Shaun the Sheep Movie

Perhaps the best thing about Shaun the Sheep Movie is that it might encourage audience members to seek out the British television show that provides the source material.

This film adaptation is a slight yet consistently amusing effort from the Aardman animation studio that first introduced the title character in its iconic Wallace and Gromit shorts, proving that the mischievous sheep and his quirky flock are ready for the big-screen spotlight.

The film is something of a throwback oddity, and not just because it utilizes stop-motion techniques in an age where digital animation dominates the marketplace. It also features no dialogue (although it hums along with a jaunty music score), yet the characters make it easy to embrace.

The premise involves Shaun’s boredom with the daily routine on the farm and his subsequent attempt to play a trick on the farmer. But that backfires when a runaway trailer rolls into the city with the farmer inside, and he receives a nasty head injury.

The farmer’s dog sets out to find his master, and eventually, the sheep follow. But when they taste the hustle and bustle of urban life, combined with an overzealous animal-control worker, they realize that life on the rural farm might not be so bad after all.

The script by directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak introduces plenty of clever sight gags, many of them of the fish-out-of-water variety once the creatures leave the barnyard. An earlier joke in which the farmer becomes drowsy as he counts sheep jumping over a fence seems obvious, but is very funny in the way it’s presented.

The focus on slapstick animal antics means this is aimed at kids, but there’s plenty to like for adults as well, especially animation buffs. While the story is a little thin for feature length, the pace remains fast. Plus, there is some genuine poignancy as the film uses the ridiculous scenario to offer a heartfelt exploration of father-son dynamics and a worthwhile message about animal adoption.

The film is cute and charming without feeling like a launching point for a campaign to sell plush toys or other child-friendly merchandise. Hopefully it won’t be punished at the box office as a result.

Rated PG, 85 minutes.