The Sheep Detectives (2026)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, May 08

PG Running Time: 109 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • A warm, charming, and genuinely funny family film that everyone can enjoy.

  • Hugh Jackman is great, but the ensemble cast of on-screen performers and off-screen voiceover talent make this such fun and entertaining.

  • Deals thoughtfully with themes of loss, connection, and community.

NO

  • Though I encourage you to see the film, parents/guardians should be aware that the film could spur a conversation with younger viewers about themes of loss and mortality.

  • While not hampering my enjoyment in the slightest, I figured out the mystery within a couple of minutes. I suppose that could annoy some viewers.

  • Some may find this a little too cute and on-the-nose I guess. However, the movie is about sheep solving a mystery. Isn’t this supposed to be a little cute and on-the-nose?


OUR REVIEW

Charming, funny, and heartfelt only begin to describe The Sheep Detectives, adapted from Leonie Swann’s best-selling novel, “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story.” Written by Craig Mazin (“The Last of Us”, Chernobyl) and directed by Kyle Balda (Minions, Despicable Me 3), this light and breezy mystery is a joy to unravel and offers something entertaining for audiences of all ages.

In the remote English countryside, just outside of a community known as Denbrook, a shepherd and self-identified loner named George (Hugh Jackman) tends to his flock. Each evening, he reads them a chapter from the latest mystery/suspense novel he’s into and the sheep come and lie around listening to his voice. However, what George doesn’t know, and we soon learn, is that the sheep are not only able to fully understand him and what he is reading, but are deeply invested in the mysteries he shares with them.

The pivot from bleating sheep to full English dialogue is handled with humor, and terrific voiceover work keeps us invested in the story. When a mystery of its own befalls George’s flock, the sheep must come together to assist Officer Derry (Nicholas Braun), a bumbling one-person police department, in clever and intricate ways. 

The Sheep Detectives is a refreshing change of pace in a cinematic landscape filled with sequels, reboots, and films trying to be more spectacle than storytelling. Balda creates a space where we begin rooting for these sheep to use their instincts to help solve a crime we may have already figured out, but they haven’t, and certainly Officer Derry hasn’t put anything together.

The arrival of an estate planning lawyer (Emma Thompson), George’s long-lost daughter Rebecca (Molly Gordon), and a pushy reporter looking for a big break (Nicholas Galitzine) add to the comedic underpinnings of the story. Naturally, none of this works if the sheep aren’t worth listening to, and the fantastic voiceover work by performers including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Brett Goldstein, Regina Hall, and others, makes this film an absolute delight.

Jackman sets the tone wonderfully. Resourceful and caring for his flock, he has developed a remedy for an ailment, Orf, and though kind in nature, he shows little patience for those in the nearby town. Even as the stakes heighten and emotions grow larger, the film matches Jackman’s gentle pace. This is an easy and comfortable watch—endearing and touching.

Families should know that the film deals with some potentially difficult subject matter, as death plays a prominent role in the story. This makes sense because for all the murder mysteries that the sheep have had told to them, naturally they should get to solve one. Parents need be aware that younger viewers may ask questions about things they haven’t quite explored before. Though all of this is handled tactfully and without alarm, kids may have some of the same questions lambs in the flock have about what happens when living things reach an end.

With that said, I had a smile on my face the entire time. There is something notable and comforting about a film unconcerned with sarcasm and cynicism. The Sheep Detectives is handled with such kindness and grace that it seldom takes a misstep. Even if viewers over the age of 10 or so will likely figure the mystery out early on, Mazin and Balda deserve credit for finding a way to make the film meaningful even if the ultimate reveal isn’t much of a mystery after all.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Emma Thompson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Brian Cranston, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Rhys Darby, Brett Goldstein, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Tosin Cole, Conleth Hill

Director: Kyle Balda
Written by: Craig Mazin
Based on the novel “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story” by Leonie Swann
Release Date: May 8, 2026
Amazon MGM Studios