Sketch (2025) Christian Review | Imaginative Family Fantasy with Heart

Amber, age 10, is struggling with grief over her mother's death. She channels her anger and fears into drawing monsters in her sketchbook. Her brother Jack discovers a mysterious pond that has the magical power to heal wounds and repair broken objects. When Amber’s sketchbook falls into the pond, her monstrous drawings begin to come alive and wreak havoc. Amber, Jack, and a classmate named Bowman must work together to stop the creatures before they cause permanent damage to their town.

Sketch has much to commend from a faith-informed view. It reminds us that children (and adults) need safe spaces to express grief, anger, and confusing emotions. Amber’s drawing becomes her “outlet” for pain—something very much aligned with Christian understandings of confession, lament, and the sacrament of honest speech. The film also encourages empathy and courage: despite fear, the siblings and their community choose to face the consequences of creativity unleashed, rather than deny or suppress the pain.

That said, the movie does tread into darker territory than some family-fantasy fare. Some of the creature designs, chase scenes, and implied threats are more intense than one might expect for younger children. While nothing is graphically gory, moments of menace are real enough to provoke anxiety. Also, some language is coarse and scenes involving the monsters are frightening. From a Christian perspective, it’s a good model of using imaginative storytelling to explore pain and healing—but families should be prepared to discuss what happens, especially around loss, fear, and what it means to create something powerful without fully controlling it.

Seth Worley’s Sketch balances fantasy and emotional drama in a way that feels earnest, not clichéd. The pacing is generally solid—after a slow buildup where grief and family dynamics are established, the film ramps up into creature encounters and suspenseful moments. The “monster drawings → pond magic → town in peril” progression is simple but effective. Some questions remain unanswered; for instance, why the pond has its power or the origins of its magic are not fully explained, which may leave viewers wanting a little more logical grounding. The tone is often softened—creatures look cartoony, effects are stylized, frightening moments are moderated—so while there are scares, they rarely cross into truly disturbing territory. Visually imaginative and emotionally grounded, Sketch mostly succeeds in delivering a story that is more meaningful than many mere creature-features.

Bianca Belle (Amber) does well conveying both frustration and vulnerability; her anger and grief are believable without being overdone. Kue Lawrence (Jack) provides a solid emotional counterpoint—trying to hold things together, sometimes recklessly hopeful. Tony Hale as the father shows glimpses of authenticity in grief, although some scenes lean a bit more towards comic relief or sentimentality. The children carry the heart of the film; adult characters are there to support, but it’s Amber’s journey of learning to confront what she feels that gives the movie its weight.

Sketch is best suited for children roughly 10 and older, especially with parental involvement. Younger viewers could find the monster scenes scary; sensitive kids may want to be prepared for tension. Families who value stories about grief, emotional expression, courage, and creativity will likely get a lot from this film. It avoids gore and overly graphic violence, which is a plus. For a family movie, it does well balancing fun, fantasy, and meaningful themes.