Definitely schedule this one in, it’s unbaa-leivable fun!
Shaun and friends are back again! One of the most successful spin offs (as well as Minions) of the current cartoon era brings you a new story, just in time for the school holidays.
Who would have thought that 11 years after the first movie, 19 years after the first TV episode, and 21 years after his first appearance in Wallace & Gromit, that Shaun could keep entertaining us? Well, definitely Ms10, Mr15, Ms 17 and my sister. Once again, if I’d seen this one without all of them, I would have been disowned, and possibly dismembered….
Shaun is again voiced by the fabulous Justin Fletcher. (As an aside, my sister thinks that this is why Mr15 is such a fan of British comedians, having watched Gigglebiz and other shows from when he was a toddler). Of course, I use the term “voiced” loosely, as there are no words throughout the whole film, just baas and general noises, and yet we understand every conversation perfectly, which is such a fabulous art form. The original creator, Nick Park, is also still involved as an executive producer, which may be how the original vision is kept alive.
Shaun and the flock are growing pumpkins for Halloween in their secret pumpkin patch, when the farmer trips over and accidently destroys them all. Timmy the lamb is so upset, as are all the flock, so Shaun decides he’s going to find a way to grow pumpkins fast in time for Halloween. He finds a book titled “Home Made Science”, and yet with a few drips of chemicals on to the cover, it gets changed to “Mad Science”, which lets you know that things aren’t going to go right.
In the meantime, the farmer has bought 2 tickets to the Halloween Hoedown, having been an avid dancer in his younger days, and he really likes the lovely vet who visits their farm. He’s struck by nerves and, naturally, in between sheep, goats and everything else, something goes wrong every time he tries to ask her to the dance. He decides that he wants to spruce up his appearance, looking at photos from when he was younger, and use a hair growth serum. What could go wrong, with Shaun trying to invent a fast-growth serum for pumpkins, and the farmer looking for his hair serum?!
Sure enough, the farmer becomes the beast of Mossy Bottom, covered in hair! Who is going to come to his rescue?
One thing I absolutely love about the Shaun the Sheep/ Wallace and Gromit films is that they are so clever, and so subtle for slapstick humour. The storyline is relatively simple but keeps everyone engrossed with the amazing clay animation and subtle jokes. At one stage we see the inside of the house with the 3 geese on the wall, looking like the usual decorative pieces in houses, right until one moves and honks.
It is also good timing in the lead up to Halloween as it is a great parody of the old-school horror films. There is a version of “spooky” music at the start, shadows that look like ghosts or monsters, a sheep walking out of the toilet accidentally wrapped in toilet paper looking like a mummy, and the end credits are in the style of comic book horror stories. At the same time, while there are monsters, it isn’t too scary for young children and is rated G. We know right from when the farmer transforms, covered in hair, that he is the beast of Mossy Bottom, so children know that what looks scary is not something to fear.
Ms10 really liked the part where Shaun decides to fashion a laser (what could go wrong), and Timmy comes to the rescue. (No spoilers, I’m not going to tell you how, but I’m giggling to myself even writing this remembering this scene). Mr15 liked the pigs, too, they are hilarious with their oinks.
It was just lovely to see so many people of varying ages and backgrounds eager to see this film – there were people there aged from 3 to 73, and the lovely older ladies near us didn’t have children, they just were as excited as me!
There was a slight barney in our discussions afterwards as to how many stars to give Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom. There were 2 for 5 stars and then 3 for 4 stars, and seeing as we can’t go with 4.75 stars, the weight of numbers then says 4 stars. (Seriously, 2 of the 3 kids are SUPER hard markers. Never ask them how your hair-do or outfit looks.)
Definitely schedule this one in, it’s unbaa-leivable fun!
Reviewed by Michelle Baylis (and crew)
Rating 4 out of 5
Distributor: STUDIOCANAL Australia
