‘Sheep Detectives’ Review: A Woolly Brilliant Whodunnit

Sheep Detectives follows George Hardy (Hugh Jackman), a happily isolated shepherd who bonds with his flock by reading them detective novels before bed. When one day, George is discovered dead outside his trailer. The town’s sole police officer, Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) declares it a heart attack, but a traveling reporter who is in town to cover the local festival, Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), thinks it’s actually a murder. There are quite a few suspects who have motives—Is it Rebecca Hampstead (Molly Gordon), George’s long-lost daughter? Or perhaps the rival shepherd, Caleb (Tosin Cole)? What about GerBeth Pennock (Hong Chau), the innkeeper who had a crush on George?  But don’t forget as the Reverend (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), the butcher, (Conleth Hill), the postwoman (Mandeep Dhillon), or even George’s lawyer (Emma Thompson). But ultimately it’s George’s sheep who take it into their own hooves to solve the case and get justice for their shepherd.

Sheep Detectives is a rare gem, feeling like a throwback from when family films like this were the norm, rather than the exception. While it may not necessarily hit with preschool-age children, older kids will absolutely enjoy the film with its ovine antics and delight trying to crack the whodunnit.

The cast is quite fun. High Jackson is an obvious draw, but the the other townsfolk are equally impressive and do a great job creating suspicion and intrigue for the plot. However, it’s the sheep and their voice actors that steal the show. The main crime-solving trio—Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, the leader and smart red sheep who can solve any mystery is clearly having a great time in her role; Bryan Cranston as Sebastian, a black sheep; and Chris O’Dowd as Mopple, a Merino sheep—are a blast to watch.

The sets and English countryside setting are beautiful and lush. It’s a delight seeing the quaint town of Denbrook (filmed in the actual town of Hamilton in the English countryside) and real green fields and instead of green screens, which are a common crutch of modern filmmaking.

For a film featuring sheep so prominently, the lack of actual sheep in the film is disappointing as every sheep film is either a puppet or CGI. While understandable for scenes where the sheep talk, it would have been nice to see a real sheep or two, especially since so much attention was paid to shooting in real agrarian British locations. But overall, the CGI is well done.

Who knew that a film about sheep solving a murder would be so fun? Sheep Detectives is utterly charming and a must-see film of 2026.

Sheep Detectives hits theaters on May 8, 2026.

★★★★