Shaun the Sheep

Eight animated shorts chronicle the adventures of Shaun the Sheep and his flock on a small English farm. Fans of the Wallace & Gromit franchise will likely remember Shaun from A Close Shave, though these shorts do standalone and viewers do not have to be familiar with Wallace & Gromit to enjoy them. Each six-minute short pits Shaun and his flock against some new challenge, such as learning how to play soccer with a cabbage, vanquishing a hoard of angry honeybees and outsmarting the farmer to avoid getting sheered. Ingenious gags abound as the sheep find clever ways to use the objects they find around farm, and much of the humor comes from this unexpected cleverness mixed with an over-the-top, cartoonish sense of reality. The animation – more properly styled claymation since it features stop-motion animation of clay characters – is absolutely faultless, and its handmade quality is an endearing trademark of the Aardman studios. The lack of dialogue may remind some viewers of silent films and make these shorts especially appealing to young children who tend to appreciate physical humor above all else. Recommended for viewers of all ages.… (mehr)

Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors is made by the creators of “Wallace and Gromit.” The animation techniques used to create the sheep and their companions is the same claymation used for the characters in the Wallace and Gromit movies. This 40 minute set features 6 stories that have only minor scary occurrences such as frightening noises and viewing a horror movie. Shaun the Sheep is more funny than scary as Shaun and his sheep companions make over a tractor and sleep walk. There is no dialog as even the farmer speaks in a series of incoherent mumbles. With the animation and music, a viewer almost does not notice the lack of words. The animation features clever details such as pigs sleeping with mud masks. Ages: 5-9.… (mehr)