Why are humans flocking to “The Sheep Detectives”? Here’s what critics are saying

Key points

• Audiences and critics alike are raving about The Sheep Detectives, starringHugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun and more.

• The live-action film tells the story of a flock of sheep who band together to solve the mysterious murder of their beloved shepherd.

• The movie earned $12 million domestically on opening weekend.

Wondering what all the hype is about for The Sheep Detectives? Entertainment Weekly is here to crack the case.

The new film starring Hugh Jackman alongside a flock of talking sheep currently boasts a 94 percent fresh critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and we can confirm that those reviewers aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes: The Sheep Detectives is worth gathering your herd for a trip to the theater.

Written by The Last of Us‘ Craig Mazin, and based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, the adorable live-action yarn kicks off when the flock’s beloved shepherd George Hardy (Jackman) is mysteriously murdered. Though they usually choose to forget traumatic experiences, this time the sheep decide to face their fears and seek justice for their departed leader, using their deep knowledge of murder-mystery tropes (George read them crime stories every night) to crack the case. They might not be the most clever detectives, but neither is the small town constable, played by a bumbling Nicholas Braun.

Also starring He-Man actorNicholas Galitzine, Emma Thompson, Molly Gordon, and Hong Chau, the movie features an all-star voice cast, including Bryan Cranston, Brett Goldstein, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Regina Hall, Chris O’Dowd, Patrick Stewart, and Bella Ramsey.

And audiences have been flocking to see it. Despite contending with two high-powered sequels (The Devil Wears Prada 2 in its second weekend, and Mortal Kombat II in its first), The Sheep Detectives grossed (grazed?) around $15 million domestically, leading Collider to hail it as the box office surprise of the year. Still, making those sheep look so adorable didn’t come cheap. Costing a reported $80 million to produce, according to the outlet, it’ll need to hit the $200 million mark worldwide to break even. (To put that in perspective, 2024’s Paddington in Peru opened to $12 million domestically on its way to $200 million globally.)

With a slew of positive reviews and strong word of mouth (the film is 96 percent fresh with audiences), The Sheep Detectives is on its way to making Amazon MGM Studios a nice bag of wool.

Here’s what critics are saying:

“Not only is The Sheep Detectives delightful, but it’s funny and emotionally complex and, dare I say, unusually deferential toward the noble sheep, frequently cast as brain-dead losers in cinema’s barnyards,” writes Alissa Wilkinson for The New York Times.

“These furry detectives are no Hercule Poir-ewe, but this eclectic, well-voiced herd takes on the case with enough earnestness to make it a yarn worth telling,” saysEmpire‘s Harry Stainer.

“The Sheep Detectives evokes the sunny spirit of classics like Babe while teaching important lessons about death and community. And it contains a wonderful Julia Louis-Dreyfus performance as a smart sheep who discovers she’s got a lot to learn,” Tim Grierson writes for AV Club.

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“With a touch of Watership Down somewhere in the mix, this film, for some, may be off-putting. Actually, it makes for a sweet-natured family comedy, and a spiky and amusing cameo from Emma Thompson certainly doesn’t hurt,” Peter Bradshaw says in his review for The Guardian.

“There’s wisdom amid the silliness, as the story gently makes a case for the necessity of grief, mindfulness and mortal awareness… That’s more than you might expect from a film called The Sheep Detectives,” notes Guy Lodge for Variety.

“As cozy farm animal detective stories go, it simply can’t be bleat,” William Bibbiani quips in The Wrap.

“The reason the sheep are capable of conveying emotionally resonant experiences is because there’s a tangibility to them onscreen that’s not just about design but to how well they fit within the movie’s slightly heightened reality,” writes Alison Willmore for Vulture.

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