A flock of sheep use their detective skills to investigate the murder of their shepherd, George (Hugh Jackman) in The Sheep Detectives, based on the novel Three Bags Fulls by Leonie Swann. The flock includes Lily (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Wool-Eyes (voice of Rhys Darby), Sebastian (voice of Bryan Cranston), Sir Richfield voice of (Sir Patrick Stewart), Zora (voice of Bella Ramsey), Mopple (voice of Chris O’Dowd), and Ronnie (voice of Brett Goldstein). The suspects include a farmer (Tosin Cole), a butcher (Conleth Hill), a priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), an innkeeper, Beth (Hong Chau), an innkeeper, a cop, Tim (Nicholas Braun), George’s lawyer, Lydia (Emma Thompson), George's estranged daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon), and a reporter, Elliot Matthew (Nicholas Galitzine). Director Kyle Balda and screenwriter Craig Mazin have made a funny, witty, sweet and delightful film for the whole family that deftly blends comedy, mystery, suspense and intrigue. The plot isn't afraid to be zany and silly at times without taking itself too seriously while other times it has some surprisingly moving and wise scenes. It also has a few twists and turns as the sheep discover important clues that won't be spoiled here. Zora, a lamb, initially believes that sheep turn into clouds when they die, but her mother teaches her the truth.  Kudos to the filmmakers for approaching the topic of death in a gentle way for younger audiences much like Bambi does.

      The entire ensemble cast is terrific and well-chosen including the voice actors. Moreover, the blend of CGI animation and live action looks seamless. Like the equally entertaining Hoppers, The Sheep Detectives knows how to find just the right balance between entertaining older and younger audiences without pandering to children or resorting to fart jokes to entertain them like Ne Zha 2 and Animal Farm do.  At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, The Sheep Detectives opens nationwide via Amazon MGM Studios.