The Sea Beast(2022)

Pooper:
Maisie and Jacob convince Red not to kill the King and Queen and rally the people to revolt against the King and Queen and demand the end of hunting sea beasts. Maisie and Jacob then go off together to become a family and live a great life.

Long Ending:

Sea beasts roam the oceans, attacking ships as they sail the seas. Captain Crow (voiced by Jared Harris) captains the crew on the most successful sea beast hunting ship, the Inevitable. The King and Queen pay bounties to hunters for killing sea beasts. He is accompanied by his first-in-command Jacob (voiced by Karl Urban) whom Crow rescued from a sea beast attack when Jacob was a child, and his second-in-command Sarah (voiced by Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Crow and his crew take great pride in ridding the seas of monsters and living in accordance with a code of honor. Their motto is to live a great life and die a great death. While having their ship repaired at a local town after a recent hunt, Jacob meets a young orphaned girl named Maisie (voiced by Zaris-Angel Hator). Her parents were killed on another hunting ship, and Maisie wishes nothing more than to be a member of Crow’s crew to carry on the family legacy.

After visiting the King and Queen to collect their bounties from killing sea beasts, Crow, Sarah and Jacob learn that the royals wish to end the bounty system and instead have the royal navy take over monster hunting. They have commissioned the construction of a massive new ship to be commanded by Admiral Hornagold (voiced by Dan Stevens). Jacob makes a bet with the King and Queen as to which ship can kill the Red Bluster (nicknamed “Red”), the most fearsome sea beast. If Hornagold hunts Red down first, the hunters will quietly resign. If Crow hunts Red down first, the royals will continue to employ the hunters. The ships sail out in search of Red. After leaving the port, they discover that Maisie has stowed away. Although Jacob wants them to drop Maisie off at the nearest port, Crow allows her to stay aboard (saying that Maisie reminds him of Jacob when he was a boy). Sarah begins training Maisie in the life of a hunter.

The Inevitable finds Red first and manage to harpoon the beast. Red begins turning in the water and creates a whirlpool. As the ship is being pulled under the water, Maisie disobeys Crow’s orders and cuts the ropes holding on to Red (Jacob has a chance to stop Maisie, but decides to let her cut the ropes free in order to save the crew). Maisie and Jacob are thrown overboard once the ship is released, and swim to a nearby lifeboat that came free during the battle. Before anyone can do anything, Red emerges from the depths and swallows the lifeboat with Jacob and Maisie. However, Red neither swallows nor eats the pair. Instead, it carries them in its mouth to an island and lets them out on shore. Despite numerous opportunities to kill them, Red instead acts as their guardian. Maisie quickly befriends Red, as well as a baby sea beast she names “Blue.” Although Jacob initially dismisses the idea that Red is friendly or intelligent, he eventually comes around. They are eventually able to communicate with Red and get the beast to take them back to their home. Along the way, Jacob reads some of Maisie’s books about humanity’s war with sea beasts and realizes the books contain many myths and falsehoods.  Although the pair are unsure who started the war between sea beasts and men, they agree that humans have manipulated the narrative to wipe out the sea beasts so that they can expand their power across the seas. They also realize that people can be heroes, but heroes can also be wrong.  Maisie and Jacob also grow closer, eventually deciding to become a family once they reach civilization.

When the humans reach shore, they bid a fond farewell to Red and Blue, and Jacob swears never to hunt sea beasts again. However, before Red can leave, the ship captained by Hornagold crosses the beast’s path. Despite Maisie and Jacob’s best efforts, the beast attacks and destroys Hornagold’s ship. The fracas attracts the Inevitable and a vengeful and crazed Crow (who believes the beast killed Jacob and Maisie) manages to capture Red using a poisoned harpoon he got from an evil witch. The crew then reunites with Maisie and Jacob. Despite the pair’s claims that Red is intelligent and noble, Crow hauls the sea beast to the capital to deliver it to the King and Queen. Crow also convinces Jacob to go along with the plan as, prior to this mission, Jacob was promised to captain the ship after they hunted Red successfully (and Jacob doesn’t want to lose his legacy or disappoint his father figure Captain Crow). They lock Maisie into a cabin (though Blue later helps bust her out).

Captain Crow delivers a still-living Red to the King and Queen in front of all their people. He then prepares to kill it in front of all the townspeople, but Jacob stops him. The two men fight as Maisie and Sarah manage to release Red from its bonds. Red then goes to attack the royals, but Maisie intercedes and convinces Red to calm down and stop attacking. Maisie and Jacob then convince all the people that their hate of sea beasts is irrational and the war is designed by the royals to enrich themselves. The King and Queen are embarrassed as the citizens revolt and demand Red go free. Jacob publicly renews his vows never to hunt monsters again, and Red is allowed to leave along with Jacob, Maisie and Blue. Captain Crow even acknowledges Red as the beast leaves. Maisie narrates that she, Jacob, Blue, and Red now live as a happy family, destined to live a great life.