One of the unlikeliest studio releases in some time is getting some very unlikely reviews.
The Sheep Detectives, based on the cozy mystery Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, is getting enthusiastic reviews from critics, who are calling the movie starring Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, and with a voice cast including Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Patrick Stewart a family film that will actually play for the entire family. Based on early reviews, the film rates a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and has a 69 “generally favorable” score on Metacritic.
“The Sheep Detectives is the cutest, sweetest movie ever made about accepting death and confronting grief and trauma that’s probably ever been made,” writes Jim Vejvoda in IGN. “Imagine if Babe had to solve the murder of Farmer Hoggett and you’ll get a sense of what this comedy-mystery family film is going for.”
One of the secrets to the success of the film, which is directed by Kyle Balda (Minions) and written by Craig Mazin (showrunner for The Last of Us), is apparently its tone, which manages to thread the needle created by its proposed genre mashup.
“Alternating a mellow storybook tone in the story’s sheep-centered sections with jaunty Britcom-style humor whenever the focus shifts to human goings-on, the result comes about as close as any adaptation could to being all things to all creatures great and small,” writes Guy Lodge in Variety. “The closest likeness here is to the first two Paddington films, extending to Framestore’s seamless creature effects: Some passages in The Sheep Detectives will go over children’s heads to instead tickle their parents, but the sunny good cheer of the enterprise should keep everyone on side.”
Combine that with some top-shelf craftwork across departments and an impressive voice cast, which also includes Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall, and Chris O’Dowd, and The Sheep Detectives becomes something rare for the movie industry in 2026 — a thoughtfully made live-action family film.
“With glorious small town production design by Suzie Davies, and superb visual effects, animation, and puppetry creating the sheep, this fine family film looks every bit as colorful and idyllic as Babe, its distant cousin,” writes Pete Hammond in Deadline. “Narrated and starring Jackman, who in pure Hitchcock top-billed star fashion is killed off in the first act ala Janet Leigh in Psycho, but the role doesn’t completely end there, and the entire movie is about him. All the other live action stars have their moments, including perfectly cast Thompson and bumbling Braun. The starry voice cast delivers on all fronts, especially with lines provided by Mazin’s witty and wise script.”
And while the cast of The Sheep Detectives is a common highlight among most reviews, Louis-Drefyus’ performance as Lily gets special mention in a few.
“It’s Louis-Dreyfus who steals The Sheep Detectives,” writes Tim Grierson for AV Club. “Since the end of Veep, the decorated comedic actor has continued to challenge herself, reuniting with Enough Said filmmaker Nicole Holofcener for the wry character study You Hurt My Feelings and starring in the prickly grief drama Tuesday. Celebrities doing voice work tend to emphasize the most noticeable aspects of their speaking style, but Louis-Dreyfus actually disappears as Lily, who has none of the brazenness of Elaine Benes or Selina Meyer. Instead, this savvy sheep is much more vulnerable and thoughtful, determined to find George’s killer but worried that spotting the murderer in a novel is a lot easier than in real life. The Sheep Detectives is meant to be a lightweight family flick, but Louis-Dreyfus gives it an emotional core that’s quite affecting, especially in the movie’s closing stretches.”
The Sheep Detectives opens in theaters on May 8.
