HIjinks ensue as science goes awry, leading to a hairy monster to rampage around the farm in the hilarious, charming, and truly delightful SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM.
He’s Shaun the Sheep (go ahead and sing the song for yourself). Whether it’s Aardman’s original series of shorts, spun off from Wallace & Gromit, the two Timmy spin-offs of Shaun, or the two previous films, you know what I am about to say is true. Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is an utter delight, incredibly funny, with boundless creativity in this kind-hearted Frankenstein riff that brings a smile to life for the full 80-minute runtime.
The Beast of Mossy Bottom, directed by Steve Cox & Matthew Walker, adds another stop-motion entry to the canon of Halloween staples: kid-friendly horror that will be a joy to revisit every season. Mad Monster Party, Coraline, Paranorman, Frankenweenie, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, make room! For your more macabre kids, check out Jan Slavankmejer’s Alice. Anyway, The Beast of Mossy Bottom makes no loss of quality in the astounding series after 190 episodes, or expanding those 7-minute episodes into now 3 incredible 80-minute films.
The fact that these Shaun the Sheep stories are normally so short makes no matter as Beast absolutely moves through its runtime with so much going on, but not so much that it’s bogged down or would take out the younger audience members (I went alone, but I suspect my 5-year-old would have the time of his life; he does like the shorts). Mark Burton & Giles Pilbrow’s script matches the strengths of the characters, format, and specific plot of this adventure. It’s Halloween in Mossy Bottom and the nearby town. Shaun and his family are growing pumpkins, and some slapstick occurs, and they get crushed. Shaun heads up to the abandoned windmill to create life! A super-quick growth formula for a new pumpkin patch works, but it has unintended consequences. The farmer tries to get back to his glory days to impress the vet and invite her to the Halloween Hoedown festival, until the growth formula gets him Peanut Butter Solutioned. He gets into his own slapstick adventures, and things come to a head, and a massive hairy “monster” moves in and around the farm and town. Dog Bitzer looks for his missing master and defends against the hairy creature (resembling Gossamer, the big red monster from Looney Tunes), while the cryptozoologist vet tracks her Bigfoot. Chaos ensues. As does hilarity.
Beast of Mossy Bottom is a truly funny film from top to (mossy) bottom. It’s non-stop building gag upon gag, with one amazing set piece after another. They aren’t just directly funny but often surprising, coming in at an unexpected angle. Pure caper energy from start to finish. And the blood icing on the cake: it’s stuffed with horror jokes, references, nods, and scene pulls from the horror genre. As noted, Frankenstein marks the backbone, but everything gets a moment from Night of the Living Dead to The Omen to Friday the 13th: everything. As a horror nut, they pull some deep cuts. Highly appreciated. And it’s clever, no cheap “HEY LOOK” references. It’s fully inspired and enspirted in every way.
That includes the creation. The creators give it all, and while there are a pair of directors and a pair of writers, this is a massive group effort; every single moment is lovingly handcrafted. It’s filled with love. Love of storytelling. Love of genre. Love of crafting beautiful laughter. Love of stop-motion animation. The love of crafting witty and perfectly designed mad-cap sequences and jokes. All in a tight 80 minutes, including credits. Can’t beat that. I’ve been purposely vague about how anything plays, or the jokes themselves. But believe me, they all work.
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is another absolute banger of cleverness, wit, and charm. The jokes are incredibly strong, the animation breathtaking, and the whole thing is utterly hilarious for littles and adults. Thirty years after A Close Shave, Shaun the Sheep is as strong as ever (as are Wallace & Gromit and their new movie last year). Give me more!