| Worth seeing: | as a warm-hearted tale of finding your place in the world, laced with humour and a sense of Tim Burton for juniors |
| Director: | Steve Hudson |
| Featuring: | Asa Butterfield, Joel Fry, Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Fern Brady, Gemma Saunders, Jamali Maddix, Paul Tylak, Ruth Gibson, Ryan Sampson, Seth Usdenov, Steve Hudson, Tia Bannon |
| Length: | 91 minutes |
| Certificate: | U |
| Country: | France, Germany, Luxembourg, UK |
| Released: | 13th February 2026 |
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In Castle Grotteskew, on a cliff-top, high above the village of Grubber Nubbin, a mad professor (Rob Brydon) stitches together body-parts from any creature he can find to make the most outlandish monsters he can imagine. Each time he creates a new one, he forgets about all of his past work.
His first creation, a little boy named – appropriately enough – Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield), has taken on the role of showing each new one around, and warning them not to leave the Castle, as the humans could form angry mobs to threaten them.
One of those humans, Fulbert Freakfinder (Seth Usdenov) makes a living from getting the locals to pay to see his gang of freaks, but they’re just not wild and frightening enough, so when a little girl, Arabella (Tia Bannon), mentions that there are monsters living in Castle Grotteskew, he sets off to try to entice one into his circus.
Initially tempted by the fact that the humans seem to love him, Stitch Head ventures out of the Castle to seek a more fulfilling future, but it soon becomes clear that he fits in much better with the monsters than the villagers of Grubber Nubbin.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Stitch Head has what any children’s story needs – goodies and villains, friend and enemies, outcasts and allies, a grotesque castle overlooking a picture-perfect village and plenty of laughs.
At its heart, it’s a tale of belonging – finding your place in the world – looking for meaning in life – and realising that often what’s most important to you has been there all along.
It’s visually imaginative – building on Pete Williamson’s original illustrations – particularly with a wide variety of monsters, from sharks with arms to bug in jars and a cuddly cyclops with an extra arm.
This is Steve Hudson’s first animated feature, but his confidence feels like he’s a seasoned animator, clearly understanding comic timing, ensuring that several gags punch above their weight.
The narrative itself follows a rather predictable to-and-fro journey, which will provide surprises along the way for the target audience but leave grown ups a little underwhelmed by the familiar trajectory. And while most of the voices zing off the screen, perhaps the most important, Stitch Head himself, often sounds a little underwhelmed. In some senses, it’s a but like Tim Burton for toddlers – or primary schoolers, at least.
Drawing on traditional tropes – from fairy tales to the gothic horror of Frankenstein – Stitch Head delivers a delightful tale and at a tight hour and a half, doesn’t outstay its welcome.
Based on the first Stitch Head book by Guy Bass, it’s taken five years to get from page to screen, but the film-makers are hoping it won’t be that long before another book in the series can follow this one into cinemas.