The Sheep Detectives - Review: Wool Dunnit

The modern age of the whodunit has been in full swing for quite a while. Whether it’s Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series or the plethora of animated tributes on television, the genre popularized by Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is back in full swing. And you know a genre has truly had a resurgence when talking animals get involved. That’s where “The Sheep Detectives” comes in, a new film from director Kyle Balda (“Minions,” “Despicable Me 3”) and screenwriter Craig Mazin (“The Last of Us (2023),” “Chernobyl”), based on the book “Three Bags Full” by Leonie Swann.

Set in the English countryside, the film follows a flock of sheep, including Lily, voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Seinfeld,” “Veep”) and Mopple, voiced by Chris O’Dowd (“The IT Crowd,” “Moone Boy”), under the care of their shepherd George Hardy, played by Hugh Jackman (“Logan,” “The Greatest Showman”). After George is found dead one morning, Lily notices that his death resembles one of the murder mystery stories he read to the flock and becomes determined to solve the case. This means navigating the nearby human town and its occupants, including bumbling police officer Tim Derry, played by Nicholas Braun (“Succession,” “Sky High”), George’s daughter Rebecca, played by Molly Gordon (“Booksmart,” “Shiva Baby”), visiting reporter Elliot, played by Nicholas Galitzine (“Red, White, and Royal Blue,” “Bottoms”), and George’s lawyer Lydia, played by Emma Thompson (“Nanny McPhee,” “Saving Mr. Banks”).

The cast is incredibly impressive, as it expands even beyond those essential few. Other residents of the town include the innkeeper Beth, played by Hong Chau (“The Whale,” “Watchmen (2019)”), a fellow shepherd Caleb, played by Tosin Cole (“Bob Marley: One Love,” “Supacell”), the local butcher Ham, played by Conleth Hill (“Game of Thrones,” “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”), and the local Reverend Hillcoate, played by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“His Dark Materials,” “Wonka”). Each human actor manages to imbue their character with the same vibe as an actor in a Muppet film, embracing the lighthearted and knowingly ridiculous tone to great effect. While most are just background characters, they remain amusing additions throughout. Jackman and Gordon are the closest thing the film has to “normal” people, and they offset the surrounding characters wonderfully. Braun is a delightfully bumbling highlight as well, flexing his inner Don Knotts to make a fantastic co-lead alongside the animated sheep. 

Speaking of those animated sheep, beyond Louis-Drefus and O’Dowd, the rest of the vocal cast is equally impressive. The likes of Regina Hall (“Scary Movie,” “The Best Man”), Patrick Stewart (“X-Men,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Rhys Darby (“Our Flag Means Death,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”), Bella Ramsey (“The Last of Us (2023),” “Catherine Called Birdy”), Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking”), and Bryan Cranston (“Malcolm in the Middle,” “Breaking Bad”) all bring their voices to the rest of this motley crew, and each manages to amuse in their own respects. Goldstein gets the most to do without becoming a true main character, continuously emphasizing the desire to bash things in his twin Ram roles, but it’s Cranston who truly shines. No stranger to voice work, he elevates his lone sheep performance as Sebastian. Any scene where he, Louis-Drewyfus, and O’Dowd get to banter back and forth is a highlight. Louis-Dreyfus meanwhile is giving a deeply honest performance that easily ranks alongside the best of her career, turning what could have been an over excitable protagonist into a character full of pathos and deeply human emotion. O’Dowd gets much of the same kind of material, as his character, and the emotional arc he goes on, is central to the film’s biggest themes.

This is a quaint little film, with fantastic visual effects for the titular flock that threads that difficult line between realism and cartoon, without touching the uncanny valley. That’s likely thanks to the involvement of Tyson Hesse (“Sonic the Hedgehog (2020),” “Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus”), longtime “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic artist and animation producer, and the man behind the redesign of live-action Sonic in 2020. His touch is clearly on the sheep’s design. The general look of the film is one of coziness and warmth, with emphasis towards noir-inspired techniques, foggy nights, a string focused soundtrack from composer Christophe Beck ("Frozen," "WandaVision"), mysterious shadows, etc., to further the mystery of the film.

If that was where it all stopped, it would already be easy to recommend “The Sheep Detectives” as a family friendly whodunnit; a movie perfect as a gateway into the rest of the genre. But Mazin and Balda do something truly interesting with this tale: it's not about the mystery. Rather, it becomes very apparent very quickly that this film is about memory, how we remember people, and what it means when they’re gone. One moment early on involving the whole flock and their memory serves dual purpose as a very amusing comedic bit, but also an eye-opening look at how the film’s central message will be delivered. Louis-Dreyfus's performance gives way to a surprisingly emotional second half, with the film embracing a kind and calm demeanor. It never talks down to the audience, delivering the perfect kind of family movie experience: one that treats the youngest members of the audience with respect and intelligence.

“The Sheep Detectives” is a quaint and cozy movie that never lets those aspects, or its family friendly nature, hold it back from providing some really insightful perspectives on memory, grief, and the people we love. Packed to the brim with a talented cast physically and vocally, with a wonderfully calm sense of style and excellent animal effects work, this is a surprisingly heartwarming, funny, and mature tale for the whole family. Not baaaaa-d at all for this gaggle of wooly wonders. 4.5/5