The Sea Beast - What We Know So Far

For the past several years, Netflix has been making a big push in the world of animation, including Oscar-nominated films such as "Klaus" and "Over The Moon" and animated projects from celebrated filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and Henry Selick. The streaming giant has shown no signs of slowing down in their continuing efforts to dominate the industry. Late in 2018, it was announced that the streamer would be teaming with Oscar-winning Disney veteran Chris Williams, the co-director of "Moana" and "Big Hero 6," for a new animated project titled "Jacob and the Sea Beast" (via Variety). 

The film has since undergone a name change and is now simply titled "The Sea Beast." Fans of animation as well as Chris Williams' previous work are anxious to see what is in store for them when the animated pic hits the streaming platform. Here's everything we know so far about "The Sea Beast" and when we can expect it to emerge from the depths.

Back when the film was announced, the film was set for a release in 2022. However, this came was before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down everything. The film could very well end up being delayed until 2023, but during the shutdown, animated productions had the benefit of allowing the creative team to work from home, as seen with shows like "Bob's Burgers" and movies like "Soul" (via Entertainment Weekly), so it is likely that the film is still on schedule. Netflix also has criteria of releasing six animated films per year (via Cartoon Brew) and they already have a lot on their plate 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's no word on how close the film is to completion, and there has been no announcement of an exact release in 2022, but judging from when Netflix has released several of its other animated titles and what else is on the docket, fans probably shouldn't expect the film until fall of next year at the earliest.

As of right now, there has been no announcement on who is among the voice cast for "The Sea Beast." Netflix can be quite unpredictable when revealing the voice cast for their animated projects, and sometimes, it can take years while other times only mere months. Netflix also doesn't appear to be as addicted to casting an A-list celebrity voice cast as other animation studios. There is always a chance that some of the talent behind Williams' previous films will lend their voices to the film, including Dwayne Johnson, Miley Cyrus, Maya Rudolph, Jamie Chung, Ryan Potter, Auliʻi Cravalho, Temuera Morrison, and Jemaine Clement. Netflix veterans are also possible in making the cast, which could include stars like Millie Bobby Brown and Will Arnett for the leads. One cast member who is likely to appear in the film is Williams himself, who is no stranger to making voice cameos in other films, such as Oaken in the "Frozen" franchise.

"The Sea Beast" is set to follow a young girl who stows away on the ship of a revered sea monster hunter. Everything the legendary sea monster hunter ever thought he knew is flipped upside down when he discovers that the girl has befriended one of the fiercest and most dangerous sea monsters in the high seas. Because the film's original title was "Jacob and the Sea Beast," it's safe to assume that Jacob will be the name of the hunter, unless the young girl was originally supposed to be Jacob in the film's early stages. 

We can likely expect to see the two lead characters form an unlikely bond. The monster designs in the film are said to be heavily inspired by the whimsical creatures that decorated maps of the high seas in the 16th and 17th centuries, so we could expect a more old fashioned design for the titular Sea Beast.