“The Sheep Detectives” A Whimsical and Charming Family Whodunit

In this witty new breed of mystery, George is a shepherd who reads detective stories to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But, when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives.

As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

I’ll admit that I initially was going to think that “Sheep Detectives” was going to be a fairly forgettable family movie that would come and go very quickly. After rewatching the trailers for the movie, I was warming up to the movie. And, now that I finally had the chance to check it out, I’ll gladly say that “The Sheep Detectives” is a delightful movie for the whole family to see!

“The Sheep Detectives" is a truly unexpected delight that is not only a charming good time, but it’s also a funny and surprisingly profound family movie. Now, while the movie does deliver a silly (yet enjoyable) premise, the movie’s great blend of humor and emotional depth almost reminds me of a mix between “Babe” meeting the mysterious fun of something like “Knives Out.”

This family movie really does an amazing job blending a rather clever “whodunit” murder mystery with surprisingly profound themes of grief, acceptance, and learning to face hard truths. I really liked how the movie takes classic detective tropes - reminiscent of Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle - and filters them through the unique perspective of the talking sheep who are trying to solve their beloved shepherd’s death.

I also really enjoyed the fantastic character arcs of some of the sheep characters that are also some of the most memorable segments of the movie. Rather than delivering the usual simple talking-animal scenario, the writer and director gave the flock nuanced journeys centered around grief, acceptance and community.

Lily, the smartest sheep who could solve George’s fictional mysteries, actually serves as the emotional anchor of the movie and her harrowing journey is quite moving. Instead of avoiding the trauma of losing her shepherd, she evolves to confront the realities of mortality.

There’s another sheep, Sebastian, who begins his arc as a grizzled, world-weary outcast

who has seen the “evils” men do” and he ultimately moves from being a cynical lone-wolf to finding his place within the community of the flock again.

My favorite character arc/sub-plot is of the “Winter Lamb.” Born out of season and initially ostracized by the community, the lamb’s arc delivers a delicate, powerful message about inclusivity that can heavily resonate with adult viewers. The Winter Lamb’s arc showcases that individuals can’t process pain or solve life's mysteries completely alone, driving home a powerful message about staying close to family and community.

Not only are the previously mentioned character arcs quite memorable (and at times moving), they’re also some of my favorite parts of the movie. I also really enjoy the very hilarious antics of the twin sheep characters as they provide a lot of laugh out loud moments whenever they share the screen.

Initially expected to be a gimmicky children’s movie, it has instead blown viewers and myself away as a surprisingly profound, emotionally complex, charming “whodunit” family movie. It’s widely praised for its mature and gentle exploration of grief, trauma, mortality, and what it means to be a “flock.”

Cast: Hugh Jackman (George Hardy); Brett Goldstein (Ronnie/Reggie); Patrick Stewart (Sir Ritchfield); Regina Hall (Cloud); Bella Ramsey (Zora); Julia Louis-Dreydus (Lily); Chris O’Dowd (Mopple); Rhys Darby (Wool-Eyes); Bryan Cranston (Sebastian); Nicholas Braun (Officer Tim Derry); Nicholas Galitzine (Elliot Matthews); Molly Gordon (Rebecca Hampstead); Emma Thompson (Lydia Harbottle)

Writer/director: Craig Mazin (writer) (HBO’s The Last of Us; HBO’s Chernobyl; The Huntsman: Winter’s War) Leonie Swann (based on the novel Three Bags Full by ); Kyle Balda (director) (Minions: The Rise of Gru; DespicableMe 3; Minions)

MPA: Rated PG for thematic material, some violent content and brief language   (runtime 109 minutes)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=826SRt1CFbg

• Hugh Jackman filmed all his scenes in 10 days.

• The twin rams voiced by Brett Goldstein are named Ronnie and Reggie, after the infamous Kray twin brothers who dominated organized crime in London's East End during the 1950s and 1960s.

• According to animator Man Arenas on the animation website Dodecaden. The film was originally going to be an all animated feature film made by famous German animation studio TFC Trickompany Filmproduktion who made the cult adult animated film Felidae (1994) as their spiritual successor of that film along with German film production company and Felidae's co-production studio Senator Film Produktion. The film started production in 2006, but was canceled once Trickompany Filmproduktion filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

• Much of the exterior location filming was done in the village of Ivinghoe, and nearby Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire, England. The military prisoner training scenes for classic war movie The Dirty Dozen (1967) were filmed at Ivinghoe Beacon decades earlier. The village has also been used for location filming of British television series such as The Saint (1962) and The Avengers (1961).