Daily News 19

Tag: Stop-motion animation

  • Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom Review – A Brilliant Start to Halloween Season

    Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom Review – A Brilliant Start to Halloween Season

    Key Highlights

    • Aardman Animations releases Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, the third feature-length film in the franchise, directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, arriving in theaters September 18.
    • The stop-motion comedy serves as a kid-friendly horror primer set during Halloween, drawing creative inspiration from Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and classic genre touchstones like Psycho and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
    • Justin Fletcher returns as the voice of Shaun, with John Sparkes voicing both the Farmer and dog Bitzer, while Sosanya voices the Vet; the film relies on wordless visual storytelling and elaborate Rube Goldberg-style contraptions.

    Aardman Returns to Mossy Bottom with a Spooky Season Spectacular

    Aardman Animations has delivered its third feature-length outing for the world’s most resourceful sheep. Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker, gambols into theaters on September 18 as a pre-Halloween treat that blends the studio’s signature stop-motion craftsmanship with affectionate horror parody. Following the critical success of The Sheep Detectives earlier in the year, the new film continues a strong run for ovine cinema, positioning Shaun’s latest adventure as a seasonal highlight for audiences of all ages.

    Pumpkin Patches, Mad Science, and a Hairy Visitor

    The story unfolds in the lead-up to Halloween, when the denizens of Mossy Bottom Farm are buzzing for the big day. Shaun and his flock are hard at work growing their very special, very secret pumpkin patch, while the Farmer (voiced by John Sparkes) is building up the courage to ask the Vet (voiced by Sosanya) to the Halloween Hoedown. True to the series’ form, neither plan survives contact with chaos. Shaun’s mad scientist attempt to create the perfect jack-o’-lantern leads to the disappearance of the Farmer and the very coincidental appearance of a very hairy monster who wreaks havoc across Mossy Bottom. The narrative unfolds as a Rube Goldberg machine of ridiculousness — complete with many literal Rube Goldberg machines — driving the action toward a climax where Shaun must fix his mistakes in time for Halloween.

    A Horror Primer Built on Aardman’s Pedigree

    The Beast of Mossy Bottom recalls the plot of another Aardman classic: 2005’s Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Like its predecessor, the new film follows animals trying to protect their owner from a grisly transformation while serving as a solid introduction to horror for young audiences, layered with knowing winks for older viewers. The movie wears its horror influences on its sleeves. Its playful opening sequence cleverly uses lighting — mostly in hues of red, green, and purple — and shadow play to transform Shaun, the Farmer, dog Bitzer (also voiced by Sparkes), and the rest of the farm animals into everything from zombies to vampires. Add in ketchup blood fake outs, a toilet paper mummy, and a Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance, and the film makes clear that this is horror by way of Shaun the Sheep: pure, wordless fun without any particularly intense scares.

    References That Serve the Story

    The horror nods keep coming throughout, with riffs on Psycho and an inspired “Cronen-burger” shop sign counting among the very best. What distinguishes the film is how naturally these references fit. This isn’t Aardman just spamming horror references left, right, and center; it’s the studio earnestly engaging with the genre, as they did with The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. That combination once again proves to be a match made in heaven. Look no further than Shaun going full Frankenstein — FrankenShaun? — throughout the movie. Shaun’s usual talent for elaborate contraptions fits perfectly into his mad scientist turn, and The Beast of Mossy Bottom is full of madcap inventions, all brought to captivating life through Aardman’s stop-motion artistry. Like FrankenShaun, Aardman creates something ridiculously fun that strikes just the right balance of silly and spooky.

    Why This Matters

    Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom arrives at a moment when family-friendly horror remains an underserved niche in theatrical animation. By leveraging the established trust of the Aardman brand — and the direct creative lineage to The Curse of the Were-Rabbit — the film offers parents a rare gateway genre entry point that respects children’s intelligence while delivering the technical excellence expected from the studio. The September 18 release date positions it squarely as counter-programming against the fall franchise slate, and its wordless visual language ensures international playability without localization barriers. For Aardman, the film reinforces the commercial viability of the Shaun the Sheep IP beyond television specials, potentially greenlighting further feature expansions.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When does Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom open in theaters?

    The film opens in theaters on September 18.

    Who directs and stars in the new Shaun the Sheep movie?

    The film is directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker. Justin Fletcher voices Shaun, John Sparkes voices both the Farmer and Bitzer, and Sosanya voices the Vet.

