Buzzy Film Festival Animated Fantasy Film Deep Sea Makes Streaming Debut - How to Watch

Summer is just around the corner, which means you're probably fantasizing about a trip to the beach. Don't try to deny it — the thought of warm sand, crashing waves, and a cooler full of ice-cold beverages is enough to distract anyone from the monotonous glare of an office computer screen.

The wait for school to let out and summer vacation to begin in earnest may seem interminable, but Peacock is here to help with the exclusive streaming debut of Deep Sea, a breathtaking animated fantasy feature from China, which garnered rave reviews as it screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The feature received a limited theatrical release in North America last fall by way of Viva Pictures, closing out a worldwide run with just over $1 million.

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In addition to writing and directing the movie, Tian Xiaopeng (Monkey King: Hero Is Back), also developed a brand-new CG method known as "particle ink painting." This groundbreaking technique is capable of generation "3D images from traditional abstract Chinese ink painting," writes China.org.

The director elaborated: "I always said I want to break the boundary between 2D and 3D. Now 3D is a very mature industrial system, while 2D creation is very arbitrary. 'Particle ink painting' is therefore an attempt to make an organic combination of 3D and 2D, for which I did research and development over a very long time."

What is Deep Sea About?

Deep Sea follows a young girl named Shenxiu, who finds herself swept into the ocean during a family cruise. Beneath the waves, she finds a mysterious restaurant overseen by scheming head chef Nanhe and his culinary crew of otters and walruses. "They join forces to save the restaurant and reunite Shenxiu with her long-lost mother in a kaleidoscopic, dreamlike world of swirling color and dazzling views," reads the official synopsis.

"I like to experience challenges during my career, and that is what Deep Sea is," Xiaopeng told The Global Times. "The movie is ambitious and represents the hope of exploring new boundaries for Chinese animation through innovative technology and stories."

How to Stream Deep Sea

Deep Sea, which holds a fresh 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, is now streaming exclusively on Peacock.

The NBCUniversal platform currently offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($5.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($11.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!