Shaun the Sheep - The Movie - DVD

Movie: Life on the farm is actually very relaxed and idyllic. But at some point the daily routine is just too boring for Shaun the sheep. He wants to take a vacation from everyday life and just have fun. He already has the perfect plan for this - but it goes horribly wrong. And so Bauer is unintentionally transported to the big city, where he ends up in hospital with memory loss and the pigs take over his little house. Shaun really didn't want that to happen. Now there's only one thing left for him to do: he has to go to the city himself and save the farmer. Although he actually wants to do it alone, his faithful herd joins him. Together with dog Blitzer, the sheep make the big city unsafe and have to survive all kinds of turbulent adventures to get their farmer back...

Twenty years ago, the lovable plasticine sheep Shaun first appeared in the Wallace & Gromit short film Among Sheep and immediately captured the hearts of viewers. Soon there were Shaun figurines, Shaun backpacks, and numerous other merchandises. The sheep became so popular that the Wallace & Gromit makers made him the hero of his own TV series from 2007. There are now 130 seven-minute episodes each, which are an absolute cult not only among children. Just in time for their twentieth birthday, Shaun and his friends can now also experience a big cinema adventure. But can the concept, which has worked well for years in the few-minute clips, also be successfully extended to feature film length? Or does this overdose eventually cause even the most loyal fans to become bored?

The answer is simple: Shaun the Sheep - The Movie is simply wonderful from the first minute to the last. Directors Richard Starzak and Mark Burton and their team of 17 animators and 21 model makers have created a magical film for the whole family. Peppered with countless small and large gags, the lovingly directed film simply spreads pure good humor. It's fun to get lost in the turbulent story and to discover the many little details, which are sometimes obvious and sometimes hidden. Here it becomes clear in every second, with how much passion, heart blood and love was worked.

Surprisingly positive is the decision of the creators, in the film as in the series completely without dialogue. The wonderfully animated facial expressions of the characters and small gestures are quite enough to convey to the viewer what dialogues could not have said so much better. Even the humans are only allowed to mutter unintelligibly, though even here various dialects are discernible. This really delicious effect would certainly have been destroyed by real dialogues. Again, it shows that sometimes true power lies in simplicity.

Shaun the Sheep - The movie is childlike but not childish, is full of slapstick without being silly, and is fast-paced without losing its charm in over-the-top action frenzy. It is a film full of heart and warmth that is never cheesy. Plasticine characters have probably never been so wonderfully human. If you liked the TV series or even the Wallace & Gromit shorts, you'll love this shafted film. It's timeless fun for all ages, with only one conclusion: Määäääh (Translation: Absolutely worth seeing!)

Image + Sound: The DVD's image exhibits a pleasing depth and very high overall sharpness. Even the smallest of details come out excellently. Colors are mixed very powerfully and contrasts are also superbly matched. Like the picture, the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound also leaves an all-around positive overall impression. A successful spatiality, many rich sound effects and the clearly understandable blocking of Shaun and his friends provide a first-class sound carpet. Very good!

Extras: In addition to an interesting, but too short Making of (approx. 12:06 min.) there are still worth seeing promo featurettes on the characters (approx. 3:54 min.), the creators (approx. 3:04 min.) and on the work behind the scenes (approx. 2:25 min.). There are also film clips of the music by Tim Bendzko (approx. 3:09 min.) and Tim Wheeler (approx. 2:58 min.). The trailer rounds off the bonus package. All extras are available in German or with German subtitles.

Conclusion: Shaun the Sheep - The Movie is a work full of heart and warmth, a wonderfully funny, original and charming film for the whole family. A film full of wonderful little things that you only discover after watching it several times. For this reason alone, it's worth buying the technically very well realized disc, which also has a few nice extras on board. Absolutely purchase!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp