MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (8/7/15): SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE
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| "Help – we're running at what looks like a fast pace but every movement takes a long time to put together!" Shaun, Slip and Bitzer flee the jail of the local animal control officer in the big city in a scene from the SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE. Credit: © 2015 Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved. |
KEY CAST MEMBERS: John Sparkes, Justin Fletcher and Omid Djalili
WRITER(S): Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
DIRECTOR(S): Mark Burton and Richard Starzak
WEB SITE: http://shaunthesheep.com/movie
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Brought to you by the fine folks behind Flushed Away and Wallace & Gromit, the Shaun the Sheep Movie introduces you to a simple sheep named – what else? – Shaun (Justin Fletcher). Living out in the country of Mossy Bottom, he and and his fellow sheep have a pretty simple life under the direction of the Farmer (John Sparkes). But "simple" is also a synonym for "boring" – and that's why Shaun needs a release.
Of course, his plan for a little fun goes terribly awry – leading to the farmer ending up lost in the big city and no one to tend for Shaun, his fellow sheep Hazel, Shirley, Timmy, Timmy's mum, the Twins and the farm's dog Bitzer. Being a sheep of action, Shaun decides to leave the farm and go into the Big City to rescue the Farmer.
All he has to do is make sure Trumper (Omid Djalili), the Big City's animal control officer, doesn't catch him and his friends first ...
Of course, his plan for a little fun goes terribly awry – leading to the farmer ending up lost in the big city and no one to tend for Shaun, his fellow sheep Hazel, Shirley, Timmy, Timmy's mum, the Twins and the farm's dog Bitzer. Being a sheep of action, Shaun decides to leave the farm and go into the Big City to rescue the Farmer.
All he has to do is make sure Trumper (Omid Djalili), the Big City's animal control officer, doesn't catch him and his friends first ...
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Anyone who's enjoyed Aardman Animation's past works; adults and children who like family-friendly entertainment that is also genuine and entertaining
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Anyone who feels the look of the film is too similar to Aardman's past works; those who get annoyed with the characters' ways of "talking"
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A nice, unoffensive and charming film with enough jokes to entertain children and adults alike, the Shaun the Sheep Movie is pretty much everything you'd want in a family-friendly summer film ... Or at least one where most of the characters emote in a fashion akin to Charlie Brown's teacher.
Aardmarn Animation, the company behind the film, has a pretty simple formula at this point: (1) Use stop motion to create a visually appealing look, (2) Use the art of personification to make the animals seem as personable (see what I did there?) as possible and (3) place them in scenarios where a simple idea/hope spins out of control and then the characters have to work together to learn the importance of family/togetherness/love and (4) wash, rinse, repeat. While Aardman may not go to exploring the depths of the human experience (via a variety of creatures, worlds, generations, etc.) that say Pixar•Disney does, they do deliver good, solid entertainment by sticking to their formula above.
The Shaun the Sheep Movie finds all of these things working well in making Shaun both the unspoken patriarch of the farm and yet the unsuspecting reason for the chaos that ensues once he tries to bring a little levity to the farm. This in turn makes his interactions with all the supporting animal characters who in turn help showcase the ideas of humor, disappointment, sadness, family, etc. while never losing focus on how Shaun experiences/learns to appreciate/survive all of these things. Of course, it helps that Shaun has a good, standard issue protagonist against which to battle in the form of Trumper, a ol' fashioned bad guy who thinks he is a good guy (until he goes full out evil) and is comically unaware of all his shortcomings.
The Shaun of the Sheep movie's only shortcomings might be its length (85 minutes) and the familiarity of the story (animals on a farm get loose – it's kind of been done); fortunately, Aardman has a proven pedigree in taking the familiar and making it feel somewhat new again – the Shaun the Sheep Movie is the just the latest example of that fact.
Aardmarn Animation, the company behind the film, has a pretty simple formula at this point: (1) Use stop motion to create a visually appealing look, (2) Use the art of personification to make the animals seem as personable (see what I did there?) as possible and (3) place them in scenarios where a simple idea/hope spins out of control and then the characters have to work together to learn the importance of family/togetherness/love and (4) wash, rinse, repeat. While Aardman may not go to exploring the depths of the human experience (via a variety of creatures, worlds, generations, etc.) that say Pixar•Disney does, they do deliver good, solid entertainment by sticking to their formula above.
The Shaun the Sheep Movie finds all of these things working well in making Shaun both the unspoken patriarch of the farm and yet the unsuspecting reason for the chaos that ensues once he tries to bring a little levity to the farm. This in turn makes his interactions with all the supporting animal characters who in turn help showcase the ideas of humor, disappointment, sadness, family, etc. while never losing focus on how Shaun experiences/learns to appreciate/survive all of these things. Of course, it helps that Shaun has a good, standard issue protagonist against which to battle in the form of Trumper, a ol' fashioned bad guy who thinks he is a good guy (until he goes full out evil) and is comically unaware of all his shortcomings.
The Shaun of the Sheep movie's only shortcomings might be its length (85 minutes) and the familiarity of the story (animals on a farm get loose – it's kind of been done); fortunately, Aardman has a proven pedigree in taking the familiar and making it feel somewhat new again – the Shaun the Sheep Movie is the just the latest example of that fact.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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