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The Sheep Detectives Opens to Warm Reviews as a Family Whodunnit

Critics highlight a grief-aware mystery with a star voice cast, photoreal sheep, strong laughs.

Overview

  • The film, which opened in U.S. theaters Friday, is drawing broadly positive reviews for a cozy mystery that plays for families.
  • The story follows a flock led by Lily as they probe their shepherd’s death using clues learned from the bedtime detective tales he read to them.
  • Reviewers stress the film’s focus on grief and memory, noting a flock ritual that lets sheep forget painful moments while Mopple remembers everything.
  • Kyle Balda directs from Craig Mazin’s adaptation of Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full, marking Balda’s first live-action feature.
  • Critics praise the photoreal CGI sheep blended with live-action settings and applaud performances from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, and Hugh Jackman.