Going into The Sheep Detectives, all I had seen was the awful trailer that played in front of Project Hail Mary that made the movie look like a Dolittle 2.0 starring Hugh Jackman. It was full of the movie's worst jokes and catered strictly to the four year-old demographic; if it had not been for the rave reviews and a stirring recommendation from my 13 year-old sister, I would have dismissed the movie entirely.
...but thank goodness I didn't, The Sheep Detectives is one of the best movies of the year. It stars Hugh Jackman as the shepherd George, who tenderly cares to his flock of sheep, knows them by name, and reads them detective novels every night. It should come as no surprise, then, that when George is mysteriously murdered during the night, none other than his flock must solve the case in a refreshingly honest and simple movie about death, loss, and remembrance.
The star of The Sheep Detectives are the sheep and it is therefore imperative that they be animated well; thanks to modern technology, this is easily done and the CGI sheep look outstanding for the entirety of the film (although eagle-eyed viewers are sure to notice the human-sheep interactions are spotty at some points). How well the sheep are able to express emotions is especially admirable when we consider Disney's live action remakes and their cold, heartless, soulless animal protagonists. Not only do the sheep detectives look utterly adorable, they are also able to clearly express regret, sorrow, hesitancy, joy, and confusion. These animals have a light in their eyes that is impossible to extinguish, and thanks to an amazing vocal cast (Including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, and Hilda herself, Bella Ramsey), all of the sheep feel very real and have very soulful inflections for the heartfelt dialogue. I especially liked Chris O'Dowd's Mopple, a sheep cursed with a perfect memory.
The human cast is also very fun and, as per the established rules of detective movies, zany and eccentric. While the apelids given in the will were easy to dissect ("Bad shepherd" was obviously the priest, c'mon now), the murder mystery is made very fun through the bumbling cop who is hand-fed information by the sheep he can't escape and resolved with a genuine twist that I did not see coming.
I also loved how the movie was obviously filmed outside - in an age of increasingly golden/brown/tan movies with shallow depths of field that look horrendous, it was nice to see a movie with genuine shadows, windswept hair, dirt, green trees, blue skies, and beautiful imagery throughout (although the shallow depth of field is still a valid complaint in some scenes). It's also nice to see that, alongside Superman, Project Hail Mary, and Hoppers, that the "Hopecore" trend in Hollywood is continuing after two decades of grimdark nihilistic thrillers.
The thing that really sets The Sheep Detectives apart from the flock - and what makes it an instant classic - is the emotional core. "It's just a silly sheep movie, how emotional can it be?" one might ask, and the answer is "just wait and see." The character arc of the sheep detective, Lily (Louis-Dreyfus), is about coming to terms with death and loss, and there is some beautiful dialogue about what it means to remember those who have passed on. Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) is another emotional anchor for the film, and Hugh Jackman's sporadic appearances were always emotionally-charged. Nearly all of these touching conversations are set during the golden hour as the sun sets as well, making several of them heart-achingly gorgeous.
Despite all this talk of emotional maturity and some frightening scenes, The Sheep Detectives is still a first-class kids movie; the jokes are funny, the sheep are adorable, and the lessons are simple enough to be understood by all. It's a beautiful PG-movie desperately needed in a time where family-centered movies aren't as popular (PG-13 is the new PG) and a stirring love letter to Babe and Paddington.
If I had to give one criticism, it would be that I doubt the rewatchability will be very good once you're aware of the killer and not blindsided by the emotional scenes; the first act is also somewhat lengthy, although these are my two criticisms of nearly every detective story, so take them with a grain of salt.
Overall, I give The Sheep Detectives an 8/10. "The Sheep Detectives is the crowd-pleasing surprise hit that 2026 needed."
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