Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom

by Mike McGranaghan

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is one of the year’s funniest comedies. Yes, it’s a family-friendly animated movie specifically aimed at young children, but the beauty of Aardman is that they have a particular style of joke construction that’s appropriate for kiddos yet also sophisticated enough to delight adults. Kids and their parents will crack up equally at this new Shaun adventure.

Shaun is looking to beef up his pumpkins quickly after an accident ruins his patch. Finding a book on science, he develops a quick-grow formula that accidentally finds its way into the Farmer’s hair-growth cream. The Farmer abruptly spouts hair all over his body, causing him to look like a monster. The townspeople are terrified. So is he, as the condition jeopardizes his budding romance with a veterinarian. Shaun and the other farm animals rush to find a solution to the problem before the Farmer is chased away by the villagers.

An amusing peculiarity of the Shaun the Sheep franchise is that nobody speaks. Animals make appropriate noises; humans make various types of grunts. The Beast of Mossy Bottom is therefore akin to the classic films of the silent era. Jokes are inherently visual, and the key to making them work is starting with a basic premise, then adding level upon level of complications. One of the funniest scenes finds the Farmer visiting the Vet at work, hoping to ask her out. That’s when the hair goes out of control, leading to a series of desperate attempts on his part to prevent her from seeing him. Invention of that sort runs throughout the story.

The film lovingly spoofs famous horror movies along the way, including Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Psycho, and Night of the Living Dead. While there’s too much comedy to ever truly scare young viewers, this provides a nice, age-appropriate introduction to basic horror concepts. At the center is the fundamental idea that the “creature” everybody is afraid of is really just the harmless Farmer. Keep your eyes peeled for more subtle gags, too. There are bits of humor hidden in the background, as well as quietly cerebral jokes you have to think about for a second before you get them.

As always, Aardman delivers charming animation. Mixing the world of the farm with the Frankenstein-esque scenes of Shaun in his science lab allows the company to explore new ground on a visual level. They’re up to the task, finding a way to blend those differing elements seamlessly. The animation itself is often hysterical. When the Farmer tries to escape out a window, for example, he turns into a big hairy block. How do you not chuckle at that?

Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom runs a brisk 72 minutes, plus a musical end credits sequence and a mid-credits bonus scene. The ratio of laughs per minute is impressive. A whole lot of hilarity is packed into that running time. Parents, take your kids to see this movie. Kids, take your parents.