ENTERTAINING

Sheep Movie

 A recently-released movie is The Sheep Detectives. The film is for family viewing; it is a mystery comedy film. Its story is of a shepherd being found dead and the search to find the murderer. A distinctive element to the movie is that the shepherd’s flock helps humans to solve the mystery. Likely expectation in the context would be that portrayal of the sheep would be in form of cartoon. The unexpected feature to the film is that in it are real sheep, along with sheep looking as though they are real.

Craig Mazin was the screenwriter of The Sheep Detectives film. What he wrote reflected idea and elements of Leonie Swann’s novel Three Bags Full (2005). Kyle Balda was the film’s director. Visual effects supervisor was Graham Page.

The No Animals Were Harmed™ program of the American Humane Society (AHS), monitored animal actors in The Sheep Detectives production. Information is provided about how real animals were used in the making of the film. And there is detail about the use of real animals - sheep, including lambs, among them - along with visual effects and CGI. 

The program says it ‘monitored the animal action throughout production to help ensure every scene was carefully planned around the comfort and natural behavior of the animals involved.’ It continues:

‘Trainers used gentle cues, familiar routines and positive reinforcement to encourage natural movement from lambs, dogs, chickens and a cat featured in the film. Many of the more intense or impossible moments, including sheep breaking into spaces, chasing sequences, collisions, and close interactions between animals were created entirely through visual effects or CGI [Computer Generated Imagery]. Sets and filming areas were secured in advance, vehicles moved slowly under close supervision and trainers remained close to the animals during every setup. The result is a production where the illusion of adventure and chaos on screen was achieved through careful oversight, visual effects and animal-friendly filmmaking practices.’

In the Detailed Animal Action Report, there is detailed description of the making of various scenes. Here is example:

‘In the opening, establishing scene where we see a farm with a sheep running across the field, production filmed a sheep running from A to B. Prior to shooting, one trainer held the lamb, while the other held a bottle of milk. On action, the trainer released the lamb while the other trainer used verbal cues and the bottle to get the lamb to run towards her. Production also took photos of the actor pretending to feed the lamb, these scenes will be filled in with a VFX [Visual Effects] version of the lamb.’

‘When the actor walks out of the trailer and sees a herd of sheep outside, the areas of the farm that the sheep were going to be filmed were secured with barriers. The sheep were filmed in this habitat for VFX guides as well. They also got shots of the sheep doing such actions as running through hurdles, getting sheared, and running.’

‘The sheep that were filmed are used for VFX photography to be used for animations.’

The No Animals Were Harmed™ program has given The Sheep Detectives film Full Certification.

There is much information about the whole film-making process communicated by Graham Page in Country Life magazine Facebook, 9th May 2026, in ‘Graham Page: The Sheep Detectives’, The Movie Times, YouTube, and in ‘The Sheep Detectives - Behind the Scenes’, Mayhem Mendes, YouTube. 

The film The Sheep Detectives communicates messages and information about sheep, of deep importance.

These are:

that sheep are individuals (they all had names);

the difference of length of life for sheep, depending on whether humans’ purpose for them is to provide meat or wool;

that dogs see sheep as prey;

that orf is a sheep disease;

that humans can treat sheep cruelly;

that there are creatures who are seen as ‘different’ and whom are behaved towards as outcasts.

So, how did this communication come about? It appears that the people making the film put in and communicated the messages and information deliberately. Lindsey Bahr, in a piece ‘ “The Sheep Detectives” is the starry, family-friendly whodunnit you didn’t know you needed’, reports Craig Mazin, the screenwriter of The Sheep Detectives film, as saying ‘What we know from watching this movie now with audiences over and over and over is that people are repeatedly delighted and surprised at how much more there is going on here than just silly sheep doing something silly …. There are some really beautiful moments and themes and things that parents can talk about with their kids ...’. (Independent, 6th May 2026).

The interpretation can be that those involved in the making of the film, by spending much time researching sheep, looking at sheep, being in their presence, gained insight into them, knowledge about them, appreciation of them, and affection for them. Graham Page, visual effects supervisor, said, in the Facebook piece referred to above, ‘I’m definitely a lifetime sheep lover after working on this film.’

The movie The Sheep Detectives is something overtly to entertain, but which tells matters of importance.

At front, The Sheep Detectives is a mystery story. More, it is a morality story.

26th May 2026