In a year that saw Netflix release critically-acclaimed animated films like “Wendell & Wild” and “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” it was the similarly-revered “The Sea Beast” that wound up becoming the most-viewed Netflix animated movie of all time in 2022, per THR. Notably, the film doesn’t end with any sequel teases and works perfectly well as a standalone story, much like the first “How to Train Your Dragon” movie. But as with “HTTYD,” the fantasy setting of “The Sea Beast” is ripe for further exploration, and the sequel could readily delve deeper into its familial themes and character relationships (à la the “HTTYD” sequels).
Chris Williams commented on this to THR while teasing his ideas for “The Sea Beast 2” (not the official title):
“[…] Primarily, I was thinking about this brand new family of Jacob and Maisie that have been thrown together. Suddenly Jacob is a parent, a parent to an especially willful kid, right? And so when you see them on the dock, you know that’s not what parenting looks like. It’s far messier, far more complicated, and more trying at times than that. So the idea of the challenges of this new family became interesting to me.”
Williams also teased the possibility of new human villains in the form of other monster hunters, once again bringing the “HTTYD” franchise to mind. (Hey, if it ain’t broke, right?) As for the return of Red? “Can I say… maybe?” Williams replied, noting that a lot could change by the time the sequel is ready in, by his estimation, four years. That’s assuming he doesn’t direct an original fantasy movie he’s pitched to Netflix first. “Right now, though, I’m going back and forth. The intention is to ultimately make them both,” Williams added.