Shaun the Sheep Review

2015 in film

Aug 3

Written By Rendy Jones

Preview

PG: Rude Humor

Lionsgate, Studiocanal, Aardman Animations

1 hr and 24 Minutes

Gibberish Voice Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkles, Tim Hands with Kate Harbour, and Omid Djalili

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during my adolescence. Outdated language might be seen in these old posts. Since then, my thoughts and values have grown. This review is being presented as they were originally written, grammatical errors, shitty sentence structure, and typos galore. Because to do otherwise would be that same as claiming these flaws never existed.

BACKSTORY: Not gonna lie, I've watched this film several times because internet come on. Shaun the Sheep Movie was released in the UK in February and then DVD in May where of course the internet comes into play. Anyways like the good critic I am I stll attended the screening on Saturday August 1st and it means something if you go to the theater to watch a film on the big screen hence watching it a million times on your computer.

STORYLINE: When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.

REVIEW: When it comes to stop motion films Aardman is critically the #1 studio over every other company specifically Laika. They're the British Pixar which is no exception with Shaun the Sheep Movie. At first it may seem as if Inside Out would stand out as the best animated film of this year, but this film may have it a run for its awards. For an 84 minute feature length TV adaptation that was a spin off from their biggest franchise Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep is the perfect example of what TV to big screen films should be. What is just so amazing about this film is that it's silent. You have bleating, barking, and humans saying gibberish, but there is no real dialogue in this movie whatsoever. Most of the film relies on visual gags. It takes craftsmanship to handle jokes especially when all of them have no real punchline. This film has the best animated production design since Fantastic Mr. Fox. With Shaun the Sheep, nearly every single joke hits hard. The film embraces not only visual gags that poke fun at routines and the behavior of farm animals but also pokes fun at urban lifestyles and modern day trends. Where other animated films bash urban jokes to the ground by making it look hip and cool, this cleverly builds up and execute. What also takes craftsmanship is the setting and motion of both the city and the characters. Each character has different expressions that are detailed as with the city which this grand adventure takes place. You see graffiti on the walls, people using Android and Iphones, and it looks huger in scale. Animated villains aren't usually memorable (except if you're a Disney villain), Trumper the animal containment officer is both evil and dedicated of catching these sheep and plays as a freaking threat.This film displays a valuable lesson of not taking the people you love for granted and it has the perfect emotional bleats to explain that. Not going to lie if you don't nearly shed a tear or get a sad chill at the emotional climax then you are a cold cold person.This film uses a nice spirited song named "Feels Like Summer" as the center of the film which is vibrant, sweet, and plays off for several emotional scenes. Its as equally heartbreaking as the Bing Bong scene in Inside Out. Usually in climaxes you know everything will work out, but when these sheep are in danger, THEIR LIVES ARE IN FREAKING DANGER!

LAST STATEMENT: Aardman Animation's Shaun the Sheep Movie is emotionally genuine, brilliantly crafted with detail, and outrageously funny. For a full length animated feature TV adaptation that has no actual line of dialogue it's an inspired animated masterpiece that can challenge Pixar at their own game.