| Seatropolis | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rob Renzetti |
| Produced by |
Owen Laramore Teresa Cheng Chris Jenkins |
| Screenplay by | Kate Kondell |
| Story by |
Rob Renzetti Tom Owens Kate Kondell |
| Starring |
Timothée Chalamet Trevante Rhodes Geraldine Viswanathan Bryan Cranston Paul Walter Hauser Yahya Adbul-Mateen II Kumail Nanjiani Sonequa Martin-Green Lee Byung-hun Alexander Skarsgård Ke Huy Quan |
| Music by | Abel Korzeniowski |
| Edited by | Jhoanne Reyes |
| Production company |
HumboldtMation |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | January 30, 2026 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $101 million |
| Box office | $898 million |
Seatropolis is a 2026 American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by HumboldtMation and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Rob Renzetti in his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Kate Kondell and a story by Renzetti, Tom Owens, and Kondell, the film stars the voices of Timothée Chalamet, Trevante Rhodes, Geraldine Viswanathan, Bryan Cranston, Paul Walter Hauser, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Kumail Nanjiani, Sonequa Martin-Green, Lee Byung-hun, Alexander Skarsgård, and Ke Huy Quan. The film centers on the story of a blacktip reef shark who lives at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, whose title of the "King of Monterey Bay" is unexpectedly overshadowed by an orca. When a rivalry between the two gets them both ending up in the ocean, they stumble upon an underwater city inhabited by sea creatures. The two befriend a dolphin and her trusty crew in an attempt to get back to Monterey Bay, all while evading a sinister barracuda.
Seatropolis was released theatrically in the United States on January 30, 2026. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and also achieved commercial success, grossing over $898 million worldwide on a $101 million budget. A sequel, Seatropolis 2, was released on August 1, 2031.
Plot[]
In the ocean, a curious blacktip reef shark pup named Sharpfin wanders off into the seas. However, as he plays, he is attacked and caged by a shark hunter, during which his tail is injured. As the boat speeds away, is dad tries to save him by biting of the strap holding the cage, but is speared in the process. The cage with Sharpfin falls off the hunting boat and is washed away to Monterey Bay, where he is adopted and cared for by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He shows somersault skills that win the attention of aquarium visitors, and he becomes a celebrity coined "The King of Monterey Bay". Years later, however, the Monterey Bay Aquarium introduces an orca named Hudson, who soon overshadows Sharpfin's popularity. A jealous Sharpfin engages in a "shark vs. orca" battle against Hudson that scares the audience away. Animal rights activists, viewing this as evidence that sharks and orcas can't survive in captivity, pressures the aquarium into releasing Sharpfin and Hudson into the ocean.
Remembering the trauma ocean life gave him after he was attacked by shark hunters as a child, Sharpfin wishes to go back to Monterey Bay, the one safe place he calls home. Sharpfin and Hudson stumble upon a bumbling underwater reef city called Seatropolis, where predators and prey all live side by side. The two initially struggle to find help getting back to Monterey, due to the sea animals living in the city being forbidden from going anywhere near the surface of the water out of fear of becoming hunted, speared, caged, or netted by humans. Undettered, Sharpfin and Hudson set about seeking out Joan, an enterprising scavenger dolphin with red and yellow flames painted on her body who works the ocean depths in her Scavengermarine ship, who might help him get back home.
Sharpfin, Hudson, and Joan are apprehended by leopard shark and barracuda duo Stroke and Mongrel, and brought before their boss, the Barracuda, due to Joan having swindled back a prized seashell original scavenged by her father. The Barracuda plans to have the abductees trapped to be stung by urchins, but the trio escape. Joan takes the seashell and a unique master kelp-ble required to control Seatropolis' huge gate. Sharpfin concludes that the sea shell is a fake and easily shatters it, infuriating Joan. Both boys claim to Joan that he and Hudson in a reef in Monterey Bay and offers her a real sea shell if they take him back to Monterey Bay, to which she agrees.
