The Sheep Detectives

A heartwarming film that has no right being as good as it is

Even the best film purists find it hard not to judge a movie by its cover and form an opinion about it beforehand. Yet every so often a film comes along that shames you for having judged it harshly, showcasing that all art, no matter how silly or commercial it might seem, deserves a chance to be considered and watched. Such is the case this year with The Sheep Detectives (2026), whose marketing campaign did it no favors by portraying it as a tacky family film. How wrong they were.

The Sheep Detectives follows a pretty straightforward whodunnit plot that the title explains. A loving shepherd in rural England, George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), who reads to his sheep, treats them as equals, and prefers the company of animals to humans, is murdered. Several townsfolk appear to have a history and a grudge against George: the innkeeper Beth (Hong Chau), a rival shepherd (Tosin Cole), and the daughter he gave up for adoption and recently reconnected with, Rebecca (Molly Gordon). Given the ineptitude of the village cop Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun), however, the sheep take it upon themselves to solve the mystery, led by the clever Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the patient Mopple (Chris O'Dowd).

The film is adapted from Leonie Swann's 2005 novel Three Bags Full, with a screenplay by Craig Mazin, the mind behind Chernobyl (2019) and The Last of Us (2023). The director, Kyle Balda, comes primarily from animation, having delivered the lackluster Minions (2015) and Despicable Me 3 (2017). Nevertheless, a confluence of just the right creative forces seems to have come together to create one of the most heartwarming films since Paddington 2 (2017).

The Sheep Detectives has a whimsical setup and could easily have fallen down the Minions path of lowest-common-denominator humor, with pratfalls and fart jokes, yet Mazin is measured and adept at keeping a tight pace and a steady but never overwhelming use of gags. The humor leans more on British wit than physical comedy, and Mazin isn't afraid to delve into deeper themes within this family film.

Despite death being a major theme in classic Disney films, it is rarely explored in family fare today. Only Coco (2017) and Soul (2020) appear to have handled the matter, and with a warm and cuddly approach. The Sheep Detectives eases viewers into the conversation, introducing the concept to the young lambs and then developing its characters as a showcase of how to process grief and the memory of loved ones. The film isn't afraid to confront the issue directly and can shock viewers, not through imagery, but through certain character decisions that deliver mature yet gentle life lessons to younger viewers.

Much credit must also go to Balda, who with his technical team crafts a colorful and vibrant portrait of a small English town that feels both cozy and sinister at the same time. As with its British feel-good companion film Paddington 2, the use of color is particularly striking, with playful and sometimes plot-specific use of sweaters, flowers, and shop signs.

As for the mystery itself, it isn't the most complex or convoluted. It couldn't be too complicated for young viewers to follow, yet it isn't dumbed down to the point of boring adults with predictability.

The sheep themselves, who follow the talking-animal route, are rendered entirely in CGI, yet to an astounding degree. For a budget of $75 million, the visual effects that The Sheep Detectives delivers are jaw-dropping: the texture of the wool, the animal eyes, and even the chips in certain rams' horns feel genuinely lifelike.

The Sheep Detectives also carries a stacked cast, from Jackman in a small but crucial role, to the array of suspects, and a particularly delicious Emma Thompson as George's impatient estate lawyer, who steals every scene she's in.

In the end, The Sheep Detectives is one of the warmest, most fulfilling, and most endearing family films I have seen in a long while, one that had absolutely no right to be this good given its marketing and premise. Yet it goes to show that when talent comes together in front of and behind the camera and the creative juices start flowing, it doesn't matter what the story is. It matters how you tell it.

8.0/10