Shadows on the Wall | Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

Shaun the Sheep
The Beast of Mossy Bottom

dir Steve Cox, Matthew Walker
scr Mark Burton, Giles Pilbrow
prd Richard Beek, Mark Burton
voices Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Nina Sosanya, Paul Whitehouse, Dani Dyer, Roman Kemp, Andy Nyman, Kate Harbour, Richard Webber, Emma Tate, Simon Greenall, Chris Morrell
release US/UK 18.Sep.26
26/UK StudioCanal 1h20

See also:

Is it streaming?

Aardman is back with a Halloween-themed adventure that puts their stop-motion genius to delightful use on a blissfully ridiculous story that's packed with witty gags. This time, Shaun and his barnyard buddies dive into a full range mad scientist monster movie antics. And even if this one is more off-the-cuff than Aardman's usual complex storytelling, it's impossible not to enjoy the brisk pace, cheeky humour and playful yuckiness.

Preparing for a jack-o-lantern competition, Shaun and his family are horrified when the Farmer, seeking to recapture his youthful swagger for the Halloween Hoedown, accidentally destroys their pumpkins. So Shaun concocts a chemical to rapidly grow replacements. This works a little too well, and has unexpected side effects for the Farmer, whose burst of hair growth transforms him into a furry beast. When he marauds through the town, an angry mob chases him. But a local veterinarian thinks he's bigfoot, in need of saving. The question is whether Shaun and crew can save the day.

A steady barrage of goofy sight-gags keeps us giggling, from a whole range of pop culture references to a continuous flow of silly slapstick. Classic comedy bits pop up constantly, echoing a range of memorable movies. Before the chaos erupts, a cute romcom subplot emerges as the vet the farmer are seen to be too nervous to ask each other to the hoedown. And the narrative swiftly leaps from one riotous set-piece to the next, breathlessly travelling through the gorgeously detailed sets to a climactic rescue at sea.

Without using words, the voice cast adeptly creates gasps, grunts and sighs to convey a story that needs no dialog. Their work, and the finely detailed craft of the animators, makes sure that each character comes to life a lively personality. Shaun corrals his family to help with projects like the construction of a wildly overcomplicated trap. The dog Blitzer uses a smelly sock to find his master, then is terrified by him. And the vet is thrilled that she's made such a major discovery, imagining bigfoot's back-story in hand-drawn animated.

Along the way, hilarious horror-themed jokes reference everything from Psycho to Thriller, plus of course lots of amusing creature features. Memorable moments abound, such as when Shaun's family breaks out into a raucous sea shanty as an impromptu distraction. There are also some genuinely exciting sequences, plus several clever surprises. And there's even a moment when Shaun confronts the monster inside him.

some suspense 12.Sep.26

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.