Shaun the Sheep the Movie

Making the sheepish leap from the small screen, Shaun the Sheep the Movie is the latest Aardman production attempting to become an animated classic in a genre already filled to the brim. Aardman does have a seal of quality; the entire catalogue of Wallace and Gromit films hold a place in every young person’s heart, and Christmas wouldn’t be complete without Chicken Run. With this great love comes great pressure for Shaun and friends.

There’s something immediately reassuring about being surrounded by this well-known stop motion world. The animation of Shaun and co, as we’re introduced to each one of them, is as equally impressive as previous works. The main difference between Shaun the Sheep and other Aardman films is the lack of any speech; the world the characters live in is a silent one, meaning the visual actions become even more important when it comes to engaging its young audience. Luckily there are a shedload of slapstick visual gags fired in at will throughout, which clearly nod towards British classics like Mr Bean. There are even a couple of recycled classic jokes from previous Wallace and Gromit flims.

The story is based around Shaun and friends stepping out of their farmyard world and into the big city as they attempt to rescue their farmer, who has suffered an unfortunate bout of memory loss. Most of the action revolves around Shaun and his chums dressing up, evading a rogue animal inspector and making plenty of friends along the way. The jokes are fairly wide ranging, from Benny Hill-style slapstick to the raw funniness of the way the characters are constructed. There’s even a few more mature jokes chucked in for the parents.

It may not be up to the ridiculously high standards of classic Wallace and Gromit but Shaun does do enough to put his own woolly stamp on British comedy animation. Shaun the Sheep will be adored by kids who are fans of show, and will gain even more admirers along the way.

Keir Smith

Shaun the Sheep the Movie is released on 6^th February 2015.

Watch the trailer for Shaun the Sheep the Movie here: