SYNOPSIS: In “The Sheep Detectives,” a new, all-star whodunnit comedy now playing in theatres, a flock of sheep attempt to solve a murder mystery.
CAST: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson with the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein, Rhys Darby. Directed by Kyle Balda.
REVIEW: “The Sheep Detectives” is a bizarre but crowd-pleasing murder mystery for the whole family that could have been titled “CSI: Livestock.” Murder, talking sheep and philosophy intertwine to create echoes of “Babe: A Pig in the City” and “Old Yeller.”
Hugh Jackman is George, a sheep herder with an uncommon connection to his flock. Called a “grouchy-pants” by the locals in the village of Denbrook, on the farm he’s all sweetness and light to his sheep. He gives them names, dotes on them and reads them detective novels as bedtime stories, even though they can’t understand him.
Except they can.
Among themselves they speak English and spend their late nights discussing George’s murder mysteries, trying to guess who the killer will be.
When murder comes to the farm, there are suspects galore, but it is up to the sheep to become little wooly Columbos and crack the case.
Paced and performed like a family flick,” The Sheep Detectives” certainly has appeal for the whole clan. The cute CGI talking sheep and gentle humor should be appropriate for ages seven and up. Some of it is dark, like the story of a sheep who was raised on the carnival and there are some “Old Yeller” style realities that may be upsetting to very young children.
Still, despite the Ovine Agatha Christie elements, director Kyle Balda, best known for co-directing the Illumination films “The Lorax,” “Minions,” “Despicable Me 3” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” keeps the tone light and breezy, peppering the story with humor to offset any intensity the story offers up.
Populated with standard issue murder mystery characters, like “Successions” Nicholas Braun as bumbling cop Tim Derry, Nicholas Galitzine as cub reporter Elliot Matthews and Molly Gordon as a long lost relative, it’s the sheep who sell the story. Sure, Hugh Jackman brings warmth and a steely gentleness to the role of George, but it is the nimble voice work of Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, the smartest sheep in the world, Bryan Cranston as a sheep with a tortured past and Chris O’Dowd as the curious Mopple, that add a human touch as they grapple with understanding he changing nature of their world, loyalty and take chances to find answers. These sheeple break away from the herd, bringing surprising commentary on the idea of “dumb animals” and the people who care for them.
“The Sheep Detectives” is a charming and clever film that adds layers to what could have been a simple story for kids.
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” a new stop motion animated film from Aardman Animations and playing in theatres this week before moving to Netflix next week, comes with great eggs-pectations. The original film, 2000s “Chicken Run,” is a beloved classic of British humour, heartwarming and heavy on the charm.
But can a sequel, twenty-three years in the making, be all it’s cracked up to be or will it lay an egg?
The new film picks up years after revolutionary chicken Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and American circus rooster Rocky (Zachary Levi) escape the prisoner-of-war style Tweedy’s Industrial Farm. The happy couple now celebrate their freedom, living on an island bird sanctuary, far from the dangers of humanity, with friends Babs (Jane Horrocks), elderly rooster Fowler (David Bradley), Bunty (Imelda Staunton) their rat BFFs Nick and Fetcher (Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays) and daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey).
“Life doesn’t get better than this,” Ginger says. “We’ve put the past behind us. We have Molly to think about now.”
It’s a wonderful life, but Molly, who has her mother’s rebellious spirit, feels fenced in. “You can’t make me stay here,” she tells Ginger.
Molly flies the coop, eager to check out Fun-Land Farms, a new operation on the mainland. With her feather-brained friend Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) they soon discover the new farm is a processing plant for, you guessed it, chicken nuggets.
“Behold the dawn of the nugget,” says evil plant owner Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson).
It’s up to Ginger, Rocky and Company to come to the rescue. “Last time we broke out of a chicken farm,” says Ginger. “This time we’re breaking in.”
Like so many sequels, the story has bloated from the simplicity story of the 2000 film. But despite the food-for-thought subtext involving fast food and heavier plotting, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is still nimble and action packed.
The original “Chicken Run” was a riff on World War II great escape style films. “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” pays homage to the first movie, but leans into the James Bond and “Mission Impossible” franchises as inspirations for the wild poultry action.
Most of all, there is something welcoming about the Aardman stop motion animation. The house style is bold and beautiful, vivid and uncluttered, but it is the eccentric characters that really appeal. With their large eyes and exaggerated mouths and eyebrows, the Plasticine characters brim with personality and unmistakably come from the same creators that gave us the cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his mute and long-suffering canine side-kick Gromit. Shot one frame-at-a-time, the animation feels handcrafted and organic, and has a warmth most CGI kids flicks don’t have.
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is pretty cluckin’ good. It’s an entertaining, family-friendly mix of charm and craft.
