A Shaun the Sheep Movie Review: Accomplished but its Kids Stuff

A Shaun the Sheep Farmageddon is littered with mild (almost benign) mostly non-verbal slapstick comedy set-ups with an out-of-this-world (sort-of) sci-fi twist

A Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon
Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Amalia Vitale, Kate Harbour, Andy Nyman, Joe Sugg
Director: Will Becher, Richard Phelan
Rating: 

This 'Farmageddon' is a follow-up to the hugely-successful Oscar-nominated 2015 film, arriving several years after 'Chicken Run' creators,' British Animators Aardman's, stop-motion "Wallace and Gromit" expanded feature-length spin-off, did fabulously at the worldwide Box-office.

The narrative is littered with mild (almost benign) mostly non-verbal slapstick comedy set-ups with an out-of-this-world (sort-of) sci-fi twist. It's targeted at the tiny-tots who engage with animated TV commercials and cartoon networks so there's nothing adult out here - other than inoffensive, kind, adult in-jokery meant to keep the accompanying grown-ups fairly interested.

The tempo is inveigling, the helter-skelter series of sight-gags facilitate instant affect and the handmade aesthetic allows for the high-concept rompery to work up some magic.

A suitably imperfect-looking UFO crash-lands in rural England near Mossy Bottom Farm - abode to scoundrelly Shaun, his ovine brethren and their watchdog Bitzer. The Martian creature, a toddler(Amalia Vitale), that emerges from the grounded spacecraft is bright-pink, floppy-eared and really tiny. It doesn't take long for the googly-eyed Lu-La(as she is referred to) to mix in with Shaun(Justin Fletcher) and his gang who offer to help her find her way back while the human authorities set out a wide net to search out the space invader.

Watch the trailer of A Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon here

The director duo set-up some deliciously enchanting split-timed comic set-pieces with sci-fi nods and witty wordplay. The narrative gets wackier as you go along, becoming a joyride that is likely to get the kids quaking in the aisles. The lack of dialogue is a blessing given the full run of visual punchlines that keep coming while the soundtrack ( mostly British Pop with Jorja Smith, Chemical Brothers, et al) disrupt Tom Howe's energy giving score. Such creative opportunism makes sense when John Farmer, Shaun's owner, sets up a Space theme park following the discovery of the alien invader. It's all about doing the right thing as a group and helping the disadvantaged. While toddlers are not expected to grasp the obvious message in this artistically driven stop-motion work one hopes that the fun experienced will imprint the goodness of humanity on their impressionable minds. This one is meant for the kids - so don't be an adult and spoil their fun!

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