The Sheep Detectives (2026)
Directed by Kyle Balda
George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.
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36 films that influenced The Sheep Detectives
What critics say influenced The Sheep Detectives
…the movie feels like a spiritual successor to the aforementioned “Babe” in how it sneakily explores profound themes of grief, loss and mortality through the guise of a kid’s film about talking farm animals.
…perhaps leading the viewer to think that this is going to be something along the lines of the 1995 classic "Babe."
Some have branded the film as Babe meets Knives Out, an obvious but not inaccurate description.
If we ranked live-action talking animal adventure films from best to worst, Babe (1995) would probably be at the top…
"The Sheep Detectives," like "Babe" before it, deals with death, it does so in a sensitive manner appropriate for children…
No doubt much of the audience showed up expecting a straightforward, Pixar-esque talking animal film, or a variation on Babe (1995).
…think “Knives Out” meets “Babe”…
Some have branded the film as Babe meets Knives Out, an obvious but not inaccurate description.
…while The Thursday Murder Club and the Knives Out films satisfy my craving for humor and mystery…
Or, if you prefer, Agatha Christie locks horns with Knives Out.
El éxito reciente de whodunits como 'Puñales por la espalda', fuertemente influenciados por las novelas de Agatha Christie, ha evolucionado el género…
…some are describing as Babe meets Knives Out…
…a mash-up of the naive cuteness of the Paddington films…
…striking a tone that’s similar to “Babe” or the “Paddington” films…
…con suficiente corazón sincero como para disfrutarse casi como si de una de «Paddington» se tratase…
The Sheep Detectives is the biggest family movie surprise since Paddington.
…there is simply no version of reality where anyone, least of all me, walked out of that trailer three months ago expecting to compare this film to “Babe,” “Watership Down,” or even the holy grail of modern family cinema, “Paddington.”
Its setting is caught somewhere between the whimsical, colourful world of Paddington and a hard-boiled murder-mystery.
It’s a similar feeling to “Paddington 2” where, even though there’s some sadness and peril, the movie is incredibly comforting and light, like a cat basking in the sun’s rays.
…while The Thursday Murder Club and the Knives Out films satisfy my craving for humor and mystery…
Ejemplo de ello son la serie 'Solo asesinatos en el edificio' y la película de Netflix 'El club del crimen de los jueves'…
It’s so postcard-perfectly British that it makes The Thursday Murder Club look like Happy Valley.
…following the bellyflop of the 2025 adaption of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, it’s nice to see you can make one of these films that does have a little more heart and soul to it.
…the whodunnit boom has been racking up bodies at a rate to rival John Wick, from Knives Out to The Thursday Murder Club…
Think of “The Thursday Murder Club” (2025). It is as authentically British as Times Square is New York.
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Murder, talking sheep and philosophy intertwine to create echoes of “Babe: A Pig in the City” and “Old Yeller.”
Balda’s film feels less like “Happy Feet” and more like “Babe: Pig in the City” in its crafting of a world and characters that feel lived in and inviting.
…as few did the dark and often weird Babe: Pig in the City (1998)…
Balda’s film feels less like “Happy Feet” and more like “Babe: Pig in the City” in its crafting of a world and characters that feel lived in and inviting.
The CGI that details the sheep’s expressions and actions look realistic, but avoid the mistakes of The Lion King remake.
Contrasted with, say, the uncanny valley of 2019’s The Lion King’s critters, the sheep here achieve incredible facial expressiveness that evokes recognizable vulnerability.
…much as with Disney’s “live-action” Lion King remake and countless others, the depiction of animals here feels more creepy than cute…
Some of it is dark, like the story of a sheep who was raised on the carnival and there are some “Old Yeller” style realities that may be upsetting to very young children.
Add that all up, sprinkle it with a slice of Agatha Christie, a bit of Animal Farm and the small town element of Murder She Wrote and, well , you get the picture.
Murder She Wrote, among others, comes to mind, with Lily seeking out the killer, helped by the slightly dippy but adoring Mopple.
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Rather than conjuring up memories of Alvin and the Chipmunks or 2011’s The Smurfs, it instead harkens back to witty, wordplay-driven British comedies of yore.
…back before the genre got tainted by lazy TV-to-live-action adaptations like The Smurfs and the dumpster fire of Disney's live-action output.
Normally, assembling famous faces to voice CG sheep obsessed with clues creates something akin to the next Show Dogs.
Shows like Only Murders in the Building and The After Party are a lot of fun…
Ejemplo de ello son la serie 'Solo asesinatos en el edificio' y la película de Netflix 'El club del crimen de los jueves'…