American adventure drama in which an orphaned boy named Lewis Barnavelt (Owen Vaccaro) is welcomed into a whole new world when he discovers that his eccentric uncle is a warlock. Beginning a new life with his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt (Jack Black), Lewis is jealous of the other boys at school as he struggles to blend in with his peers and is bullied for his introverted ways, but everything changes when Jonathan and his neighbour Mrs. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) introduce him to the magical world. Lewis quickly learns the makings of a warlock and practises his spells with great talent, but gets more than he bargained for when a trick to impress his new friends results in the resurrection of an evil witch. Things are made even worse when Jonathan's quirky home reveals that a hidden ticking clock within the heart of the house may bring about the end of the world, and it is up to Jonathan, Lewis and Mrs. Zimmerman to prevent disaster.