It was one of the shocks of the last Annecy Festival. The Sea Monster by Chris Williams, available on Netflix this Friday, is an adventure wonder that takes viewers back to the times when sea dragons were relentlessly hunted.
“This film was a way of paying homage to the tales that made me dream during my childhood, but adapting them to the kids of today”, explains to 20 minutes the director who made himself known by The New Heroes and Volt, star in spite of himself . An old sea bass, his more dynamic second and an intrepid orphan are upstaged by very big beasts including Red, a kind of amphibious whale which we will discover that it is perhaps not so ferocious as that .
An epic blast across the screen
The astonishing quality of the animation, both for the faces and for the landscapes and the more or less large critters, amaze you from the first images. Chris Williams’ direction breathes epic life into a set reminiscent of Pirate Island, Moby-Dick or the fantastic works of Jules Verne. “I also wanted to question the bases of the legends and invite the public to a more current reflection”, insists Chris Williams.
His film with spectacular action scenes is coupled with an ecological tale that addresses issues of responsibilities and filiation. This makes The Sea Monster recommendable for the whole family. Without sentimentality or violence, this excellent film brings an incredible epic breath to the screen. The animation has nothing to envy to live action in terms of entertainment. Everybody aboard !