‘The Sea Beast' is a Charming, Animated Adventure

For a young imagination, there is something uniquely captivating about a stowaway story on the high seas.

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The stakes are great, but the adventure is so far removed from any reality most kids know that it becomes a purely transportive experience. It is a fantasy you can get wrapped up in and put away when it’s over.

Disney veteran Chris Williams (“Big Hero 6”) said it was the rollicking adventures he grew up watching, “King Kong,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Treasure Island” and “Lawrence of Arabia” among them, that made him want to make movies. And with “ The Sea Beast,” an animated fantasy adventure which debuts on Netflix on Friday, Williams, who directed and co-wrote, has made something quite winning for all ages.

In this world, which seems to be set in some gilded, imaginary kingdom in the late 17th century, giant, colorful sea monsters roam the Dregmorr Sea and are great threats to towns and ships. Monster hunting has become a fulltime job for brave seafarers, many of whom are essentially celebrities whose adventures and daring are written about in books cherished by children.