On Screen: “The Sheep Detectives”
The Sheep Detectives
“The Sheep Detectives” is spring’s most welcome surprise! Hugh Jackman’s live-action whodunit is a family-friendly, comedic adaptation of Leonie Swann’s best-selling 2005 German novel “Three Bags Full.”
The opening credits deliver the first hint of delight — as a plaintive barnyard “Baaa” replaces the traditional roar of the MGM lion.
Set in rural England, the story begins with George Hardy (Jackman), a gentle shepherd who not only feeds, shears and tends to his wooly flock but also reads mystery novels aloud to them at bedtime, unaware that they’re actually listening.
Then — egad! — late one night, George is murdered.
Although the placid sheep usually choose to forget traumatic experiences, the smart Shetland ewe, Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), is determined to find the culprit, even if that means leaving the safety of the grassy meadow, placing her hooves on asphalt for the first time and venturing into nearby Denbrook village.
Lily’s grief-stricken CGI-animated cohorts include the gruff loner, Sebastian (voiced by Bryan Cranston), perceptive Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd), imperious Sir Richfield (voiced by Patrick Stewart), unkempt Wool-Eyes (voiced by Rhys Darby), gossipy Cloud (voiced by Regina Hall), curious Zora (Bella Ramsey), and rambunctious twin rams Ronnie and Reggie (growly voiced by Brett Goldstein).
Suspects include the nosy innkeeper (Hong Chau), dim-witted local policeman (Nicholas Braun), butcher (Conleth Hill), minister (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), rival shepherd (Tosin Cole), aspiring reporter (Nicholas Galitzine) and an enigmatic woman (Molly Gordon) who suddenly shows up with her lawyer (Emma Thompson).
Scripted by Craig Martin (“The Last of Us”) and directed by Illumination’s Kyle Balda (“Minions”), it’s like a droll, character-driven Agatha Christie murder investigation, propelled by the provocative contents of George’s recently revised Will.
London’s Framestore Visual Effects — the anthropomorphous animals — make this fanciful creature-feature memorable, along with its mindful, PG-rated, existential exploration of mortality and grief … reminiscent of classics like “Babe,” “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial,” and “Free Willy.”
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Sheep Detectives” is an enthralling, endearing 8 — playing in theaters now.
Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.
As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.