Shaun the Sheep Movie

An exceedingly delightful animated film, Shaun the Sheep Movie follows the title character as he and other farm animals make their way to the big city to find their missing owner – with problems ensuing as the creatures raise the ire of a vicious, tenacious animal-control officer. The film, which is based on a television series (which was itself a spinoff from the Wallace & Gromit franchise), boasts a tremendously appealing stop-motion animation style that’s heightened by an assortment of affable characters, and it’s worth noting, too, that the movie’s total absence of dialogue in no way hinders one’s ability to get caught up in the briskly-paced narrative. Filmmakers Mark Burton and Richard Starzak keep things interesting by including a handful of memorable and unexpectedly hilarious images and set pieces, with the recurring gag featuring an angry jailhouse dog provoking hearty laughs with each and every appearance. The predictably action-packed final stretch doesn’t fare quite as well as all that precedes it, unfortunately, which does ensure that Shaun the Sheep Movie ends on a somewhat underwhelming note – although this hardly diminishes the impact of what is otherwise a thoroughly entertaining little animated endeavor.

*** out of ****