The biggest compliment that I can give Sketch is that if you told me Steven Spielberg had something to do with this movie, I 100 percent would have believed you! This is a fantastic family adventure movie, and it really does have an 80s family adventure vibe about it in the style of classics like The Goonies or The Monster Squad. I have no doubt that if my son were younger, this movie would have been an absolute favorite of his.
Where to Watch Sketch
Sketch was released on August 6, 2025 in the United States. It is available to watch on Angel.
The Movie Review
This is brought to us by Angel Studios, known for the Christian themed movies, and it is directed by first-time director Seth Worley. We have a talented cast here, including Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden, who I would say are the most recognizable actors in the movie. The rest of the cast are good, especially the fantastic kid actors, but I did not really recognize anyone else in the movie.
Meet the Watt Family: Heart and Humor at the Core
The plot is about the Watt family. The dad, Tony, played by Tony Hale, is a widower, and he, along with his sister Liz, played by D’Arcy Carden, is trying to sell the family home so that the family can move on. Tony has two kids, Amber and Jack, who, as you would expect, are having a very hard time dealing with the loss of their mom, as well as the prospect of moving house and other changes that are happening in their family.
Amber and Jack: Kids Who Steal the Show
These are two very talented young actors! Amber is a very talented artist, and she loves to draw these creative and crazy monsters in her sketchbook. At school, the kids go nuts for her drawings, and it does end up causing some chaos as well as getting her into a little bit of trouble as well.
The Magical Pond and the Monster Mayhem
While out in the woods, Jack has an accident, falls down, cuts his hand, and drops his phone into a pond, a magical pond! This pond somehow ends up fixing his phone and also his injured hand. Well, Amber’s sketchbook ends up falling into this magical pond, and all of the crazy creatures that she has created come to life and end up causing havoc in the town! This is very fun stuff, and I think that the Christian themes are not on the nose like they can be with other Angel Studios movies. As a matter of fact, if it were not for the Angel Studios logo at the start, I would never have suspected this was a movie of theirs.
80s-Inspired Action and Nostalgia
We end up having Amber, Jack, and their friend, Bowman, try to stop the monsters from causing trouble. I do not want to go into spoilers, but the way the kids gear up and fight the monsters is so awesome and 100 percent like something for an 80s movie made by Spielberg. It just has an absolute ton of charm, and it is impossible not to root for these kids.
Special Effects That Bring Drawings to Life
Sketch actually has a pretty modest budget, but the special effects are fantastic. The creative monsters are not done in a realistic CG way, but they actually look like a kids’ sketches that have come to life. It may sound weird, but they kind of remind me of the way things are in the game, Yoshi’s Island. I came into this movie, not with low expectations, but I really just watched it because I wanted something new to watch, and it ended up being one of the best surprises of the year for me. If you want a fun family movie, I highly recommend this movie.
