by John Tillyard, Contributing Writer
With only a few days till Halloween, Shaun (Justin Fletcher) tries to grow the pumpkins on the farm by doing a science experiment that causes him to become a bit of a mad scientist. Meanwhile, The Farmer (John Sparkes) is trying to do something about his baldness to help him pluck up the courage to ask the Vet (Nina Sosanya) out to the Halloween Hoedown. When these two plans go awry, a wild beast appears and terrifies the townspeople. It’s up to Shaun and the other sheep to stop it.
Shaun the Sheep is back for a third feature-length film after initially finding fame in the Wallace & Gromit short A Close Shave. The real charm of this character and all of his spin-off stories is that there is no dialogue. The story is told through the character’s expressions, visuals, and on-screen text. It’s an interesting way of telling a story that always makes people wonder how they will do major bits of exposition or convey key moments of emotion. In this film, they get around that with a lot of diagrams of the plans, signs, messages to read, and good use of a musical score.
Before I saw this, I was intrigued by the idea of a Halloween film based on a TV series for young children, not to mention a British film set around a holiday that is inherently American. What they end up doing is setting a story on Halloween that isn’t scary for the audience because we know what is happening. The true identity of the “beast” and why they are acting the way they are is known to the audience. But the horror comes from the characters not knowing what the beast is, which makes the experience scary for them.
Another inventive thing they do is reference common horror tropes without anything scary or gory actually happening. For example, there is a scene in a shower where the screeching violins from Psycho are heard, but that’s all that happens, and the fact that nothing further happens is played up as a joke. A similar joke to this is a twist on the “the car won’t start” trope that I won’t dare spoil because it’s so clever.
The visuals, animation, and tone have that typical Aardman style, with that distinct British humor feel. There are a lot of good modern, society-type gags that parents will enjoy just as much as the kids. The quality of the animation also appears to have been stepped up with the movement of hair and water in many scenes, as well as quite a few crowd scenes (what was that a few years ago about them running out of clay?) I’m not a big fan of the way the sheep mouths come out to the side when they are being expressive, but this style still lends itself perfectly to telling a story with mute characters.
The plot feels like a remake of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, with one of the main characters turning into a monster that terrifies the townspeople. It has a few nods to Frankenstein that tie in well with the townspeople not really understanding what the beast is. The Farmer has a bit of an arc here as he figures out that his baldness doesn’t really matter and that it’s his personality that’s important. There are also a couple of nice subplots involving the smallest sheep and another with the dog Bitzer (also John Sparkes). Seeing character growth and arcs conveyed without any dialogue is wonderful and makes the whole experience feel like much more than just the usual shenanigans you get from Aardman.
The biggest negative is that, despite having the shortest runtime of the three Shaun the Sheep films, the third act does drag a little. The other two felt like they had enough in them to keep things interesting for nearly an hour and a half without dialogue. But this time it felt like the climax overstayed its welcome by just a hair. There were a couple of moments that had me questioning how certain characters worked something out or produced something as quickly as they did, which aren’t the kinds of questions I should be asking about a film like this, since it’s all just silly hijinks perpetrated by sheep. Still, it did make me realize I wasn’t as invested in what was happening. Perhaps the lack of a clear villain is part of the problem. Normally I see the lack of a villain as a good thing, but here it lowers the stakes during the climax and removes a lot of tension. However, this isn’t a deal breaker, and it might not bother everyone. That’s not to say the climax isn’t enjoyable; there are a lot of funny moments, and the way the day is saved is satisfying.
It’s also refreshing to see some stop-motion animation on the big screen, as it seems to be a dying art form due to the extra labor and time it takes. It’s a style I want to see protected at all costs, as there’s something truly admirable about the feeling that each frame was created by hand. It’s all the more impressive when clay is used in what is often referred to as Claymation, because how do you move that character’s body or mouth without leaving fingerprints? Aardman is a national treasure and needs to be recognized as such.
All in all, The Beast of Mossy Bottom is probably the weakest of the trilogy, but still a very fun time for kids and adults alike, with real charm and a decent amount of British-style wit. The novelty of telling a story with no one speaking hasn’t worn off yet; if anything, it is an effective way to stay focused because you are 100% watching with your eyes. The way some plot points are conveyed solely through visuals is quite creative. The horror elements won’t scare kids, as they are played up for laughs. The lack of speech does cause the plot to drag in parts, and it’s certainly no Wallace & Gromit or Chicken Run, but it was never meant to be; it’s a simpler kind of story that showcases real charm in its visuals and gags.
Rating: Liked It
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is currently in theaters.
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