Pretty much all you need to know about the Shaun the Sheep movie is that it’s from Aardman. Much like their biggest hit Wallace & Grommit, this is a dialogue-free effort based around sight gags, big action sequences, charmingly likeable characters (apart from the bad guys) and a whole lot of fun. Following in the tradition of roughly 80% of animal-themed kids movies, this sees Shaun and the rest of his sheep cohorts heading into the big city after an attempt to get a day off results in the Farmer taking a one-way ride in a caravan into town and waking up with no memory of who he is. You can’t have a farm without a farmer, but their efforts to find him are hampered by being sheep (their disguises are a comedy highlight) in a city patrolled by a ruthless animal control officer. Full of jokes both broad and subtle, and with the warmth that comes from stop-motion animation, this is a charming romp you’d have to be dead inside not to love. It’s a classic.
