The Sheep Detectives Review

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]So, the sheep detectives is a murder mystery uh where the murder is solved by a bunch of sheep. Now, there's little doubt that this charming murder mystery fused with animals will garner the comparisons of, you know, people probably describe the film as a babe meets insert who done it movie here. And the comparison of the sheep detectives to babe, however, is it is warranted for more than it's just, you know, its mesmerizing technique of portraying convincing animals that speak like humans. These sheep are not treated as an adorable flock with cute dialogue, but are instead presented earnestly as they not only solve a murder, but also confront their own denial of discrimination and mortality. Um, and after enduring the incipidly sanitized version of the recent Animal Farm adaptation, this film was like a like a breath of fresh air for renewing my faith in movies with animals where they don't all have to pitch puns and, you know, deliver poop jokes. So, the ensemble of sheep is likable uh for more than just their fluffiness and affectionate names uh that are given to them by their shepherd George, played by Hugh Jackman. uh the lead sheep of Lily, voiced by Julia Louie uh Julie Julia Louie Drifus, uh takes the most uh she takes the most interest in George's bedtime murder mystery stories. Uh able to deduce the killer before the final page while the rest of the flock are still debating who the real killer is.

[00:01:31]Although wise to the ways of writing, Lily's community is based around uh simplistic misconceptions where death seems to exist only in fiction. Loners like Sebastian, another sheep voiced by Brian Cranston, are scorned for being born in winter. And there are uncomfortable moments that are deemed uh uh basically a democratically forgotten by the stubborn elders uh like Sir Richfield voiced by Patrick Stewart. And all of them can they can all just forget the worst aspects of this world except for one. And that sheep is MPL uh voiced by Chris Odow. and he's a sheep who realizes the truth that nobody will listen to. He just he knows everything that the sheeps don't want to want to address um in their ideal fields of green like they prefer to just not think about arguments and death and just all collectively forget it. Uh so basically they're the sheep are just trying to soften the movie like it feels like they're trying to soften it for children which I which thankfully becomes an element that they have to destroy because the carefree days come to an end when George is found dead and the murder it and murder is suspected with the adoption of the sheep in question uh by questionable people. The sheep take it upon themselves to solve the murder. uh given that the uncertain policeman of Tim played by Nicholas Braun isn't the best sleuth for the job. And there are plenty of suspects on the table ranging from uh George's estranged daughter played by Molly Gordon, uh a nosy inkeeper played by Hongch, a rival shepherd played by Tosen Cole, and a visiting reporter played by Nicholas uh Nicholas Nicholas Galitzin, and a vindictive butcher played by Klith Hill.

[00:03:21]and a secretive priest played by uh Cobna Holbrook Smith. So, the mystery itself is on par with a clever murder mysteries and is knowledge knowledgeable enough uh of the tropes to marvel more at the mechanics than deconstruct them.

[00:03:37]And I can imagine kids will enjoy identifying more with Tim in his quest to unravel this mystery. Being almost the way that he's almost like giddy to announce the killer, but he gets a little miffed when somebody else uh tries to steal his his thunder by saying like I'm going to announce the killer.

[00:03:54]Like no, don't spoil it. I want to do it. Um I I really I think kids will identify with that character. And while the mystery is stirring enough, not to spoil here, uh there's a far more compelling tale of growing up and being honest about the world uh becoming darker without growing dismal. Uh the soft excuse for death is stripped away uh but in a manner more contentful than scary where uh MP comes off more like a quiet sage than a ranting conspiracy theorist who knows the truth. It is surprisingly touching just how honest the movie becomes uh whether directly in its addressing of mortality uh or allegorically in its focus on discrimination and communal ignorance.

[00:04:38]And that intelligence in the writing just makes the more adorable quirks of a of a sheep diva voiced by Regina Hall and a pair of ramaddicted uh of ramming addicted rams that are brothers voiced by Brett Goldstein. It makes them all the more enjoyable even when the film doesn't rely on these mostly just because the film just doesn't rely on them as just punchlines like like they get a few quirky lines in here and there but the film isn't dependent on just the animal gags here. It it actually treats them like real characters that are struggling to figure out the world. So, The Sheep Detectives has far more going for it uh in its murder mystery than just a charming coat of sheep cuteness.

[00:05:22]For a film with slapstick moments of sheep rampaging through ins and small town jokes about uh underwhelming cultural festivals, there's a there's a surprising amount of frankness and heart that even even the most grownup uh even the most grown-up tales in murder mysteries would ignore. Because, you know, it's easy to get lost in the thrill of the puzzle, uh, to not recognize the full effects of death, but the maturity to confront it in a picture aimed at families was just it was so refreshing. I mean, the the woolly exterior might be a a draw, but the thought placed behind the warm surface makes this a comfier Who done it that won't talk down to its impressionable audience. So, uh, consider this movie a good starter murder mystery for children. uh likely to gravitate towards Agatha Christie later, even if uh there's a lack of sheep in in Puarro's mysteries. So, uh yeah, I think as a murder mystery, it's it's pretty good, but I think uh for the bigger uh the bigger story here about addressing death and the refusal to approach it, I I think it's it's handled surprisingly well. And I think it's it's handled in a very mature manner where it's not just like just shoving death out into the open to scare children. It actually feels like it's trying to talk about death in a meaningful way and the the the the necessity that comes with with remembering it and learning from it and trying to live in a world where you realize that you could die and trying to uh understand the dangers and the importance of remembering those who you loved in your life instead of just forgetting them because death is too hard to handle. And I think for a film like this, which I just expected it to be a murder mystery with some cute sheep antics, and I ended up getting a whole lot more. So yeah, I just I didn't get just cuteness. I actually got some heart and some some brains to it as well. So yeah, that The Sheep Detectives is an absolutely marvelous uh film for families that doesn't feel like it's talking down to the children. Just an absolutely phenomenal starter murder mystery for