Shaun the Sheep Movie
"..." - Everyone in the movie
Do you think you could withstand no verbal dialogue at all for 1 hour and 25 minutes in a movie? Most people would probably not be able to get through it. Well I honestly bet you could.
Shaun the Sheep Movie is a claymation film by the makers of Wallace and Gromit. It's directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak. Also, music is done by Ilan Eshkeri. I mention this because Shaun the Sheep Movie has absolutely no verbal dialogue in it. Shaun is a sheep (obviously) who is herded along with other sheep by Bitzer the dog, all owned by The Farmer.
One day after realizing that everyday they do the same thing over and over again, Shaun concocts a plan to have a "vacation day" where all the sheep can have fun and party in The Farmer's house. The Farmer is then put to sleep when the sheep keep jumping over the fence.
^Kind of like th- zzzz^
So The Farmer goes to sleep and is put by the sheep into his trailer. The trailer's wheels are dislodged from the piece of wood that is holding it in place. The trailer runs off towards The Big City with The Farmer still sleeping in it. Unfortunately when he wakes up, he hits his head and gets amnesia (memory loss) and does some pretty crazy stuff. Now its up to Shaun, Bitzer, the flock of sheep, and a new friend they meet to go and rescue The Farmer.
It's such a simple plot, yet has so much depth in execution. Like I said before, this movie has no verbal dialogue. This may turn some people off and to those people I say, "give it a try. I really enjoyed it." The last movie that I can remember that accomplished this feat was WALL-E. Even then, there was still some dialogue in there. In Shaun the Sheep Movie, however, the only dialogue that is heard is grunts and random noises from humans. One of the major factors that this turned out so nicely is the music. There is both instrumental music and singing (not by the characters though).
^The Beatles anyone?^
I want to also mention that this movie is funny! It definitely is targeted towards kids, but there are many jokes in here that are targeted towards adults. There is one scene that I loved that was an homage to Silence of the Lambs (which I just realized is a fitting title to contribute to this movie). I laughed a lot watching this movie and I enjoyed all the movie history references.
^This guy had my favorite scenes!^
So overall, I really enjoyed Shaun the Sheep Movie. It actually took me back to my childhood, watching animation that made me so invested in the film itself. I realize that many people will think that from the trailer it's a dopey kids movie. I also realize that hearing no talking for 1 hour and 25 minutes will probably drive some people insane.
All this aside, I honestly believe that Shaun the Sheep Movie is a cinematic masterpiece. It had to rely on music and movement, which totally worked out in the long run. No verbal dialogue in the entire movie could ruin it, but this takes silent movies from the 1920s and brings them to a newer generation.
Pro
- Great film despite no verbal dialogue
- So funny!
- Great references of movie and music history
- Both kids and adults will enjoy this movie
- People during the first 20 minutes will wonder "why no talking?"
Watch the trailer here
Shaun the Sheep Movie is in theaters now
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