Craig Before the Creek (2023) on Netflix
TV-G20231h 28mAdventureAnimationComedy
Craig Williams is new to Herkleton and wants his old life back. The creek near town hides a Wishmaker that grants any kid's wish, and a pirate crew is after it too.
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- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.9/10520 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Craig Williams has just arrived in Herkleton with his family and misses his old home. Nicole sends him to the playground with his younger sister, Jessica, and Jessica's stuffed toy, Small Uncle, lands in the Creek. Craig goes in after it for the first time and meets the kids who play there, among them a trader named Kit. A pirate crew led by Serena seizes the toy. Kelsey, a girl obsessed with fantasy, and her parakeet Mortimer pull Craig out, and she asks to be paid in Choco-rolls. That night Craig finds a diary left by the room's previous occupant, Hannah, who had hidden a Wishmaker in the Creek so that kids like Serena would not get it. Craig decides to track it down and wish for his old life back, and Kelsey reluctantly comes along.
Cast
- Lucia Cunninghamas Jessica (voice)
- Ben Levinas Bobby / Man on Bike / Tony / Jameolas (voice)
Show all 20 cast
- Matt Burnettas Frog Master / Pokey / Roger / Monkey Kid (voice)
- Najja Porteras Kristenandra / Nessie / Cammy (voice)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Craig Before the Creek (2023)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Craig Before the Creek, released on digital platforms in December 2023, marks Kimberly Hébert Gregory's final film performance; the actress died in 2025.
- The film's story came from co-creator Ben Levin's own childhood: he moved to Maryland as a kid and found the creek near his house, which inspired Craig's adventure.
- Series creators Matt Burnett and Ben Levin and co-director Naija Porter wanted a more cinematic look than the series, so the crew brought new tools like Quantel into the pipeline and added more lighting and shadows to make the creek feel "magical".
- The pirate ship in the film is a CG model, and the crew had to work to blend it with the film's traditional animation.
- Artists from the series were brought in to work on the film's backgrounds, Porter created a mock-up the artists used as a reference, and specific brushes gave leaves and trees texture instead of leaving them as plain shapes.
