The magic of Aardman Animations is back with Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Life on Mossy Bottom Farm in England is good as our woolly friend Shaun continues to drive Bitzer (the farm dog) doggone crazy with his antics around the barnyard. But hold on Shaun, there’s another eccentric character blasting into town! Aardman Animations delivers another adorable fantastic story in one of my favorite filmmaking techniques- stop-motion animation.
Beginning February 14, Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon streams on Netflix. There is a close encounter of the claymation kind with a literal “out of this world” character named Lu-la. She’s an adorable pink alien baby with magical powers who lands near the farm. She gets herself into a bit of trouble and crosses path with Shaun. He’s stunned by Lu-la’s arrival but recognizes that Lu-la is alone and needs help. Lu-la also caught the eye of a secret agency called the Ministry of Alien Detection. Agent Red is personally vested in finding Lu-la, whose back story explains her desperation and desire to locate aliens. Reminiscent of moments in the movie E.T., with scientists in hazmat suits and agents in sunglasses, Red reminds me of “Keys” the guy who tells Elliott that he’s been wishing to see an alien since he was 10 years old. Agent Red has been waiting for this moment for a long time.
While Shaun is helping Lu-la, the Farmer from Mossy Bottom Farm brainstorms Farmageddon (an alien theme park) to capitalize on the recent UFO sightings and take advantage of unsuspecting alien enthusiasts. He wants to purchase a new tractor and this just might be his meal-ticket. The Farmer relies on Bitzer (The Farmer and Bitzer remind me of another Aardman duo Wallace and Gromit, who make a quick appearance in this film) who seems to run the farm, with clipboard in hand and overseer of of the farm animals. The Farmer usually can be found inside sleeping, reading the paper or lounging around in underwear, while Bitzer tries to keep Shaun, Timmy, and the rest of the flock, as well as the pigs, in order! The Farmer seems to be a non-starter but Farmageddon could turn out to be a success!
I’ve always found it astonishing that a script without any dialogue can evoke so much emotion and action. Stop-motion claymation technique is fabulous even with the slight imperfections, such as fingerprints in the puppets that are a reminder of what is involved in creating and presenting this painstaking medium. Check out Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. It’s energetic, witty, looks cool and is a fun adventure for the entire family. Plus, the soundtrack is killer! I love the song Shaun the Sheep (Life’s A Treat) by Nadia Rose and composer Tom Howe which plays during the ending credits.
