‘The Sheep Detectives’ review: Hugh Jackman leads an all-star cast in offbeat murder mystery

Dir: Kyle Bada. US/UK. 2026. 109mins

When a kindly shepherd is murdered in a small rural English village, his tenacious flock of sheep take it on themselves to solve the crime. That the shepherd is played by Hugh Jackman and the talking sheep wield an inexplicable mix of British and American accents are just two of the myriad quirks to be found in this offbeat family adventure, which plays like an idiosyncratic, slightly feverish yet strangely charming mash-up of Babe and Knives Out.

Idiosyncratic, slightly feverish yet strangely charming 

The Sheep Detectives boasts an impressively starry cast, including Jackman, Emma Thompson, Hong Chau and Nicholas Galitzine, not to mention the voice talents of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Bella Ramsey, Regina Hall, Chris O’Dowd and Patrick Stewart. That should help attract international audiences when the film rolls out worldwide from May 7, as should its easygoing, family-friendly blend of humour, action and gentle life lessons.

That being said, the premise is certainly edgier and thematically darker than the usual anthropomorphic fare. A brief, idyllic set-up sees shepherd George (Jackman, wielding a chewy rural English brogue) living alone in England’s preternaturally sunlit green and pleasant lands while he tends to his sheep – the secret to happiness, he says. Soon, however, he is murdered by an unknown assailant, his body left in his pasture for his shocked animals to find.

There is not a great deal of crime in the sleepy fictional village of Denbrook (the film shot across southeast England) and sole local police officer, Tim (Nicholas Braun), proves pretty hapless. And so whip-smart sheep Lily (voiced by Louis-Dreyfus) determines that it is up to the flock to solve the case. Inspired by the crime novels George used to read to them at night, Lily and her fellow sheep, including Mopple (O’Down) and Cloud (Hall), doggedly follow the clues. Their investigations lead them to a bevvy of local suspects, among them, George’s long-lost daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon); greedy butcher Ham (Conleth Hill); and rival shepherd Conrad (Tosin Cole).

It’s all a marked change of gear for screenwriter Craig Mazin, who has previously written hard-hitting, decidedly adults-only shows such as The Last Of Us and Chernobyl. Adapting the novel ‘Three Bags Full’ by German crime writer Leonie Swann, Mazin aims for a mix of warm-hearted pathos and dry one-liners, and just about succeeds in striking a balance between the two. It helps that director Kyle Bada began as an animator on the likes of Chicken Run and Monsters Inc before helming Minions, Despicable Me 3 and Minions: Rise Of Gru, so knows how to effectively stage comedic set-pieces, and – crucially – keep things moving along briskly and the energy high.

Digital effects are impressive, the sleuthing sheep interacting flawlessly with their human co-stars, and the animals’ distinct and individual personalities are endearing. Appealing production design and a warm colour palette give a cozy feel; there may be murder afoot, but Denbrook is presented as the kind of quaint, close-knit storybook community that may baffle British viewers but is sure to appeal to international – particularly American – audiences.

There are also some moments of genuine warmth and sincerity within this woolly tale, as the sheep are forced to confront their fears about venturing away from home and rethink their ideas about mortality. And while those emotional beats make more of an impact than the somewhat strained murder mystery at its heart, The Sheep Detectives nevertheless proves to be a diverting, whimsical yarn.