Proudly embracing its goofy concept, while also indulging in good-natured comedy and surprisingly rich themes, The Sheep Detectives is a lot better than it has any right to be.
It’s strange to type this, but The Sheep Detectives is genuinely fun. One reads the synopsis, and you’d be forgiven for not thinking much of it. Given that it’s brought to us by the same team as the Minions films, it’s understandable to expect irritation rather than entertainment. Yet the picture is sincerely charming. It’s the kind of fluffy but endearing children’s entertainment that has felt unattainable these past few years. Even adults may find themselves chuckling along.
Some have branded the film as Babe meets Knives Out, an obvious but not inaccurate description. Shepherd George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) looks after his flock of sheep in the English countryside. He’s seen as a curmudgeon by the villagers of Denbrook, the nearby town, but he tends to his sheep dutifully, all of whom can speak and communicate with each other – just not with humans. George feeds his flock regularly. He treats perceived outsiders like the black-sheep Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) and a lamb born in winter as family. He even reads them murder mystery novels at night.
One day, the sheep wake from their slumber to find George dead, nay, murdered! outside of his caravan. When it becomes apparent that the people of Denbrook are putting minimal effort into their investigation, the leader of the sheep, Lily (Julia-Louis Dreyfuss), decides to investigate his murder herself. Much of the flock just wants to forget this murder happened, but George used to call Lily the cleverest. Thus, she believes she can solve the mystery alongside Sebastian and Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), a sheep who remembers everything he sees. Plot twists, character developments, and a barrage of hijinks ensue.
Based on Leonie Swann’s book ‘Three Bags Full’, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) pens the script. That may seem an odd choice, but Mazin has plenty of experience in the comedy genre, having written multiple Scary Movie and The Hangover films. Mazin embraces the inherently silly premise in his writing, utilising plenty of tropes and musings regarding sheep in the characterisations. You can bet quite a few “sheep are animals that stupidly follow” jokes are used. However, beneath the palpable oddness and childlike nature of the setup lies some genuinely playful tinkering with the murder-mystery genre. This is a film that’s aware, and even proud, of its bizarre premise, yet it refreshingly knows when to take itself seriously.
Like any good murder mystery, the story gathers an idiosyncratic collection of characters, human and sheep alike. The sheep are voiced by the likes of Bella Ramsey, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart, and the live-action cast is just as stacked. Emma Thompson plays a sarcastic lawyer. Molly Gordon plays George’s estranged daughter Rebecca, who arrives in town just as he dies. Hong Chau is a nosy postal worker, and Nicholas Braun plays Tim, a clumsy police officer in charge of investigating George’s murder.
By playing with various characters and eccentricities, the film draws on their interactions for good-natured humour, much of which taps into the vast field of sheep-related comedy. Yet the giddy laughs and low-brow humour never come at the expense of the character arcs for sheep or humans alike. Rebecca and Tim experience surprisingly layered developments as the story progresses, finding purpose and self-belief in their respective journeys. Gordon and Braun bring gravitas to their roles, with Braun in particular bringing a sense of humanity to an otherwise goofy persona. There’s charm and earnestness in abundance in these performances.
Self-belief, purpose, and community are among the story’s core themes and moral lessons. However, despite its label as a kids’ film, The Sheep Detectives is not above addressing the darker themes commonly found in murder mysteries. Death, grief, and change are central themes for the characters and the narrative. Like The Animals of Farthing Wood, it’s kids’ entertainment that doesn’t shy away from life’s darkness and the injustices that plague all communities. This creates a film that’s surprisingly mature in its thematic substance, dabbling in adult subject matter in a way that’s engaging and accessible to its young audience.
This can make for difficult tonal balancing, but the efforts of director Kyle Balda and team ensure that the film juggles its dual tones dexterously. For every moment of measured maturity, The Sheep Detectives offers jovial silliness to counterbalance. The CGI that details the sheep’s expressions and actions look realistic, but avoid the mistakes of The Lion King remake. Rather than emphasising realism, the sheep’s facial expressions are deliberately exaggerated, generating personality rather than the uncanny woodenness that too much realism can create. The cinematography creates picturesque imagery of the English countryside, capturing the tranquillity of rural life. Yet the editing and music cheerfully engage with its genre, utilising sharp cutaways and contrasts to alleviate suspense and mystery, as needed, for both dramatic and comedic effect.
There’s a lot of charisma to be found in the picture, although it should be noted that it’s still rather simplistic. While the more mature themes are certainly refreshing to see, it does take about 45 minutes of sheep gags to get to this point. Some of the human performances are tongue-in-cheek to a fault, and the themes of injustice and prejudice are perhaps a touch on the nose even by kids’ movie standards. It’s a fun hybridisation of genres, but it also makes a lot of obvious punchlines and observations that may wear down less patient viewers.
Proudly embracing its goofy concept, while also indulging in good-natured comedy and surprisingly rich themes, The Sheep Detectives is a lot better than it has any right to be. Where a lot of family and children’s films of recent years have felt the need to condescend to their audiences, or even pander to adults in the case of the Super Mario films, The Sheep Detectives is comfortable in its own skin, happily balancing heart and humour alike. It may not be especially groundbreaking, but it’s amiable fun that playfully mixes its genres with abandon. Children, and even most parents, will likely be enamoured with its woolly laughs and twists.
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