‘The Sea Beast’ Trailer: Karl Urban Leads Netflix’s Animated Underwater Adventure

The mystical creatures of the sea swim into a new family animated feature for Netflix.

“The Sea Beast” stars voice actor Karl Urban as monster hunter Jacob Holland, who has to deal with runaway Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator) aboard his esteemed ship while his team tries to track down a fabled whale. Together, the unlikely duo join forces to enter uncharted waters and make history.

Academy Award-winning writer-director Chris Williams (“Moana,” “Big Hero Six”) is behind the latest family-friendly Netflix film, which premieres July 8. Nell Benjamin co-writes the script, and Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens, and Kathy Burke co-star in the film.

Per a previous interview with Variety, filmmaker Williams drew upon (literally) illustrations of sea creatures from 16th and 17th-century maps for inspiration. “The Sea Beast” was announced in 2018, and the film is produced by Jed Schlanger.

“The Sea Beast” marks Williams’ first solo feature directing gig. Originally titled “Jacob and the Sea Beast,” the film is the “kind of story I’ve always wanted to take on,” Williams said in a press statement at the time. “It’s a tale of high adventure where our hero leaves the known world and ventures out into uncharted waters. As it turns out, I’m doing the same thing.”

Williams is an Oscar winner for “Big Hero 6.” He was also nominated for best animated feature for “Bolt.” While “grateful for the opportunities” offered by Disney, Williams is now partnered with Netflix.

“I feel a great energy at Netflix, as amazingly talented artists from a wide variety of backgrounds are coming together to build something new,” Williams added.

Netflix has been building out its catalogue of original animated programming. Richard Linklater’s “Apollo 10 1/2: A Space-Age Adventure” debuts on the streamer on April 1 after premiering at 2022 SXSW. Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion “Pinocchio” is slated for a December 2022 release, and Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key reunite for stop-motion animated feature “Wendell & Wild.”

Meanwhile, the cast behind “The Sea Beast” have a slew of other non-nautical projects in the works. Urban returns for Prime Video’s “The Boys” Season 3, premiering June 3, and co-star Hator is set to star in upcoming drama series “The Power” about a group of teenage girls who mysteriously develop the power to electrocute people at will. Leslie Mann, Alice Eve, and John Leguizamo also star.

Check out “The Sea Beast” trailer below.

“The Sea Beast” premieres July 8 on Netflix.