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Stitch's Movie Madness: Shaun the Sheep Movie
10 years ago
General
I may be biased here. As a longtime fan of 'Wallace and Gromit', 'Chicken Run', and even 'The Pirates!', an underrated lark which nobody seems to have actually seen, I'm always ready to settle in with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy whatever gentle blend of comedy, pathos and sparkling wit Aardman Animations dishes up. I'm also a fan of stop motion animation in general... in my book, that tactile realness and painstaking attention to the tiniest of details gives it a level of charm that most CG flicks just can't match. And, of course, I love sheep. Adore them, in point of fact. I love their wooly fluff, placid little smiles and warbling bleats. I love the way they gently but insistently devour ice cream cone fragments from the palm of your hand with their soft, fuzzy muzzles. I love the way they nudge up against you at petting zoos, as though to say, 'You're okay, you can be in the flock too.' Sheep are awesome.
One of the biggest charms of Aardman's long-running 'Shaun the Sheep' TV series is the way it anthropomorphizes smarty-sheep Shaun (the diminutive but clever and playful young ram introduced in the acclaimed 'Wallace and Gromit' short 'A Close Shave') and his flock without losing their inherent sheepiness. Sure, they're fun-loving in ways that real sheep aren't, being just as inclined to play Frisbee or have a pool party as they are to graze on fresh grass, but the animators have a lot of fun contrasting their human-like perceptiveness with their tendency to wander off randomly, panic at the sight of a wayward kite, or mindlessly devour a pizza takeout menu rather than order from it. They're people, but they're still appealingly sheep, too.
Most of the TV episodes serve up Shaun and his flock's antics in brisk, dialogue-free, 10 minute chunks, usually following such simple notions as "wash day" or "where'd my shovel go?" to mounting extremes of Chaplin-esque physical comedy. It's slapstick, but thankfully it's never manic or desperate, often taking its sweet time to set up oddball conflicts and then pay them off in unexpected ways. With his prankish but ultimately kind demeanor, Shaun is the bleating heart and soul of the series, and it's a pleasure to report that he and his flock not only survive the transition to the big screen, they seem tailor made for it.
In Shaun's first (but, one hopes, not final) big screen adventure, what starts off as a series of small-scale setups (Shaun and his flock, bored and annoyed by the tedious routine of being a flock of sheep on a working farm, decide that they'd simply like a day off to relax) quickly escalates into a string of bigger and funnier disasters, leading to an impromptu mission to the "big city" to rescue their gruff but good-natured human caretaker. What follows is a madcap (but thankfully never overwrought or desperate for laughs) caper that makes room for both surreal Rube Goldberg-esque set pieces and quiet moments of genuinely heart-tugging emotion. The movie takes place in a world where a flock of sheep can successfully disguise themselves as patrons of a fancy French restaurant simply by throwing on trench coats and knitted scarves, but the story never forgets to keep the emotional stakes honest. There are moments of true warmth and heartbreak in Shaun and flock's quest, and you'll likely find it impossible not to be moved by wondrous scenes like one in which the sheep perform an impromptu acapella version of the film's theme song in order to comfort a sad baby lamb.
The 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' is beautifully cinematic, touching, often hilarious, and has a heart as warm and sweet as a fresh-dipped candy apple. You don't need to be an Aardman aficionado, or to love stop motion animation, or even particularly be a fan of sheep, to let its considerable charms work their magic on you... you simply need to be able to appreciate the simple (wooly) pleasures of a good story, well told.
One of the biggest charms of Aardman's long-running 'Shaun the Sheep' TV series is the way it anthropomorphizes smarty-sheep Shaun (the diminutive but clever and playful young ram introduced in the acclaimed 'Wallace and Gromit' short 'A Close Shave') and his flock without losing their inherent sheepiness. Sure, they're fun-loving in ways that real sheep aren't, being just as inclined to play Frisbee or have a pool party as they are to graze on fresh grass, but the animators have a lot of fun contrasting their human-like perceptiveness with their tendency to wander off randomly, panic at the sight of a wayward kite, or mindlessly devour a pizza takeout menu rather than order from it. They're people, but they're still appealingly sheep, too.
Most of the TV episodes serve up Shaun and his flock's antics in brisk, dialogue-free, 10 minute chunks, usually following such simple notions as "wash day" or "where'd my shovel go?" to mounting extremes of Chaplin-esque physical comedy. It's slapstick, but thankfully it's never manic or desperate, often taking its sweet time to set up oddball conflicts and then pay them off in unexpected ways. With his prankish but ultimately kind demeanor, Shaun is the bleating heart and soul of the series, and it's a pleasure to report that he and his flock not only survive the transition to the big screen, they seem tailor made for it.
In Shaun's first (but, one hopes, not final) big screen adventure, what starts off as a series of small-scale setups (Shaun and his flock, bored and annoyed by the tedious routine of being a flock of sheep on a working farm, decide that they'd simply like a day off to relax) quickly escalates into a string of bigger and funnier disasters, leading to an impromptu mission to the "big city" to rescue their gruff but good-natured human caretaker. What follows is a madcap (but thankfully never overwrought or desperate for laughs) caper that makes room for both surreal Rube Goldberg-esque set pieces and quiet moments of genuinely heart-tugging emotion. The movie takes place in a world where a flock of sheep can successfully disguise themselves as patrons of a fancy French restaurant simply by throwing on trench coats and knitted scarves, but the story never forgets to keep the emotional stakes honest. There are moments of true warmth and heartbreak in Shaun and flock's quest, and you'll likely find it impossible not to be moved by wondrous scenes like one in which the sheep perform an impromptu acapella version of the film's theme song in order to comfort a sad baby lamb.
The 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' is beautifully cinematic, touching, often hilarious, and has a heart as warm and sweet as a fresh-dipped candy apple. You don't need to be an Aardman aficionado, or to love stop motion animation, or even particularly be a fan of sheep, to let its considerable charms work their magic on you... you simply need to be able to appreciate the simple (wooly) pleasures of a good story, well told.
Haven't seen a lot of Morph yet, but it looks to be exactly what Aardman does best - namely, using claymation as a fountain of pure whimsy and imagination. It's on my to-do list, right after I marathon through some more Shaun episodes.
I just can't believe I've never watched the show, or was even aware it was a thing at all until recently. I'll have to rectify that soon.
It's unfortunate, but here in America, it looks like Shaun and flock are largely unknown and unappreciated. You're not alone in not having been aware of the TV series... most folks don't even seem to know that the movie even exists, much less that it's playing right now. Thing is, everyone who's actually had a chance to see the movie absolutely freaking loves it... I blame a lack of proper marketing here in the States as much as anything. Seriously, why this isn't a bajillion dollar success like 'Minions' is beyond me.