Starring Bianca Belle, Kue Lawrence, Tony Hale, Kalon Cox

Written & Directed by Seth Worley

Angel Studios – In Cinemas Now

When a young girl’s sketchbook falls into a magical pond, her drawings – which express her troubled emotions – come to life.

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say about a film because, quite simply, it delights you from start to finish. Seth Worley’s Sketch is one of those movies.

The plot may feel familiar. It’s a little bit Paperhouse – Bernard Rose’s cult 1988 YA horror fantasy (full disclosure: Paperhouse was written by my brother Matthew Jacobs) – where fevered Anna works out her pre-teen anxieties in a world created around a childish and sometimes angry sketchbook. And it’s also a little bit Inside Out where expensive Californian family therapy is deconstructed and glossily animated by our friends at Pixar. Putting the cherry on the cake there are sprinkles of Louis Sachar (Holes) adding just the right amount of enigmatic wackiness. There’s very little we can’t see coming, but the execution is so lovingly crafted, even though it’s an old song, here it is sung with the freshest of voices.

The script is terrific, bubbling with humour and heart in equal measure. It zips along with some of the most believable children’s dialogue I’ve heard in years, delivered by three excellent child performances from Bianca Belle as the scribbling Amber; Kalon Cox as Bowman, the crazy kid who turns good; and, underpinning the whole movie, a turn of extraordinary maturity from 13-year-old screen veteran Kue Lawrence. The adults are believable as well, led by the excellent Tony Hale as Taylor, the kids struggling single Dad.

Worley directs with a sure hand and the VFX skillfully capture the impromptu synaptic concoctions of a child’s imagination rather than opting for flawless but ultimately unconvincing CGI perfection.

For sure, it gets a little lost in its final act, but it is never anything other than hugely entertaining, and at times pushes the boundaries of what the BBFC have designated as ‘moderate horror’. It’s rightly a 12A certificate and while younger kids should be fine with an adult in tow, there are some scary moments that wigged me out and I’m in my seventh decade.

Verdict: Sketch is a little gem of a movie. Children either side of ten years old should really enjoy it, but it’s smart enough and made with enough respect and complexity to satisfy any adult venturing into the cinema unaccompanied. 9/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com