First, Sharpfin, Hudson, and Joan stop to visit Joan's crew, Gary the octopus, Morgan the sea turtle, Ivo the moray eel, and Latifah the manta ray, to recruit their help before setting off. During their stay, however, Sharpfin hears a conversation that causes them both to mistakenly assume Joan and the Scavengermarine crew are betraying him and Hudson by handing them over to the Burracuda, so Sharpfin reneges on the deal, and, taking Hudson with him, steals the Scavengermarine. When Joan and the Scavengermarine crew catch up to Sharpfin and Hudson, they are able to clear up the misunderstanding, and Joan and Sharpfin renew their deal. Sharpfin, Hudson, Joan and the Scavengermarine crew evade pursuit from Stroke, Mongrel, and their shark accomplices. Displeased by his carnivorous minions' repeated failures, the Barracuda sends for a swordfish named Ke Huy Sword to get rid of Sharpfin, Hudson, Joan, and the Scavengemarine crew. It is once revealed that the Barracuda once lived in aquarium tank that had consisted of him in it, but then he got released into the ocean to make way for updates to that exhibit; this resulted in his grudge toward sea creatures. Later, Ke Huy Sword and his henchmen of sword fish engage in a duel with the Scavengermarine crew. During the scuffle, the Scavengermarine heads into a sea infested with jellyfish, which Sharpfin uses the jellyfish' stinging tentacles to their advantage to intercept Ke Huy Sword and the swordfish.
As the Scavengermarine crew settle for the night, Hudson tells Sharpfin his backstory: He was born at another aquarium, but when he failed his first stunt show and being laughed at, his own father disowned him and allowed him to be transferred to Monterey Bay. Sharpfin begins to form a bond with Hudson. The next morning, Sharpfin, Hudson, Joan, and the Scavengermarine crew survives attack from a colossal squid but the Scavengermarine is torn apart by the squid's strong tentacles, forcing them to swim the rest of the way. They hitchhike a ride on a blue whale, and they make it to Monterey Bay, where Sharpfin gives Joan a real sea shell as her promised earlier. However, at the surface, it is revealed to Joan and the Scavengermarine crew that Sharpfin and Hudson's home was actually the Monterey Bay Aquarium, not a reef with other sharks or orcas. Hit with disappointment and thinking the duo used and lied to them, Joan and the Scavengermarine crew scorn both boys and begin to swim back to Seatropolis.
Soon, Joan and the Scavnegermarine crew are captured by Stroke and Mongrel. Sharpfin and Hudson finally arrive back at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, look into their old home, and apologize to one another for their earlier behavior. Suddenly, both boys start to no longer feel at home at the aquarium and decide that their true place is in Seatropolis with Joan and Scavengermarine crew. Back in Seatropolis, the Barracuda takes back the master kelp-ble and regains control of the gate. His reason for wanting the Kelp-ble is revealed: Once all the sea creatures residing in Seatropolis are caught in giant fishing nets he installed, he will turn the depopulated Seatropolis into a home for his hundreds of piranhas. Sharpfin and Hudson swim back to Seatropolis too late as they observe the Barracuda scooping up tons of Seatropolis' population in his nets, including Joan and the Scavengermarine crew. The duo encourage Joan, the Scavengermarine crew, and all the trapped sea creatures to put in all their strength, teamwork, and effort to swim down towards the bottom. The Barracuda tries to intervene, but the trapped sea creatures' combined force pulls down on all the nets until they break, setting all the sea creatures free.
The Barracuda, Stroke, Mongrel, and the henchmen are taken into custody by the authorities, while Sharpfin and Hudson are hailed as heroes by Seatropolis' citizens. Sharpfin and Hudson decide to stay in Seatropolis with Joan and the Scavengermarine crew. Soon, Joan and Sharpfin become a couple, and they, along with Hudson, Joan's family, and the Scavengermarine crew, set off on another adventure in their newly-built Scavengermarine II.
Cast[]
- Timothée Chalamet as Sharpfin the blacktip reef shark
- Trevante Rhodes as Hudson the orca
- Geradline Viswanathan as Joan the dolphin
- Bryan Cranston as The Barracuda
- Paul Walter Hauser as Gary the octopus
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morgan the sea turtle
- Kumail Nanjiani as Ivo the moray eel
- Sonequa Martin-Green as Latifah the manta ray
- Lee Byung-hun as Stroke the leopard shark
- Alexander Skarsgård as Mongrel the barracuda
- Ke Huy Quan as Ke Huy Sword the swordfish
Reception[]
Box office[]
In the United States, Seatropolis was projected to gross $121 million in its opening weekend. The film topped the box office, earning $200 million in the opening weekend, including $100 million its first day and $5 million in Tuesday night previews. The film has grossed $301 million in North America and $597 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $898 million.
Critical response[]
Seatropolis received positive reviews from critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 80% approval rating based on 212 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Although its writing may more sink into the deep blue than swim in it, Seatropolis splashes into an ocean of HumboldtMation's capabilities of amazing animation, laugh-worthy humor, and charming characters". According to Metacritic, which assigned a score of 67 out of 100 based on 40 critics, Seatropolis received "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an "A" grade on an A+ to F scale.