All 3 Shaun The Sheep Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

In 1989, English writer-animator-director Nick Park introduced the world to "Wallace and Gromit" with the acclaimed stop-motion animated short film "A Grand Day Out." What started as a film school project about a cheese-loving inventor and his mute yet supremely intelligent dog taking a casual rocket trip to the moon became one of the foundations of Aardman Animation. Little did Park know that, in addition to "Wallace and Gromit" developing into a decades-spanning franchise, a wooly supporting character in a 30-minute television special would arguably become just as big of an international sensation.

In the 1995 Academy Award-winning short "A Close Shave," Wallace and Gromit find themselves responsible for a lost sheep they name Shaun, whom we learn narrowly escaped the clutches of a killer cyber-dog. The character's cute disposition, coupled with his constant eating fits and surprising resourcefulness, naturally earned him a place in people's hearts and landed him his very own spin-off television show in the late 2000s.

The series, "Shaun the Sheep," makes the title animal a slightly different character with a whole new background. This incarnation of Shaun (Justin Fletcher) is a bit more intelligent and the leader of his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm in the English countryside. He usually guides the other sheep into all sorts of misadventures, all while avoiding the watchful detection of the Farmer (John Sparkes) and his sheepdog Bitzer (also Sparkes).

The format worked not just for seven seasons, but three critically acclaimed feature films that acted as pseudo-silent movies for children. Ranking the "Shaun the Sheep" movies is going to be a bit difficult, considering none of them are baaa-ad, but we'll give it a go based on personal preference.

The 2010s were dominated by sci-fi movies like "Prometheus," "Gravity" and "Interstellar," so it only stands to reason that Shaun the Sheep would have his own intergalactic adventure of sorts too. In 2019's "Farmageddon" (currently streaming on Netflix), the antics of Shaun and the flock come to a halt when they discover a blue dog-like alien named Lu-La (Amalia Vitale). She possesses telekinetic abilities that allow her to levitate objects, which only brings more attention to her presence.

M.A.D. (Ministry of Alien Detection) Agent Red (Kate Harbour) is out to prove that interstellar beings do exist, and reports of a downed UFO just outside of Mossy Bottom Farm gives her enough justification to launch a full-scale investigation, all while Shaun attempts to safely get Lu-La back to her home planet. Meanwhile, the Farmer sees easy money in taking advantage of the "crop circles" in his field by turning Mossy Bottom into a tourist attraction named Farmageddon.

Even the weakest of the "Shaun the Sheep" movies is still a really cute little adventure that pays homage to all manner of contemporary sci-fi works such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Signs," as well as a particularly cheeky nod to "Arrival" in the leftover grease ring of a pizza box. But the structure of "Farmageddon" takes great inspiration from "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," "Stranger Things," and, strangely enough, that terrible "Chicken Little" movie.

Even with the film playing out exactly as you expect it to, "Farmageddon" still manages to entertain with the adorable dynamic between Shaun and Lu-La's wordless attempts to communicate with one another. You'll laugh at all the sight gags, then find yourself getting emotional upon arriving at the film's well-earned sentimental climax.

The "Shaun the Sheep" TV show works as well as it does because it's able to convey simple sitcom plots that don't last longer than 15 minutes. Translating the sheepish shenanigans to the big screen could have been a challenge, especially in an 87-minute family film where no one speaks a single line of dialogue, but "Shaun the Sheep Movie" (currently streaming on Tubi) more than proves its worth.

The 2015 adventure begins like any other episode, with Shaun trying to break the monotony of farm life by whipping up some new scheme. Unfortunately, his plan results in the Farmer barreling into the Big City. The Mossy Bottom flock ultimately grow bored of their independence, and set out to bring him home safe, while trying to avoid the detection of animal control wrangler Trumper (Omid Djalili).

"Shaun the Sheep Movie" may follow the traditional TV-to-movie pipeline of making its characters explore a new setting outside of their comfort zone, but it does so with purpose. The Farmer and Bitzer aren't the only parties Shaun needs to evade this time, especially with the entire flock in tow sowing chaos around the Big City. The element of danger is matched by the sheer amount of rapid fire sight gags, with the funniest being a running bit featuring a staring pitbull with bloodshot eyes.

For all the laughs, there's a genuinely heartwarming narrative thread about the Farmer that gives him more of an emotional tether to the sheep beyond being their overseer. It's the whole reason why making a "Shaun the Sheep" movie was a wool-y great idea, leading to the film being regarded as one of the best stop-motion animated films of all time.

"The Sheep Detectives," Hugh Jackman's near-perfect 2026 whodunnit, isn't the only great movie this year about sheep trying to solve a mystery. With "Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom" now playing in theaters nationwide, the series goes into full Halloween mode with a really delightful creature feature that's perfect for the spooky season.

In an effort to restore his secret pumpkin patch, Shaun channels his inner mad scientist by concocting a glowing purple formula that can regrow them in record time, and bigger than ever. Confusing it for a bottle of hair growth serum, the Farmer applies it and his own hair starts to grow out of control, until he becomes this massive behemoth stalking the Mossingham countryside.

Even with "The Beast of Mossy Bottom" essentially being a pseudo-remake of one of the most beautiful stop-motion films ever — 2005's "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" — the film still manages to be another charming "Shaun the Sheep" adventure worthy of the big screen. It acts as an homage to "Frankenstein" and "The Wolf Man" that probably would have been even more effective in black and white. Shaun is always getting into trouble with his impulsive ideas, yet there's something especially funny about seeing him go into maniacal overdrive this time, with enough test tubes and beakers to make Colin Clive blush.

For a series whose human characters are mostly amusing background characters, "The Beast of Mossy Bottom" delivers its best new addition to the crew with the Vet (Nina Sosanya), a sweet and dedicated professional who gives the Farmer a dorky equal to work with. Needless to say, this proves that Shaun's screen legacy is far from over.