Sheep will follow;
Sheep will herd;
Sheep will heed a foolish word.

Sheep will do
What sheep have done
Since lamb was craved and wool was spun.

Sheep are stupid;
Sheep forget,
Sheep have not proved different… yet.

Sheep are one
Collective noun;
A sheep might not let us down.
_____________________

MPA rating: PG

A murder mystery involving sheep could have easily been simplistic and trite, especially coming from the director of Minions, but it’s a special pleasure when a film rises to be far better than it has any right to be. Based loosely on the German novel Three Bags Full, the film stars Hugh Jackman as English shepherd George, who enjoys reading mystery novels to his flock, voiced by an ensemble of famous names, including the clever one Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the one with a good memory Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), the loner Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), and the eldest Sir Ritchfield (Patrick Stewart, may he rest in peace). When George is unexpectedly killed one dark and stormy night, Lily leads the effort to solve his murder and lead the hapless human policeman (Nicholas Braun) to the truth.

I have always had a soft spot for 1995’s Babe, with its gentle bucolic charm and talking animals, and The Sheep Detectives feels very much like its successor. For one thing, it’s hilarious, the limited knowledge base of a sheep serving to poke fun at various human concepts, and though the sheep themselves are less real than the animals in Babe, the CGI is seamless and thoroughly convincing to make them feel just as true as the human characters. The voice work is a laudable contributor to that as well, with Louis-Dreyfus and O’Dowd especially navigating a range of emotions with their voices.

Beyond the charm of talking sheep, lovely scenery, and a solidly written mystery that I won’t spoil, the film explores surprisingly nuanced themes of mortality, prejudice, and willful ignorance. It’s a cute gag when the sheep choose to forget a mildly irksome experience early on, but it carries more weight later when they are faced with facts that are too hard to bear and must decide if even pain and grief can be worth remembering. I could see this being a rather heavy introduction to the reality of death for some kids, but it’s handled gracefully.

Mixing cute animals with unexpected pathos is a winning combination, and every aspect of the film contributes to a thoroughly satisfying and delightful tale. Until Wildwood, The Sheep Detectives was solidly my favorite film of the year, and I still consider it an instant family classic.

Best line: (Sebastian, about not forgetting George) “Justice. It means the good should not be harmed by the bad. The weak should not be harmed by the strong. And a friend should never be forgotten. George showed me justice once. He deserves it in return.”

Rank: Top 100-Worthy

© 2026 S.G. Liput
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