The Sheep Detectives: Won’t Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes

I hadn't seen an animated film for a long time, and the last one I saw was disappointing.  This movie had great reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes), and was even being compared to "Shrek" and "Toy Story."  There was nothing else out there that I wanted to watch, so Robin and I decided to see it.  It's more of an adult murder mystery than a kids' film, with considerable depth, but children will enjoy it, too, primarily because of the animated sheep, who are very interesting characters.  The CGI is terrific and the screenplay is well above-average. George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd, tending to a large flock of sheep in the English countryside.  He is a loner who lives by himself in a mobile home.  He loves his sheep and takes great care of them.  At night, while they all gather around him, he reads them murder mysteries.  George assumes they don't understand the stories, but rather just like listening to his voice – but, amazingly enough, they do!  George has two favorite sheep: "Lily" (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the smartest sheep in the world, and "Sebastian" (Bryan Cranston), a loner who spends much of his time on a cliff.  George writes a letter to Rebecca (Molly Gordon) requesting that she visit him.  He tells her that the secret to happiness and peace of mind is "tending sheep."  (I had thought previously that it was deep sleep!) Tragically, George is poisoned.  The town has only one policeman, Officer Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), who not only isn't a detective, but also isn't "the sharpest tool in the shed."  Lily (the sheep) realizes that Tim will never solve the crime on his own and needs their help to catch the murderer and obtain justice for George, who they all love dearly.  Rebecca arrives in town the day after the murder, and the estate-planning attorney, Lydia (Emma Thompson), arrives in town to read George's will to Rebecca and to four other townspeople.  All of them are murder suspects. It's a good murder mystery, which will keep you guessing, and the sheep have adorable personalities.  The film is touching, charming, and often funny.  It has considerable depth, covering themes such as racism, friendship, love, courage, sacrifice, loyalty, and hope when the odds are stacked against you.  It made both Robin and me misty. In his particular case, I recommend that you "join the herd" and see it!