Scarygirl

Scarygirl follows a young girl named Arkie, who lives with her protective father on an isolated peninsula. When he is abducted by a dangerous scientist, she sets out for a mysterious city of light to rescue him, and along the way she gathers a mixed group of allies and foes and confronts unsettling questions about where she comes from. The journey grows into something larger than a rescue, as the fate of her world comes to depend on it. The film is an Australian animated adventure in the family and fantasy vein.

Ricard Cussó directed, working from a screenplay by Craig Behenna, Polly Watkins and Matt Everitt. It was his fourth feature, arriving after The Wishmas Tree and Combat Wombat, both from 2020, and Daisy Quokka: World's Scariest Animal, and before Combat Wombat: Back 2 Back, Mission Santa: Yoyo To The Rescue and The Pout-Pout Fish. The voice cast includes Jillian Nguyen as Arkie, Sam Neill as Dr. Maybee, Rob Collins as Blister, Remy Hii as Bunniguru, Tim Minchin as Chihoohoo and Anna Torv as The Keeper.

The film had a limited commercial footprint, with worldwide box office of around 1 million USD. Reception splits by audience: on IMDb it holds 5.3 out of 10 from roughly 700 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.9 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 71 votes, a gap that suggests the film lands better with a casual crowd than with a broad ratings audience.