Such a frustrating disappointment

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Instant Favorite.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Although it has taken me ages to watch it, this Shaun the Sheep special was one of the pieces of event television from Christmas 2015. This is not new territory for Aardman, since for many years Wallace & Gromit were the highlight of the Christmas scheduling. Shaun's outing is not to that level, although it is still fun. The film is aimed very much at younger audiences, and those seeking silly fun. As such there is not a lot of refinement to the plot or events; the farmer gets some llamas, they cause chaos, Shaun and the others sort it out. The end.In doing this there are not really any big clever set-pieces but generally there is a fun sense of action and physical comedy. For sure it is not The Wrong Trousers or anywhere near it, and it does not in any way have the intelligence and wit of the Shaun the Sheep movie, but it works well for what it is. Solid and honest fun which is very well made (the animation is always a wonder) and delivers fairly clearly on what it wants to do.

"Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas" is a British animated short film that premiered roughly 2 weeks ago on television. "Shaun the Sheep" is a contender for "Best Animated Feature" at the Oscars this year, or probably only for the nomination, but this still this makes it a great year for Aardman as the film has also received mostly positive reviews. So here is a little add-on for the holidays 2015. Sadly, I must say that the quality from this short film does not get me interested in watching the full feature movie. First of all, I don't mind the animation. The sheep look good as always and the llamas sure do as well. My problem was really more with the story and the comedy or lack there of. The makers here certainly got mixed up "loud" with "funny". A very noisy little movie, but sadly it never really delivers on a comedic level for me here. Quite a pity as I liked the characters here for sure. And I actually really liked some of the earlier "Shaun the Sheep" television stuff from years ago. This now addition to the franchise is certainly not on par. Most definitely not the last film on one of the world's most famous sheep. I really hope they will step things up in the future again. Not recommended.