This is going to be a great movie season if The Sheep Detectives are any indication of what else might be coming our way this summer. It’s smart, funny, charming, full of emotion and surprisingly deep.
I admit it. I would have totally judged Leonie Swann’s novel before reading it. Three Bags Full: A Sheep’s Detective Story sounds like one of the cutesy paperback mysteries. You know, where animals help humans solve a murder? They are often adult stories that come off as if they were written by a child. But how wrong I would have been.
Instead, this is an adult story that children are welcomed to join in. Much like a classic animated Disney tale, The Sheep Detectives is truly a story that all ages will enjoy. (Well, families with older children at least since there is talk of murder and death after all.) And the roles are reversed. The story is told from the sheep’s perspective – and it works.
The story begins in fictional meadow in the fictional village of Denbrook. Writing a letter to a woman in America, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) writes about his simple life and his love for his sheep. He can’t wait for her to experience this life with her. He describes his sheep by name.
Zora (Bella Ramsey) is a young sheep who has a question for everything. She reminds me of Piglet from Winnie-the-Pooh. The overly fluffy Cloud (Regina Hall) is confident in her own beauty. Ronnie and Reggie are twins (Brett Goldstein) who have a penchant for ramming things and utter, “Are we lambs or rams?”
There’s Wool Eyes (Rhys Darby) who can barely see due to his wool that hangs over his eyes and yet he does a remarkable job finding clues. Sir Richard (Patrick Stewart) is loud, proud and enforces traditions. Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) is a loner and rarely spends time with the others. And The Winter Lamb (Tommy Birchall) has no name. This little guy is treated poorly simply because he’s different at no fault of his own.
A Mystery is Afoot
At the end of each day, George reads a chapter or two from his favorite murder mystery story to his flock. Just before the killer is revealed, George closes the book and tells his flock that he’ll finish the story tomorrow. They all discuss who they think the culprit is.
Golden-colored Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who swears she know who-dun-it. Lily is not only smart, but she’s kind, loyal and a leader. When something unpleasant happens in the meadow, the sheep have a magical ability to count to three and the bad memories are gone. Mopple (Chris O-Dowd) on the other hand, has the uncanny ability to remember everything, good or bad.
When morning comes, the flock discovers that George is dead, but Mopple explains that it’s worse than that. George was murdered, a concept that the other cannot fathom. However, when reality sinks in, Lily rallies the others to look for clues and culprits.
The list of humans in the story include:
Caleb Merrow (Tosin Cole) is the seemingly kind shepherd next door and owner of Sweet Clover Farm.
Beth Pennock (Hong Chau) is the nosey, colorful and artsy innkeeper for The Partridge Inn.
Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) is the town’s minister. Is he good or bad? Holier than thou? It’s hard to get a read on him.
Ham Gilyard (Conleth Hill) is the town’s butcher with the best name in the cast. Naturally he’s an enemy of the flock. He says that he can forgive vegetarianism in a woman, but not in a man. “It’s disgusting” he says.
Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon) is George’s long lost daughter who has never met her father.
Lydia Harbottle (Emma Thompson) is a no-nonsense lawyer from the city.
Police officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) is like watching Barney Fife without Andy Taylor. His character is a little too over the top (and the movie’s weakest character), but as he get wiser, he becomes less unlikeable.
Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine) is fresh out of journalism school. He’s in town to cover the Denbrook Cultural Festival but is insulted that his first real story is based on such a hokey event. However, when he discovers that he now has an opportunity to cover the murder in the small town, things begin to look up.
A Beautiful Background
Filmed in England in and around Oxfordshire (including Surrey, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire), this is a beautiful film with an innocent story book appearance. The rolling hills, the quaint village, the colorful Inn, the majestic chapel – it’s all great.
Hugh Jackman might have his name on top of the cast list of The Sheep Detectives, but he’s not the star of the movie. The stars are the CGI sheep. Seriously, this is probably the best visual effects and animation I’ve ever seen. It’s a movie that was clearly crafted with talented artists and animators. Nothing short of realism would do. I thought for sure that at lease some of the scenes used real sheep, but they did not.
If there ever was a case for Hollywood to lean into making more original movies rather than relying on sequels and remakes, this is it. Directed by Kyle Balda, The Sheep Detectives is full of heart and bravely tackles deep themes including topics like death, grief, prejudice, forgiveness, kindness and treating others how you would like to be treated.
The Sheep Detectives is a modern masterpiece that young people will be sharing with their future grandchildren. The film is witty, touching at times without wearing out its welcome and is never heavy-handed. You might even be surprised by who the murderer is too. And can you think of a better song to end the movie with than “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers?
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