Do not expect anyone in “Shaun the Sheep Movie” to utter a complete sentence. To a man (and barnyard animal), every character in this stop-motion charmer from the animators at Aardman Studios — the geniuses behind “Chicken Run” and “Wallace and Gromit” — communicates mostly through a combination of gestures and incoherent mumblings, only occasionally busting out a “baaa” or a “hey” for emphasis.
Fans of the British television series that inspired the film will not be surprised by this. The adventures of the enterprising Shaun and his friends at Mossy Bottom Farm have always relied principally on clever sight gags to fuel their simultaneously family-friendly and wry comedy. Wisely, this big-screen version of “Shaun” adopts the same approach. While the uninitiated may find the lack of dialogue jarring at first, it shouldn’t take long for them to start giggling at, say, the sight of a cow leaping over a sign for a pub called the Moon.
Since this is a feature instead of a short, the narrative of “Shaun the Sheep” is more intricate than those in the television series, but not by much. Fatigued by the drudgery of daily life on the farm, Shaun — rendered, as always, with an adorably off-kilter lower jaw that looks like the handle on his mug of a face — decides that he and his woolly buddies deserve a day off.
After successfully distracting Bitzer the sheepdog by recruiting a duck to dangle a bone just out of the canine’s reach, Shaun and his flock-mates lull the farmer to sleep with another bit of inspired visual comedy: repeatedly leaping over a fence until their sheep-counting master is unconscious. After placing him safely at rest inside a camper, Shaun and Co. are able to start Ferris Bueller-ing it up at Mossy Bottom. But when that camper starts accidentally rolling down a road toward the Big City, Bitzer and the sheep squad follow, in an effort to bring their bespectacled boss back home.
From here, the jokes fly faster than the eye can read them. When the sheep aren’t disguising themselves as diners in a fancy French restaurant — name of restaurant: Le Chou Brule, a.k.a. the Burnt Cabbage — they’re hiding from an animal containment officer by posing stock-still in front of a bus station poster. The prevailing tone throughout is one of warmhearted absurdity. Several moments (including pretty much any shot of tiny Timmy the lamb) will elicit “awwws” from the audience. But “Shaun the Sheep” has enough of a sly streak to avoid succumbing to over-cuddliness. Adults will especially appreciate the winking homages to “Silence of the Lambs” and “Breaking Bad.”
As with other Aardman productions, the greatest delights derive from relishing the details of the clay figures and intricate sets, crafted by the studio’s master model builders. At any point, you can easily imagine reaching out a hand to plunge your fingers into the thick, shag carpeting of Shaun’s fleece, or to lift a menu from one of the tables at Le Chou Brule.
Though “Shaun the Sheep Movie” was not shot in 3-D, it often looks more multidimensional than many of the animated films released in that format. There’s so much to absorb with the eyes that it only makes sense for co-directors Richard Starzak and Mark Burton to stick with what works so well on the small screen. Who needs words when every frame is worth a thousand of them?
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” ???
Rating: PG, for rude humor (i.e., jokes about burping and flatulence that will crack up your kids)
Showing: Alderwood, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Meridian, Thornton Place Stadium 14, Woodinville, Cascade Mall
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