I just watched The Sea Beast and I LOVED it! I'm a huge fan of Red, and I needed to draw her!
I love her design, it feels so plausible and predatory. I actually like how uncomplicated and streamlined it was. She doesn't need any frills, she speaks for herself. Plus, many deep sea creatures are actually red! Red light doesn't penetrate far underwater, and red animals are almost invisible at great depths.
I included my headcanon for what a male Red Bluster might look like. From the first time I saw him, I couldn't help but imagine that Blue is a baby Red Bluster. Maybe the males are the ones that have flashier, display coloring! He also got a slightly larger horn, but kept the same body size and proportions as the female.
Maybe next I'll draw a life progression from a baby like Blue all the way to an adult like Red!
The Sea Beast: An Awesome Creature Film (Spoiler Warning!!)
Whenever we think of sea monster, we think of creatures of the deep that'll kill you without a second thought. However, Netflix gave a film that puts sea monsters in a different light. The Sea Beast was made by the people that created Moana and Big Hero Six. It focuses on Maisie, a young girl that wants to join the famous monster hunters among them being Jacob. When she stows away, she's welcomed by Captain Crow at first as they journied to find the Red Bluster.
The beginning of the film showed a scary scene that almost had a Jaws feel to it. Except Jaws maximized in size! The introduction of the characters is nice. They do a good mixture of world building along with 'show don't tell'. The best example would be the King and Queen of the homeland. They wear green and white. The jewelry is sea shell based, but they have little respect for the hunters and their work. Can't even pick up a sword to save their soul.
One of best things about the film are Red and Blue. Both of them are sea monsters, but are shown in a more sympathetic light. Red only attacked because she was being picked on. She starts to see something in Maisie and Jacob. Going out of her way to protect them. It shows that she's a really intelligent animal that's only trying to survive. Even Blue proved to be a loyal friend to Maisie.
In terms of characters, Maisie and Jacob shine the brightest. Despite Maisie's tendency to worship the hunters, her encounter with Red changed what she truly knew about her world. Jacob was reluctant at first, but began to question things as he starts interacting with Maisie and Red more. Eventually, these two characters sparked change in a fearful society. Exposing the King and Queen being a real villains (no surprise their considering they were such jerks!).
movies from disney are like "generational trauma!! generational trauma!!! generational trauma!!!" while netflix are like "unloved?? here is an old guy he's your father figure from now on"
Olive’s Wet Beast Fact: Also known as the Lionfish, this invasive and venomous fish was originally from the Indian Ocean, but is now a highly invasive species destroying Caribbean reefs. What a good metaphor for the holidays.
the usage of colour in the sea beast is literally so genius im never gonna look at anything the same again. spiderverse had a similar effect on me, just the artistic VOICE that this movie exudes with its colour palettes is intoxicating
it does contrast and it does it perfectly.
even right down to the fact that red and the inevitable's sails are RED so that they stand out against the ocean and the sky. they manage to make a movie that could be 98% blue and brown so so much more.
its just masterful work. dont even get me started on the soundtrack, framing, character design, and symbolism