Little Sarah (Violet McGraw) quietly hides in a makeshift tent inside of her room at the beginning of the new short GRUMMY. She plans to flee and is going over a checklist of supplies for their exile. Beside her is a monster stuffed animal named Grummy whose fuzzy, purple fur, cartoonish fangs, and glowing eyes make him an unconventional bestie for a little girl. What is she running from? Where is she planning to go? Writer, director team R.H. Norman and Micheline Pitt proclaim their arrival on the scene with this Del Toro-esque short that features eye-popping production design and a harrowing narrative that is as haunting as it is beautiful.

Sarah hears her father Jack (Tom Degnan) lumbering around in search of her and she vanishes into her make-believe world. Here Grummy (Alexander Ward) is no stuffed toy, but an 8-foot monster. Recalling Ludo from the Jim Henson film Labyrinth, this hulking giant reclines under a tangled Wysteria tree, eating virtually all of the goodies the two brought with them. Frolicking in the crimson fields against a cerulean sky Sarah returns from catching fireflies to discover that her companion has torn through their supplies. Alas. An apology is made and little Sarah cuddles against her lilac-colored monster for a nap. Then they hear dad again.

There is a delicate line in dealing with the subject of child abuse but Pitt and Norman do so, achieving something of note. In focusing on Sarah’s point of view, we are offered the gracious liberty of glossing over the more complicated details. The film doesn’t ignore things but instead conveys what they are in a judicious way.

The three stars here are production designers Nicole Balzarini and Doug Williams, along with Pitt and Norman in the writer, director chairs. Visuals are stylized but they are only used in service of the story which is unquestionably dark. Still, Norman and Pitt keep things surface while inferring a far darker subtext. In short, the pairing works.

I quite liked GRUMMY as a short but wanted more. This is a solid proof of concept that should tell investors to get on board for the feature and fast. Norman and Pitt have a solid idea here with a team behind them to execute at a greater level. No, it’s not perfect, but it shows tremendous promise as the needed elements are there and waiting.

7 out of 10