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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
188 .......................... 199
__________________________
May 29th
—— 2015 ——
Shaun the Sheep
MOVIE
—— animation ——
"Life's a treat
with Shaun the Sheep!"
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a major fan of the television show, which this movie is based on, but on occasion I did have a fun time watching the fuzzy animals fluffing around on the farm, while finding fun things that would eventually drive the farmer insane. But sheep in steep trouble for seven-minutes is one thing; but turning these small simple shorts into one entire full length feature, with what can only be called a serious surplus of sheep, I was afraid that I would become tired and bored by the end of it, while constantly watching these little animals for eighty-five minutes straight, until I was finally hit with the “sheep-counting-curse” and eventually fell asleep. How would the minds behind ever translate these seven-minute shorts of speechless sheep and mute men, into something that would be worthy of the big screen, while still keeping the spirit of the source material intact and without having any dull parts throughout? What a mission indeed, but thankfully it is the minds of Aardman Animations who are shepherding these sheep, so it should hopefully live up to my high expectations…
First off, I have always loved, admired and supported the works of old fashioned stop-motion animation, which often made me watch films I wouldn't even have seen, if it weren't for the handcrafted charisma of carefully constructed moviemaking. Great art takes its time, but moving a single frame of film manually, by hand, maybe sounds a little bit like over-interpreting the saying. But the final results of stop-motion are always breathtaking and admirable, especially if the subject of the animation is something you are interested in.
So when being familiar with the lovable characters from the television show, I couldn’t wait to see how they would expand on the otherwise tiny little farmland universe. And how did they expand! The stop-motion animation is beautiful and especially the enormous set pieces of an entire city is extremely well-done, considering being used to small fences and open fields. The amount of detail throughout goes hand in hand with the simplicity of the characters, which makes it a complete joy to watch! The humor is even surprisingly edgy from time to time, which makes it fun for both kids and their parents to watch.
Comparing the film to the shorts, the creators have found a respectful way “shave the sheep” and give it a newer and fresher new look, but you are never in doubt of who and what you are watching. But this technique makes it easy for newcomers to adapt to the universe, without ever risking the film going circles or fencing itself in a tight spot. The spirit of the show is definitely intact and the humor is exactly the way we know it from Aardman. Sometimes the movie does play it a little too safe for its own good, but then in the next scene you are suddenly surprised at how they can turn it around and take an unexpected route. The many possibilities are like an open field, but thankfully the writer-director team finds a way to stay within familiar grounds, but still do something completely new. 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' may not be as great as previous short-to-film production, like the ‘Wallace and Gromit’ movie for example, but comparing the movie to its respective source material, it works as a great development of the world, which used to be a whole lot smaller.
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
188 .......................... 199
__________________________
May 29th
—— 2015 ——
Shaun the Sheep
MOVIE
—— animation ——
"Life's a treat
with Shaun the Sheep!"
I wouldn’t exactly call myself a major fan of the television show, which this movie is based on, but on occasion I did have a fun time watching the fuzzy animals fluffing around on the farm, while finding fun things that would eventually drive the farmer insane. But sheep in steep trouble for seven-minutes is one thing; but turning these small simple shorts into one entire full length feature, with what can only be called a serious surplus of sheep, I was afraid that I would become tired and bored by the end of it, while constantly watching these little animals for eighty-five minutes straight, until I was finally hit with the “sheep-counting-curse” and eventually fell asleep. How would the minds behind ever translate these seven-minute shorts of speechless sheep and mute men, into something that would be worthy of the big screen, while still keeping the spirit of the source material intact and without having any dull parts throughout? What a mission indeed, but thankfully it is the minds of Aardman Animations who are shepherding these sheep, so it should hopefully live up to my high expectations…
First off, I have always loved, admired and supported the works of old fashioned stop-motion animation, which often made me watch films I wouldn't even have seen, if it weren't for the handcrafted charisma of carefully constructed moviemaking. Great art takes its time, but moving a single frame of film manually, by hand, maybe sounds a little bit like over-interpreting the saying. But the final results of stop-motion are always breathtaking and admirable, especially if the subject of the animation is something you are interested in.
So when being familiar with the lovable characters from the television show, I couldn’t wait to see how they would expand on the otherwise tiny little farmland universe. And how did they expand! The stop-motion animation is beautiful and especially the enormous set pieces of an entire city is extremely well-done, considering being used to small fences and open fields. The amount of detail throughout goes hand in hand with the simplicity of the characters, which makes it a complete joy to watch! The humor is even surprisingly edgy from time to time, which makes it fun for both kids and their parents to watch.
Comparing the film to the shorts, the creators have found a respectful way “shave the sheep” and give it a newer and fresher new look, but you are never in doubt of who and what you are watching. But this technique makes it easy for newcomers to adapt to the universe, without ever risking the film going circles or fencing itself in a tight spot. The spirit of the show is definitely intact and the humor is exactly the way we know it from Aardman. Sometimes the movie does play it a little too safe for its own good, but then in the next scene you are suddenly surprised at how they can turn it around and take an unexpected route. The many possibilities are like an open field, but thankfully the writer-director team finds a way to stay within familiar grounds, but still do something completely new. 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' may not be as great as previous short-to-film production, like the ‘Wallace and Gromit’ movie for example, but comparing the movie to its respective source material, it works as a great development of the world, which used to be a whole lot smaller.
__________________________