    Is the movie too scary for young children?

    No. The review describes it as a “perfect starter horror film” and “pure, wordless fun, without any particularly intense scares,” using humor, ketchup blood fake outs, and playful references to classic horror tropes rather than genuine frights.

  • Final Wildwood Trailer Will Leave You in Awe of LAIKAs Stop-Motion Fantasy

    Final Wildwood Trailer Will Leave You in Awe of LAIKAs Stop-Motion Fantasy

    Key Highlights

    • LAIKA’s new stop-motion fantasy Wildwood releases in theaters on October 23, adapting Colin Meloy’s novel with a star-studded voice cast including Carey Mulligan, Viola Davis, Mahershala Ali, and Peyton Elizabeth Lee.
    • The film follows teenager Prue McKeel and classmate Curtis Mehlberg as they enter the magical Impassable Wilderness bordering Portland, Oregon, to rescue Prue’s baby brother from a murder of crows.
    • The final trailer showcases LAIKA’s signature craftsmanship with epic battle sequences, a crow-versus-eagle chase featuring Viola Davis as the General, and the studio’s most ambitious world-building since Kubo and the Two Strings.

    LAIKA Returns with Most Ambitious Stop-Motion Epic Yet

    After delighting audiences with Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link, Oregon-based animation studio LAIKA is preparing its most expansive fantasy adventure to date. Wildwood, adapted from the bestselling novel by Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy and illustrated by his wife Carson Ellis, arrives in theaters on October 23. The final trailer, released this week, confirms that the studio has pushed its painstaking stop-motion craft to new heights — blending intimate character work with sweeping battle choreography and a mythic Portland backdrop that feels both familiar and wholly invented.

    From Portland Streets to the Impassable Wilderness

    The story centers on Prue McKeel (voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee), a teenager whose ordinary life in Portland shatters when a supernatural murder of crows abducts her infant brother Mac into the Impassable Wilderness — a forbidden forest teeming with talking animals, roving bandits, and ancient magic. Prue enlists her awkward but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay) for a rescue mission that plunges them into a conflict spanning warring animal nations, political intrigue, and the mysterious, powerful Alexandra (Carey Mulligan). The trailer’s standout sequence pits the crows against the General, a massive golden eagle voiced by Viola Davis, in a mid-air chase that demonstrates LAIKA’s ability to stage large-scale action without sacrificing the tactile, hand-crafted texture that defines its aesthetic.

    An Ensemble Cast Rivaling Live-Action Blockbusters

    Beyond its three young leads, Wildwood assembles one of the most impressive voice rosters in recent animation history. Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Richard E. Grant, Maya Erskine, Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal, Rob Delaney, Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson, Len Cariou, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Arthur Knight round out the cast, suggesting a narrative dense with distinct personalities and factions. Meloy’s source novel — the first in a trilogy — is known for its sprawling cast and allegorical depth, and the trailer hints that director Travis Knight and screenwriter Chris Butler have preserved the book’s blend of whimsy, danger, and political satire.

    Why This Matters

    LAIKA occupies a unique space in modern animation: a fiercely independent studio that refuses to chase streaming-volume metrics, instead betting on theatrical stop-motion as a premium cinematic experience. Wildwood represents the studio’s biggest swing yet — a portal fantasy rooted in Pacific Northwest geography and Indigenous-influenced world-building (Cardinal, a Cree actor, voices a key role) that could launch a franchise if audiences respond. Its October release positions it as a counter-programming event against live-action tentpoles, testing whether handcrafted animation can still command opening-weekend urgency. For Meloy’s readers, the adaptation carries the weight of a beloved modern classic; for animation historians, it’s a referendum on whether the medium’s most labor-intensive form remains commercially viable at scale.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    When does Wildwood hit theaters?

    Wildwood opens in theaters nationwide on October 23.

    Is Wildwood based on a book?

    Yes. The film adapts the 2011 fantasy novel Wildwood by Colin Meloy, lead singer of The Decemberists, with illustrations by Carson Ellis. It is the first book in The Wildwood Chronicles trilogy.

    Who are the main voice actors in Wildwood?

    The lead voices are Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Prue McKeel, Jacob Tremblay as Curtis Mehlberg, Carey Mulligan as Alexandra, and Viola Davis as the General. The ensemble includes Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Richard E. Grant, and many others.