Sketch

Sometimes we need to purge our darkest dreams to reach the light. In writer-director Seth Worley’s big-hearted, audaciously entertaining feature debut, a young girl’s active imagination and unprocessed grief collide, unleashing a horde of goofy, made-up monsters on an unsuspecting neighbourhood. But if a child’s rich inner world can manifest such pandemonium, maybe that same inner world possesses the power to quash it.

Since the death of their beloved matriarch, each member of the Wyatt family has sought their own coping mechanisms. Determined to keep painful memories at bay, dad Taylor (Tony Hale) tries to remain upbeat and open to change. He puts the family house on the market, hoping that new surroundings will help his kids move forward.

Son Jack (Kue Lawrence), however, secretly harbours fantasies of resurrecting his mom, while daughter Amber (Bianca Belle) fills a private sketchbook with bizarre, twisted imagery. When that sketchbook is accidentally plunged into a magical pond, its creatures come to life, ready to wreak havoc, leaving plumes of crayon dust in their wake.

Fighting off giant eyeballs with spider legs will require courage and some creative thinking, but the real solution to quelling all this chaos lies in Amber’s mind. Her drawings got them into this mess — and her drawings will have to get them out.

Reminiscent of family classics like Gremlins, Jumanji, and The Goonies, Sketch combines an eye-popping rollercoaster ride with a tender understanding of loss, the resources required to heal, and just how deeply children feel about a world that changes around them.

JANE SCHOETTLE