Crime-solving sheep in The Sheep Detectives

Advancements in animation and technology means that we can now make photorealistic, hybrid live-action and animated movies about animals going on adventures entirely guilt free. Generations of us were scarred for life by learning of the fates of animals in such films as Free Willy, Homeward Bound, and Heaven’s Gate, but now Ridley Scott can do as much historical horse murder as he wants entirely guilt-free, and we can have animal adventure films free from harm. One such film is The Sheep Detectives, a delightful mystery-adventure about sheep solving crimes in the bucolic English countryside. That the film is partially animated only adds to its gentle vibes and stress-free entertainment.

Directed by Kyle Balda and adapted by Craig Mazin from Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full, The Sheep Detectives is about a flock of happy sheep cared for by the dutiful, loving shepherd George (Hugh Jackman). The leaders of the flock are Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George’s favorite and the smartest sheep in the flock; Mopple (Chris O’Dowd), the sheep tasked with remembering every unpleasantry the other sheep forget; and Sebastian (Bryan Cranston), a loner ram George rescued from a carnival.

The sheep are voiced by many recognizable actors, including Brett Goldstein voicing a pair of twin rams; Rhys Darby as a long-haired sheep called Wool-Eyes; Regina Hall as Cloud, the diva of the group; and Bella Ramsey as Zora, a juvenile sheep who looks up to Lily. It’s a good group of vocal performances, but the human cast carries their weight, too. Nicholas Braun is the bumbling local police officer; Nicholas Galitzine is an ambitious young reporter; Hong Chau stars as the local innkeeper; Conleth Hill is the local butcher; Molly Gordon stars as mysterious newcomer Rebecca; and Emma Thompson pops up as George’s surprisingly high-powered lawyer.

On both sides of the cast, physical and vocal, the ensemble is strong and delivers on the good-natured humor of the film, though Hong Chau feels a little wasted in her role. Emma Thompson can swan in and out of fluff roles like this, but Chau is visibly working too hard in the film equivalent of cotton candy.

The action kicks off when Lily discovers George dead in the field and the sheep, to whom George read cozy mystery novels every evening, decide to solve his murder “like in the books”. To do this, they must leave the comfort of their field for the unknown, which includes encountering and crossing their first road. The Sheep Detectives is working two angles, one being a sweetly sardonic riff on cozy English mysteries, the other being an “animals go on a big adventure” film. The mystery is decent enough, and Nicholas Braun is very good as the inept officer who slowly pieces together the crime with Lily and her pals nudging him along, but The Sheep Detectives has the most in common with The Brave Little Toaster. Lily is the toaster.

I suppose you could be cynical about this film, with its overblown “quirky English countryside” style and by-the-numbers mystery plot, but then you’d just be some kind of asshole. The Sheep Detectives is the kind of genuinely entertaining, family-friendly film that is made to satisfy a range of appetites, from children to adults. There’s a mystery, some good jokes, and some lessons for little ones, exemplified by Lily learning to cope with her own big feelings and also the flock learning to embrace the winter lamb, a misfit runt rejected for being born in the wrong season.

None of it is subtle, sure, and all of it comes with the mouth tingle brought about by eating too-sweet cake icing, but The Sheep Detectives is executed flawlessly. It’s so honest about its intentions and performed so well, it’s hard to be mad at its corniness. The Sheep Detectives lives in the same realm as Paddington, in fact, it is totally believable that the idyllic village of The Sheep Detectives exists in the same world as Paddington’s London, and it has the same harmless, all-ages appeal, though it lacks the charming eccentricity of Paddington. The Sheep Detectives is super cute, a daffy take on cozy mysteries with a side of big adventure. It’s the kind of film that dares you not to like it, and if you DON’T like it, you’re probably dead inside. But if you welcome whimsy in your life, The Sheep Detectives is for you.

The Sheep Detectives is now playing exclusively in theaters.