Sketch, from Angel Studios

Experts say children should express their emotions, but not in the case of this little girl. It would be a lot safer for Amber Wyatt and everyone around her if she just kept her feelings bottled up, like the rest of us grown-ups over thirty. Unfortunately, her therapeutic notebook filled with fantastical monster drawings undergoes a massively disruptive magical transformation in director-screenwriter-editor Seth Worley’s Sketch, which opens tomorrow in theaters.

Wyatt still openly grieves her recently deceased mother, but her father Taylor and slightly older brother Jack believe they must put on a brave face, for her sake. It hardly helps that her realtor Aunt Liz has Taylor sterilizing the house of all family remnants, to facilitate its sale. Initially, the school counselor was somewhat alarmed by her sketchbook, especially considering the monsters usually torment her obnoxious classmate Bowman Lynch, but everyone understands he is a total brat, who probably has it coming.

Through an unfortunate chain of events, Wyatt’s notebook accidentally winds up in the enchanted pond behind their house. As a result, all her outlandish creatures come to life, in all their crayon, marker, and charcoal-rendered glory. Jack knows that pond even better than Amber, since it cured his hand and fixed his phone, which gives him a bad idea that he knows might be wrong, but he just cannot shake it. Regardless, he must focus on keeping his sister alive when her creations attack their school bus.

Worley invests Sketch with a DIY charm that faithfully reproduces the childlike colors and textures of Wyatt’s sketchbook, while still looking distinctly cinematic on-screen. Those monsters were a tricky ask, but the effects and design teams really pulled it off.

Indeed, the surefooted Worley nicely tweaked all the film’s balances. Despite the heavy emotional themes, the film never feels cloying or overly sentimental. Indeed, he much more adroitly fuses the fantastical elements with heavy themes of family grief and healing than maudlin A Monster Calls or I Kill Giants.

The cast also generally hit the right notes. Kue Lawrence is appealingly earnest and down to earth as Jack Wyatt, while Bianca Belle is keenly sensitive, sometimes to the point of neurotic distress, to a very believably human extent, as little Amber. Kalon Cox is appropriately annoying, in a non-shticky kind of way, as Lynch.

Unlike other juvenile fantasies, most of the adults are reasonably smart and intuitive, including Amber’s father, aunt, and school counselor. In fact, Tony Hale shows unexpected restraint, maturity and even poignancy as Taylor Wyatt, really embracing his inner sad clown persona.

Sketch shows a deep understanding of how kids think and perceive the world.  It also has a unique visual sensibility. Although not explicitly faith-based, Worley’s script is family friendly, completely shunning any adult language or controversial ideological themes. It should definitely please Angel Studios’ fans and “guild members,” but ought also appeal to a wider audience. Highly recommended for family viewing, Sketch opens tomorrow (8/6) in theaters, including the Regal Times Square in New York.