Shaun the Sheep Movie

After making his debut 20 years ago in Nick Park's Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit outing A Close Shave, Shaun the Sheep has become a stop-motion animated British TV favorite. For a rebellious ram like Shaun (voiced by Justin Fletcher), life at Mossy Bottom Farm can be a bit tiresome. Every day, the Farmer (John Sparkes) and his loyal sheepdog Blitzer (also Sparkes) take Shaun and the flock out to graze in the fields. Determined to take a break from the daily drudgery, mischievous Shaun decides to head for the Big City (think London). But a series of accidents land the Farmer in the hospital, where a quirk of amnesia turns him into a trendy, celebrity hair stylist who employs his sheep-shearing skills. Back at the farm, amid other livestock—including opportunistic, hard-partying pigs and a conniving duck who accepts bread-bribes—Shaun and his bleating flock-mates realize they cannot reach their feed, which is stored high in the barn, so they join with their arch-nemesis, Blitzer, to search for the Farmer and bring him home. But disguised as humans in the urban environment, the team is captured and incarcerated by an animal control officer named Trumper (Omid Djalili). Writers-directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak's Shaun the Sheep Movie is a dialogue-free film, filled with sight gags, shop-sign puns, goofy sound effects, and indecipherable gibberish. Amusingly sweet, it's a wild and wooly adventure that will be shear fun for youngsters. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (12 min.), the production segments “Meet the Characters” (4 min.), “Join Shaun Behind the Scenes” (3 min.), and “Meet the Crew” (3 min.), and a parody poster gallery. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an entertaining kids' film.] (S. Granger)