‘Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom’ Review: The Third Time’s Charming, Just Like the First and Second

It’s a little early for Halloween, but that hasn’t stopped the creators of Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom from delivering their creepiest feature yet. Not to worry that it will scare youngsters, however, since this third film in the hit franchise spun off from Aardman Animation’s Wallace & Gromit series is just as delightful as its predecessors. Delivering the same sort of droll, deadpan British humor via stop-motion animation as 2015’s Shaun the Sheep Movie and 2019’s A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon , this installment could easily become the third to receive an Oscar nomination for best animated film. Related Stories TV Pokémon Stop-Motion Series Set at Disney+ as Part of Larger Distribution Deal Movies A Hairy Monster Threatens The Flock in Trailer for New 'Shaun the Sheep' Movie

The story is set a few days before the holiday, when the farmer and his flock are eagerly preparing for the Halloween Hoedown, with Shaun the Sheep (Justin Fletcher) proudly hanging up his offspring Timmy’s drawing of a pumpkin. The farmer (John Sparkes) has a big crush on the local veterinarian (Nina Sosanya, voicing a new and welcome human character), who keeps finding strange objects in her patients’ bodies. But he’s afraid to ask her to the hoedown because he’s embarrassed about his encroaching hair loss. Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom The Bottom Line As usual, a drolly amusing delight. Release date : Friday, Sept. 18 Cast : Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour, Dani Dyer, Roman Kemp, Nina Sosanya, Paul Whitehouse Directors : Steve Cox, Matthew Walker Screenwriters : Mark Burton, Giles Pilbrow 1 hour 20 minutes

When the farmer accidentally destroys his flock’s beloved pumpkin patch, Shaun attempts to remedy things by conducting a few experiments after he reads an introductory science book. While he succeeds in restoring the pumpkins, the well-meaning sheep’s efforts go awry, causing the farmer’s hair-growth lotion to have the unintended effect of making him sprout hair in inappropriate places and eventually covering his entire body with thick, matted orange fur. Needless to say, the farmer’s attempts to rectify the situation with his electric razor are for naught.

As the Beast of Mossy Bottom roams the countryside spurring fear and panic, the intrepid veterinarian attempts to solve the mystery, convinced that the creature she’s tracking is Bigfoot. The farmer’s loyal canine sidekick Bitzer (Sparkes), desperate to find his missing master, gets involved as well. Meanwhile, the farmer’s attempt to remove his excess hair with duct tape proves painful enough to produce monstrous howls.

It’s all sheer silliness, of course, and that’s the point, with the dialogue-free storyline providing the possibilities not only for endless cuteness — these painstakingly moved puppets, representing both human and animal characters, are truly adorable — but also a series of witty visual and sound gags that will please children and adults alike.