Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind (2010)

I TRY TO MAKE IT a personal policy to review only full-length feature films at this blog (hence its name).

However, I’ll make an exception on the rare occasion – which is exactly what I’m doing today by reviewing a brand-new collection of episodes from Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep, entitled Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind.

Plot:

Currently seen in the US as 5-minute vignettes between shows on the Disney Channel, Shaun the Sheep features the adventures of Shaun and his flock of followers on a farm. While these sheep act like plain ol’ sheep when their farmer’s around, they do very non-sheep things when he’s out of sight – such as walk on hind legs, play games, use tools, operate machinery, or hatch wacky plans to solve prickly predicaments.

Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind includes six episodes:

• Shaun Encounters – the farm is invaded by two little aliens who cause trouble for Shaun and the gang.
• The Bull – the farm’s bull sees red in various items on the farm, much to the chagrin of the sheep but to the delight of the farm’s three mischievous pigs.
• Hiccups – Shirley, the biggest sheep in Shaun’s flock, gets an incurable case of the hiccups.
• Bitzer Puts His Foot In It – Bitzer, the farmer’s loyal dog and sheep wrangler, must guard the farmer’s newly set cement from the sheep’s antics.
• Save the Tree – Shaun and the sheep try frantically to prevent the farmer from chopping down their favorite tree.
• The Visitor – an alien’s spaceship breaks down on the farm, and the sheep try to help him get back home.

Critique:

Don’t let the fact that Shaun the Sheep airs mainly during Disney Channel’s preschool-age programs fool you – its comedy appeals to all ages, including adults.

Not a word is spoken in Shaun’s shorts, not even by the farmer (who just grumbles and yells in unintelligible gibberish) – the comedy is all done through silent-movie-type sight gags and gestures, often with very funny results.

And while kids will eat up the wacky situations and laugh-out-loud payoffs, parents will appreciate the subtle jokes the team at Aardman (Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run) has added for grown-ups, including hilarious nods to Spinal Tap and Riverdance.

The next time you’re looking for something to share with your kids, be they toddler or tween, check out Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind. Ewe won’t be disappointed.

Rating:

What did Dash think?

While I couldn’t get Dash to pinpoint his favorite episode on the DVD, he did say that “they’re all funny.” He also walked around with the DVD box for days following our first viewing, and he now wants the theme song on the next CD mix I make for him.

Will your kids like it?

Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind should appeal to viewers of any age in your house. That being said, depending on your sensitivities, be aware there’s one brief shot of the farmer’s naked derriere, and in one episode the solution to a problem is sheep dung. (Then again, what child doesn’t laugh at poop and butt jokes?)

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

I think she’d find it fun viewing, and a good opportunity to share a laugh with the kids.

Say, “Probe!”

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Chicken Run (2000)

Chicken Run was the first full-length feature for Aardman Studios, creator of the Wallace & Gromit short films. It opens with an inspired homage to The Great Escape, comparing life in a chicken farm to being a prisoner of war. But beyond that, the film falls a bit flat, carrying a gray overcast both visually and in its tone.

It tells the story about a group of chickens led by Ginger (Julia Sawalha), who try repeatedly to escape their hatchery in gloomy 1950’s England. After several failed attempts, they’re about to give up when in lands Rocky (Mel Gibson), a “flying” rooster who’s trying to escape his traveling circus. Ginger agrees to hide Rocky from the ringleader paying visits to the farm’s owners, Mr. & Mrs. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth and Miranda Richardson). In exchange, Rocky must teach the chickens how to fly so they can soar over their farm’s fence to freedom.

Simply put, Chicken Run didn’t do it for me or my 5-year-old son. While it does have an egg-citing climax (sorry, couldn’t resist), it doesn’t redeem the previous 70 minutes. My recommendation: Watch Aardman’s more fun and far superior Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit.

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5).

Will your kids like it?

If your kids are expecting zany action and laugh-out-loud high jinks, Chicken Run will disappoint. It’s got a handful of action sequences, but it’s also a bit heavy on dialogue for its short running time (84 minutes).

Some scary/objectionable stuff:

• A chicken is beheaded off screen by Mrs. Tweedy (you hear the “chop”)
• Mrs. Tweedy is quite menacing, always shot from below and sporting a wide, scowling grimace
• Scary, growling dogs (is there a pattern here?)
• A giant chicken processor is a bit scary, with sharp spinning blades and a hot oven
• One chicken says to “kiss your bum goodbye”
• A few innuendos which will probably go over most youngsters’ heads

Yet of all the things listed above, my 5-year-old makes the following observation right before the film’s climax…

“I don’t like this movie. You shouldn’t have taped it.”
"Why not?"
“It has the word ‘stupid’ in it.”

Will your FilmMother like it?

Moot point. Skip Chicken Run and rent Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of The Were-Rabbit – especially if she likes bunnies.

Chicken Run
* Directors: Peter Lord, Nick Park
* Screenwriter: Karey Kirkpatrick
* Stars: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Tony Haygarth, Jane Horrocks, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, Benjamin Whitrow
* MPAA Rating: G


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