Stitch head is an animated family-adventure movie based on the children’s book series by Guy Bass. It tells the story of a patchwork creation seeking love, purpose and a sense of belonging in a spooky yet charming world reminiscent of Frankenstein.
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An absent-minded, mad professor lives high above the village of Grubbers Nubbin sits Castle Grotteskew constantly creating eccentric new monsters. Every time a new creature is born, the professor ignores his previous work and moves on to the next obsession. Stitch head is the professor’s very first creation. He is a small, unique patchwork fellow with a stitch head and mismatched eyes. Feeling unappreciated and ignored by his creator, Stitch head takes it upon himself to act as a caregiver, father figure and protector for all the other discarded monsters in the castle. He strictly teaches the hidden creatures how to behave and keeps them safe because he is terrified that the pitchfork-wielding townspeople below will discover them and burn the castle down.
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Everything changes when a run-down traveling circus, led by a scheming and villainous ringmaster named Fulbert Freakfinder, arrives in Grubbers Nubbin. Freakfinder visits the castle, spots Stitch Head and immediately recognizes star potential. Desperate for validation, attention and true love, stitch head is easily seduced by freakfinder’s empty promises of fame, adoration and a glorious life outside the shadows. Stitch head decides to leave the castle, believing the outside world finally wants to love him; he soon learns Freakfinder’s definition of “love” is mere exploitation-putting him on public display so paying crowds can gawk at him and recoil in horror.
Fortunately, Stitch Head is not truly alone, Arabella-an inquisitive, fearless local human girl who is genuinely fascinated by the castle inhabitants and sees Stitch head as a real person rather than a sideshow freak and befriends him. Meanwhile, Crature, a kindhearted, furry, cyclopric three-armed monster and stitch head’s best friend, sets out alongside Arabella to rescue stitch Head from the circus.
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Tensions peak when the fickle townspeople, whipped into a frenzy by the circus sideshow, turn into an angry mob and march up to attack Castle Grotteskew with literal torches and pitchforks. Facing danger, stitch head rallies the sheltered monsters and inspires them to stand tall and embrace who they are rather than live in fear. The conflict resolved with humans and monsters learning to understand each other, teaching stitch head that true love and acceptance were already present in his life all along.
Directed by: Steve Hudson
Cast: Asa Butterfield, Joel Fry, Rob Brydon, Tia Bannon, Alison Steadman
Running time: 91 minutes
Watch movie trailer here:
