Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
The latest stop-motion cartoon from Aardman, without a line of discernible dialogue, is just as rip-roaring and funny as ever.
Weird science: Shaun goes all Dr Frankenstein
Image courtesy of StudioCanal.
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
The winning streak of the horror genre continues apace with the latest instalment from the Aardman stable. With Halloween hovering at the end of next month, a brand-new adventure awaits children of every stripe in what could possibly be the funniest Shaun the Sheep outing yet, and that’s saying something. The joy of these films are their old-school, hand-crafted approach to the material, while making room for the modern world, which it mocks unreservedly.
The beast, of course, is no such creature, being none other than the inarticulate Farmer of Mossy Bottom Farm, who has ben suffering from some serious vanity issues of late due to his receding hairline. Hoping to impress the vet of the sleepy village of Mossingham – enough to invite her out to the Halloween Hoedown – he douses his head with Hair-Grow, unaware that the contents of the bottle is not what it once was. Having accidentally destroyed his sheep’s lovingly nurtured pumpkin patch, the Farmer falls foul of Shaun’s meddlesome ingenuity. Determined to grow a fresh harvest of pumpkins in time for All Hallows’ Eve, Shaun devours the contents of an ancient children’s book called Homemade Science and cooks up a recipe for rapid growth, a potion that ends up in the bottle of Hair-Grow…
It is indicative of the film’s nonstop wit that when Shaun drops some grease on the book’s cover, the title is inadvertently altered to Mad Science. As Shaun’s elixir wreaks havoc on the Farmer’s follicle makeup, the latter is transformed into something approximating a walking haystack, a sort of cross between Blue from the comedy fantasy IF and a Muppet. His new visage instils horror into the hearts of the villagers, save for the occasional teenager who sees it as an opportunity for a selfie (Dani Dyer is credited as the voice of an influencer). Another zombified phone user is seen to be completely oblivious to any of the action happening around him. Meanwhile, two narrative strands take flight, as Shaun attempts to concoct an antidote and the vet, a surprisingly tech-savvy invention, embarks on a DNA investigation.
In one sequence, as the latter appropriates a speed boat on a particular rescue mission, she takes the occasional break in order to free a seagull and turtle entangled in plastic and a dolphin caught up in netting, leading to an allusion of a particular Aesop fable. There are plenty of filmic in-jokes, too, references to Psycho, Jurassic Park and This is Spinal Tap, but it’s the constant background detail that keeps one chuckling. While firmly entrenched in the world we know now, Mossingham is still old-fashioned enough for a man in the vet’s waiting room to be engrossed in a copy of Kittens in Costume. And while the film comes in at a trim 80 minutes, there’s still time for the Gromit-like sheepdog Bitzer, in fear for his life, slapping on a couple of L-plates and adjusting the rear-view mirrors of his getaway car. Of course, timing is everything.
Featuring the vocal talents of Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Nina Sosanya, Kate Harbour, Dani Dyer, Paul Whitehouse, Andy Nyman.
Dir Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, Pro Richard Beek and Mark Burton, Ex Pro Peter Lord and Nick Park, Screenplay Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, Ph Charles Copping, Ed Dan Hembery, Music Natalie Holt.
Aardman Animations-Sky UK/StudioCanal.
80 mins. UK/France. 2026. UK and US Rel: 18 September 2026. Cert. U.
