The Sheep Detectives

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2:33

The Sheep Detectives

PG

Now Playing

1h 49m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Critics Consensus

Drolly funny and sweet as a lamb, The Sheep Detectives is a delightful family entertainment that bundles disarmingly profound themes in a cozy package.

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Kyle Smith

Wall Street Journal

5h

Seeks nothing more than to be like its heroes: warm and fuzzy. Less attractively, it’s also a bit cloddish and tame, falling into that unsatisfying category of children’s entertainment that seems to be styled in accordance with the tastes of old people.

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Katie Walsh

Tribune News Service

6h

3/4

knits together highly realistic animation with a live-action cast to weave a charming yarn that can delight the whole family.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

7h

3/4

Anerdy but handsome bumbling journalist, a fast-talking, fashion-forward lawyer, and a sad, ostracized little lamb that will steal your heart, and you have a sweet, heartwarming comedy with a decent mystery everyone in the family will fawn over.

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Scott Mendelson

The Outside Scoop (Substack)

38m

9/10

‘The Sheep Detectives’ is such a charming, engrossing, and moving combination of movie magic, genre-specific delights and kid-friendly pathos that, yes, I would compare it to ‘E.T.’, ‘Babe’ and ‘Paddington 2’.

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Leo Brady

AMovieGuy.com

39m

3/4

It’s the kind of family film that reminds you how joyful and crowd-pleasing cinema can be

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Dana Han-Klein

We're Watching What?!

2h

4.4/5

Flock full of warmth, comedy, and a good ol' fashioned whodunnit. With a stacked cast, clever script, and just enough philosophical depth to justify the sometimes questionable CG sheep, this is an unexpected delight. (Littler lambs might get bored though)

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Kat B

42m

Best movie I have seen in a long time!

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Caitlin

54m

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! I was surprisingly moved by this movie. Watched the trailer and I wasnt sure what to expect. It was light hearted and moved the talking sheep were amazing. Im not sure what the critics will think but theyre never satisfied. Im very easy to please when it comes to movies. If it had a good plot, story line and characters Im all there. Movies are meant to take all of us away from the drudges of daily life. This movie did that for me. It didnt take too long to get to the point, it was very moving and it was so nice seeing Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson on screen. I loved that it was about solving the mystery surrounding Georges death. His daughter returning and leaving her everything was a nice touch I thought. There arent very many movies these days to see with the family including kids. This movie is for the whole family. Go and see it! Loved it! No woke political undertones, shoving pronouns at us, etc. Just a great movie perfect for pre Summer time.

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Erin M

1h

Definitely pulls at the heart strings, but great message and lots of comedy! I absolutely loved it

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Kim

1h

I love this movie. The Sheep Detectives is funny, heartfelt and I enjoyed trying to figure out this whodunit. I think even Agatha Cristie would have liked watching this movie! Looking forward to buying this film once it's on a DVD to add it to my collection.

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Terry H

2h

Amazing AI, sheep were so realistic. Loved story!

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Steven M

2h

It was very cute. better than I thought it would be from the trailer.

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Kyle Balda

Director

Hugh Jackman

George Hardy

Nicholas Braun

Officer Tim Derry

Nicholas Galitzine

Elliot Matthews

Molly Gordon

Rebecca Hampstead

Tosin Cole

Caleb Merrow

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - I Have A Question As Well

1:05

The Sheep Detectives: Exclusive Clip - Introducing the Sheep

1:27

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - I See Everything

0:35

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - Reading

0:51

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - Crossing the Road

1:15

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The BEST Script Hugh Jackman's Ever Read?!

0:44

"It's Knives Out Meets Babe" Hugh Jackman & Nicholas Braun on 'The Sheep Detectives'

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The Sheep Detectives: Featurette - First Look

1:49

The Sheep Detectives: Trailer 2

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The Sheep Detectives: Trailer 1

2:39

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Synopsis

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

Director: Kyle Balda
Producer: Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Screenwriter: Craig Mazin, Craig Mazin
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Production Co: Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels
Rating: PG (Brief Language|Thematic Material|Some Violent Content)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Action, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 2026, Wide
Runtime: 1h 49m