Much like the title character of this handsome animated movie, Stitch Head has sewn together elements of Frankenstein, Pinocchio, and a Tim Burton sensibility and turned it into fairly bland tale set primarily in the fictional land of Grubber Nubbin, which has existed in the shadows of a mad professor’s castle said to be inhabited by monsters. When a traveling freak show comes to town, the residents are unimpressed with the show’s lineup because the monsters that live nearby are way scarier, which piques the interest of the freak show ringmaster Fulbert Freakfinder (voiced by Seth Usdenov), who sees this collection of monsters as a way to enhance his own show.
The Professor (Rob Brydon) has been churning out these creatures—hybrids of two or more species, mostly—for years, but the first of his creations is a sewn together boy named Stitch Head (Asa Butterfield), who went on to become his assistant and actually seems to do more to bring each new monster to life than the scientist. But he’s also taken it upon himself to help each new creation integrate into the castle lifestyle and make friends with the host of other creatures living there, including the newest addition, simply known as Creature (Joel Fry). By keeping these so-called monsters calm and happy, Stitch Head keeps them from actually threatening the town below, which in turns keeps the townsfolk from turning into an angry, torch-bearing mob.
When Freakfinder finds out about Stitch Head, he recruits him (without much effort, I must add, which is weird because Stitch Head is never portrayed as a character who’s itching to leave) into his show. In the hands of writer/director Steve Hudson (adapting the beloved books by Guy Bass, Stitch Head moves from heartfelt to silly to tense, while never really mastering any of these flavors. We think this is going to be a hero’s journey for Stitch Head, but the film just lets things happen to him before he finally decides that this life isn’t for him and desires to return. But Freakfinder has other ideas, especially when someone lets it slip that a small army of monsters live in the castle where Stitch Head is their de facto caretaker.
When everyone gets back to Grubber Nubbin, Freakfinder manages to whip the locals into a frenzy by claiming that the monsters have kidnapped a young girl from the town (when, in fact, he has hidden her away), and an angry mob is born. The beautiful visuals are undercut by a sappy, limp story and some fairly uninspired vocal performances. And did I mention there are three musical number that find new ways of not being interesting or memorable? I get that every year the Halloween season always births kid-friendly horror offerings, but creating something captivating for younger audiences and still amuses older viewers is not easy, and Stitch Head proves that point beyond doubt.
Part of the reason I’m being especially harsh about his movie is that you can see its potential in both the writing and animation. Even the usually charming Butterfield just recites platitudes and cliches about creativity and being who you really are and not being scared when times get tough—all good messages, but maybe this isn’t the film to deliver them. If it’s still around, go check out the anniversary restoration of ParaNorman that’s in theaters now; that’s a better-looking and more devastating film.
The film opens on Wednesday, October 29, in theaters.
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