Sometimes, you just want something different in your life. It doesn’t mean that you hate who you are, what you do or who your surrounded by, but you just find yourself needing some variety whether it’s temporary or a permanent addition to your life. That’s kind of where we find Shaun the Sheep in his first adventure on the big screen. He simply wants something different, but it may be more than he was expecting.
Based on a popular British stop-motion animated television series of the same name, Shaun the Sheep Movie tells us what happens when Shaun (the Sheep) decides to go on the lamb and take a day off to find relaxation and fun away from the farm that he’s grown up on. In the early going, things go according to plan, but what began as a day from freedom turns into a few days of action as he and his mates are forced to head into the Big City on an adventure that’s larger than anything they could have ever dreamed of.
Shaun the Sheep Movie doesn’t focus entirely on its titular character. In fact, it focuses so much on all of the animals as a whole that I didn’t know who Shaun the Sheep was until we got well into the movie. In doing so, this makes it all appear like a collective effort on behalf of all the characters as they journey through their adventures. This makes it easier to watch as many of the characters add something to the film and help in keeping your attention.
This is also important because there isn’t anyone talking throughout any of it. The only thing that we hear is mumbling and grumbling from any and everyone who comes across the screen. There’s literally nothing here that’s understandable verbally unless you include a couple of the songs that are played during certain points in the movie. Making a film with no dialogue is tricky, so the fact that this succeeds is no small feat.
This is also one of the things that makes the Shaun the Sheep Movie different than what we normally get in film. By creating something of this style, audiences get a chance to experience a new way of doing things. I’m not saying this will catch on to the point where we’ll see a bunch of other movies being done like this, but it does feature some refreshing qualities that allow it to stand on its own in spite of the fact that it includes some familiar features in its storyline.
I guess another thing that makes this different is that it’s a stop-motion animated movie. They could have turned this into something that looked more like what we see in modern animated film, but they decided to stick with the appearance that they’ve already been using. This isn’t wonderful to look at, but it’s something that also makes it stand out from the crowd even more. Plus, you have to respect all of the time and effort put into it when looking at all the work that goes into creating animated films/television shows like this.
In closing, I’ll say that Shaun the Sheep is a short animated flick that kids will be able to follow and get into even though there’s no one actually speaking in any understandable language. Luckily for us, the filmmakers knew how to tell a story in others ways that will make things perfectly intelligible for all of us who may eventually watch it. If you plan on taking your kids out for a day at the theater, Shaun the Sheep is one of the suggestions that I would offer up to you. It’s short, fun, harmless and worth the price of admission, so why not give it a chance?
Rating: PG
Directors:
Mark Burton
Richard Starzak
Cast:
Justin Fletcher
John Sparkes
Omid Djalili
Kate Harbour
Richard Webber
Tim Hands
Emma Tate
Film Length: 84 minutes
Release Date: August 5, 2015
Distributor: Lionsgate
Country: England
