Review of Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) by Brett H — 21 Dec 2015

Shaun the Sheep is the big-screen adaptation of the popular character from the BBC and is a true triumph in stop-motion film-making as they not only had to overcome the grueling animation work; the film also contains no spoken dialogue and it succeeds in spades! Brought to us by the always-reliable, Aardman, who've made such gems as Chicken Run, Arthur Christmas, and of course, Wallace & Gromit where Shaun the Sheep made his debut: the attention to detail is extraordinary and it is literally impossible to catch every joke in one viewing.

The film is straight-up, HILARIOUS and I found myself giggling with delight the entire way through and it's all due to the brilliant, slapstick timing, sight-gags, and adorable characters, in particular, Timmy the baby sheep.

The story is brutally simple, the sheep want a day off from their routine and accidentally end up on an adventure into town to bring back their owner they accidentally incapacitated; just enough plot to get the ball rolling.

The highlight comes from a side-splitting scene involving the sheep disguised as humans in a restaurant that had me crying with laughter! It is so rare to see a film this brave with no big-name voice actors, no lame pop-culture references, and most importantly; no discernible dialogue which makes this a glorified, silent film! It's brisk, laugh-out-loud funny, and expertly crafted by the wonderful hands of Aardman studios; proving they're the kings of stop-motion animation.