ages are somehow "lesser than."
This year's nominees are particularly fantastic, with "Turning Red," "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," and "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" all shoo-ins for the big day. But it's the addition of Netflix's "The Sea Beast" that was a delightful surprise to see make the cut, considering this fantastic, anti-imperialist seafaring adventure film has been given the "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" treatment all throughout the awards season.
The Sea Beast didn't get the FYC campaign it deserved
I have complicated feelings about the way studios push their For Your Consideration campaigns, in the sense that I think all films deserve ridiculously niche merch but find it ethically weird that it typically comes in the form of thinly-veiled bribery for awards voting bodies. It's also usually an obvious display of what film the studio has the most faith in bringing home the golden statues.
Netflix released six eligible titles for Best Animated Feature this past year: "The Sea Beast," "Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood," "Drifting Home," "My Father's Dragon," "Wendell & Wild," and "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." Of the six, there was a clear favorite picked by Netflix, as the FYC campaign for "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" was aggressive, effective, and inescapable. Don't get me wrong, this is not a knock on "Pinocchio," which I absolutely loved, but it would have been wonderful to see any of the other eligible titles given the same attention from their distributor.
"The Sea Beast" is an absolute marvel in its execution of giant monsters, beautiful aquatic landscapes, and animation's greatest foe, ropes, all elements that deserved to be highlighted and spoken about with the same reverence as the undeniably impressive stop-motion in "Pinocchio." And I'm sure there are plenty who assume the recognizable name of Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro had much to do with the decision to go all-in on "Pinocchio," but that is selling "The Sea Beast" director, Chris Williams, short. After all, he is also an Oscar-winning director, having won for "Moana" after being nominated for "Bolt" and "Big Hero 6."
The Sea Beast is enjoyable for all ages (including old ones)
If there's a unifying theme across this year's nominated features, it's that while all films are suitable for all ages, there are themes and messages hidden within the story that are far more impactful for adult viewers. Much has been said about the generational healing provided by a film like "Turning Red," the whimsical melancholy of identity and loneliness in "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," and the explorations of grief in "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," but there's been little discussion surrounding the resonant themes in "The Sea Beast." This is odd, considering the film was supposedly Netflix's sixth-most-watched English-language release of 2022.
Judging Netflix's metrics is hard enough with their "trust us, bro" method of number sharing, but judging animated numbers is even harder, considering how many parents use streaming services as de facto babysitters, like the woman who watched "The Bee Movie" 357 times in one year because it was the only thing that kept her newborn from crying. There's no real way to figure out how many viewing hours of "The Sea Beast" weren't just kids watching the film over and over again, but considering the lack of adult-led discussions of the film online, it feels safe to assume "The Sea Beast" was a film many adults didn't invest time in watching ... or perhaps, the reason was for something even more peculiar.
The Sea Beast was extremely popular with 'flyover' states
In trying to figure out why there were so few adults or critics loudly championing the film online, I did a little digging and checked out the Google trends for both "The Sea Beast" and "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." Shockingly, both films had roughly the same number of people searching for the film or related topics at the time of their release. What differed wildly, however, is where these searches were coming from. "Pinocchio" was the clear front-runner in states like California, New York, Illinois, and Texas, while "The Sea Beast" dominated in the so-called "flyover states." Considering the majority of critics are located in cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Austin ... it makes complete sense that the discussions would be dominated by "Pinocchio."
Google
In a weird way, it feels like "The Sea Beast" is to "Pinocchio" what Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" is to most TV critics' circles. Sure, the series isn't a critical darling like "Severance" or "The White Lotus," but that didn't stop it from being the most-watched show of 2022. Despite their overwhelming support of "Pinocchio," Netflix must believe there's a future with "The Sea Beast," as they've already greenlit a sequel and signed an overall deal with director Chris Williams. It's obvious that "The Sea Beast" was clearly watched and well-liked, but the conversations surrounding the film's greatness look to have been stifled due to a multitude of factors.
Give yourself the treat of The Sea Beast
Above all else, "The Sea Beast" is genuinely incredible. It's an adventure story with larger-than-life creatures and a delightful cast of characters all wrapped in a morality tale about the ways the government lies to its people to maintain control. It's a story about a family being what you make it, and the way representation can genuinely change lives. "The Sea Beast" is a fantastic example of why the animation medium is so important because telling a story like this in live-action would have been next to impossible. Animation made "The Sea Beast" possible, and it's wonderful to see this underdog film get the rightful nomination it deserves.
As you binge the nominated films in advance of this year's Oscars ceremony, give yourself the treat of watching "The Sea Beast." Don't just throw it on Netflix and hope the giant monsters mesmerize your kids — actually sit down and watch it. Chances are, you'll be blown away by the artistry and heartfelt tale, and understand why this film deserves to be in contention with its contemporaries.
"The Sea Beast" is currently streaming on Netflix.