The Sea Beast (2022)

This movie is a bit of a mixed bag for me. It certainly didn't make the cut for the top 5 animated movies that I have seen this year, but it was in the top 10, so it is worthy. On the up side, the story is strong on the Moby Dick themes, with a little bit of How To Train Your Dragon thrown in, and the animation itself has some of the lushness that the later films are known for. Maisie Brumble, whose parents were apparently killed at sea in a monster attack, runs away from an orphanage to stow away with Captain Crow, his first mate Jacob, and the pleasingly diverse crew of the Inevitable--there are women and women of color in charge without a hint of sexual tension to boot. The women are just competent and do their jobs. Refreshing, really. But when Jacob and Maisie get lost at sea, Maisie Crow and the rest are on a quest to kill the Red Bluster, a giant creature they end up becoming friends with the Red Bluster, which complicates everything. Overall, I liked it more than the rest of my family, and it is definitely filled with gorgeous animation, rdprcially water animation, and positive themes.