Directors: Steve Cox, Matthew Walker
Writers: Mark Burton, Giles Pilbrow
Stars: Justin Fletcher, Nina Sosanya, John Sparkes
Synopsis: On Halloween Eve at Mossy Bottom Farm, excitement turns to dismay when the clumsy Farmer ruins the pumpkin patch. Shaun tries fixing it with science experiments, but things go wrong when a wild beast appears in the woods.
Stop motion animation is a great artform. It takes a significant skill and patience to get any movement, or prop, exactly right. Aardman Animation is one of the last studios still doing stop motion animation and still using modeling clay in their projects. They see the value in the human touch of their craft. Sure, there are tweaks and modifications with CGI, but no more than any standard film made today. This type of animation is special for a reason and you can see it in the great craft that went into Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom.
Senior animator Dan Ramsay and his team put a lot of care into this film. The movement of a stop motion film is always astonishing, but there is something even more impressive when wool and hair are involved. These are not natural to the clay form and have to move in a way that feels natural to the characters. When one character is nearly entirely made of hair it is especially important. The texture of the film is so vivid in every scene you almost feel as if you know exactly what each character and each prop feels like. As silly and cartoonish as it is, everything feels so lifelike and the details are so rich that it feels like this could be a village somewhere in England. It’s also good that the movement and action keep us rapt because this is a script with no dialogue.
Writers Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow are able to convey most of what we need to know through grunts, groans, screams, snickers, and bleats. Honestly, if the film did have consistent dialogue it would lend itself to the film falling into the trap of most entertainment meant for a younger audience, which is over explaining everything and attempting to inject wall to wall verbal gags. This film really has no need for all that as it is visually appealing. Many of the sight gags are good, but one of the best is as Bitzer (John Sparkes), the Farmer’s (Sparkes) dog, is driving through a fog bank when he hits something. It happens to be a sign warning of the fog that surrounds the truck.
Though, for the most part, the plot is rote. There are new twists on old themes, though, which make for some fun moments. As this is also a Halloween film there are some excellent nods to classic horror tropes and films that the adults in the audience will enjoy. Yet, after the revelation of who the monster is and how it came to be is understood by the characters, we the audience already know, the plot tends to drag. There are some fun set pieces within, but this 80 minute movie feels as if it’s slowing every second with how the plot plods to its resolution.
In spite of this, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a fun romp. The animals are terrifically funny, especially the pigs in the background and poor put upon Bitzer attempting to hide the goofy goings on from the hapless Farmer. You will laugh in spite of yourself because without clunky dialogue to get in the way, the physical humor is on full and glorious display. The film is reminiscent of a silent comedy in a way and Shaun is our fearless Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, or Charlie Chaplin, always coming up with a harebrained scheme to the horror and delight of the rest of the flock. In spite of some ho-hum plot elements, this film will surely keep all ages thoroughly entertained.
