It was only recently that we were bemoaning the current state of the animation genre, with even the mighty Pixar under performing with recent releases.

It’s a relief to see then, albeit from an unlikely source being Netflix Animation, this incredible tale of monsters and the deep sea.

Sailing the high seas aboard the impressive The Inevitable are Captain Crow (Jared Harris), his second-in-command Jacob Holland (Karl Urban), and his loyal crew. At first glance, it would be all too easy to describe them as pirates, and yet it’s not treasure that they seek, it be monsters.

The biggest catch out there is the red bluster, a goliath of a beast, capable of wiping out an entire fleet.

After escaping from the orphanage, young Maisie (Zaris-Angel Hator) manages to end up on board their ship, and worm her way into the crew’s affections. Little do they know of the impact this young girl will have on their lives, as she and Jacob discover that all the stories everyone had been told about the monsters, may not exactly be true.

So far Netflix Animation haven’t exactly hit it out of the park with their releases, with the previous seven being rather on the forgettable side, with titles such as Arlo the Alligator Boy and Back to the Outback. It has to be said however that they’ve struck gold with their latest effort.

The biggest area where it shines is in the animation; it is often simply stunning to look at, with some of the most authentic looking water effects for the sea ever seen in an animated film. The colours are bold and striking, and the backgrounds are rich with detail. It just manages to impress on every front, restoring our faith that the future of animation may well be in safe hands after all.

And although the story is far from original, being a slight spin on King Kong, it is oozing charm. Certainly Hator does a great job as Maisie, giving her a lot of warmth and fun; the only negative would be some of the language she uses, as she’s clearly a well-educated young British woman, who occasionally throws in the odd ‘ain’t’, as if she suddenly found herself auditioning for an amateur version of Oliver. It’s clearly a direction that Chris Williams has given her, that’s just a little jarring to be cute.

It’s everything that a good animated film should be: jaw-dropping visuals that you can easily get lost in, a fun and entertaining script, with some adorable characters thrown in for good measure. You really can’t ask for more than that.