[8]
In this refreshingly sophisticated and highly emotional family film, Hugh Jackman (Logan) plays a sheep herder who reads mystery novels to his flock every evening — and they understand what they hear. When the sheep find him dead one morning, they set out to solve the mystery behind his murder. They give aid to the town’s not-so-bright police officer (Nicholas Braun) in clever and amusing ways, vetting several suspects, including the shepherd’s estranged daughter (Molly Gordon). When the sheep realize the daughter is being framed, they double their efforts — because if the sheep are inherited by anyone else, there’s a good chance they’ll be sold to the town butcher (Conleth Hill).
Thirty minutes into The Sheep Detectives, the film is about what you’d expect from a British-made ‘talking animal’ movie. But when the sheep begin debating about what they will collectively remember or forget, things get surprisingly deep — and dark. Only a few of the sheep, including an abused carnival rescue voiced by Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), remember everything that’s happened to them. The rest are able to block unpleasant memories, namely the deaths of other sheep. They instead choose to believe that when sheep die, they simply turn into clouds. But when the shepherd’s death means the flock may be sent for slaughter, these talking animals are forced to broach some heavy subject matter for a kids’ movie. There are spooky moments of existential dread in this film, as well as some moving scenes about ‘bullying’ and ‘belonging’. The final act packs multiple emotional punches. In the screening I attended, there were audible gasps and sobbing from many in the audience. (I contributed to the sobbing.) I suspect The Sheep Detectives may in time earn a reputation similar to Watership Down, another remarkably mature ‘children’s movie’.
Even though The Sheep Detectives may be too upsetting for children under eight or nine, older children and families should find it a step above most other family film dreck. In addition to its good handling of mature subject matter, the film also contains a worthy mystery! I have yet to meet anyone who was able to solve the case before the sheep did, so that has to count for something. Among the cast members playing humans, Emma Thompson (The Remains of the Day) is the most delightful as the lawyer who reads the will. She sticks around to observe the investigation (and become a suspect?) The voice cast for the sheep is a stellar ensemble lead by Seinfeld‘s Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the smartest of the flock, and the one in whom the shepherd confided. Chris O’Dowd plays her closest companion, a sheep who chooses to remember everything, even though it hurts to do so. Patrick Stewart (X-Men) is memorable as a loud old sheep quick to jump to conclusions. But it’s Bryan Cranston’s loner ex-carnival sheep you’re likely to remember most. He gets some of the film’s best moments.
Directed by Kyle Balda (Minions, The Lorax). With Hong Chau, Nicholas Galitzine (2026’s Masters of the Universe), Regina Hall, and Bella Ramsey.