The Sheep Detectives

"A new breed of mystery."

2026 1h 49m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

95%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 1,774🍅95%Rotten Tomatoes●72Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 110,538

ComedyFamilyMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.

“A new breed of mystery.”

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Cast

Hugh Jackman
George Hardy
Nicholas Braun
Officer Tim Derry
Nicholas Galitzine
Elliot Matthews
Molly Gordon
Rebecca Hampstead
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Lily (voice)
Bryan Cranston
Sebastian (voice)
Chris O'Dowd
Mopple (voice)
Regina Hall
Cloud (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kyle Balda
Writers: Craig Mazin, Craig Mazin, Anna Lencioni
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $75M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kyle Balda, shot by George Steel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christophe Beck. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Machliss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hugh Jackman and Nicholas Braun and Nicholas Galitzine carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A new breed of mystery.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kyle Balda directs. George Steel behind the camera. Christophe Beck scores. Paul Machliss cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $75M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
4Directed by Kyle Balda, shot by George Steel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Christophe Beck. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Paul Machliss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hugh Jackman and Nicholas Braun and Nicholas Galitzine carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A new breed of mystery.".
9IMDB entry: tt32565993 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "shepherd", "based on novel or book", "investigation", "murder".
11Released under 16 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Steel
Original score: Christophe Beck
Editing: Paul Machliss
Production design: Suzie Davies
Costume design: Rosa Dias
Makeup / hair: Sharon Martin
VFX supervisor: Graham Page
Stunt coordinator: Paul Kennington
Runtime: 109 min · 1h 49m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $75,000,000
Box office: $131,550,648
Return: 175% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Sheep Detectives (2026)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 72/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 110,538 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

1 win total

Also by

Kyle Balda

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-05-10
★ 7/10
Hugh Jackman may take top billing here, but the real plaudits have to go to some animatronic sheep and to Nicholas Braun's hapless detective "Tim". He is completely out of his depth when a body is discovered in a field. He just assumes that "George" (Jackman) has had an heart attack - but the sheep, well thanks to the observations of the hitherto shunned winter lamb, they start to put two and two together and conclude something altogether more sinister is a-hoof. Those suspicions are only increased when his lawyer (Dame Emma Thompson) arrives for the will reading and declares that he had left an unexpected fortune to his daughter "Rebecca" (Molly Gordon) whom nobody even knew existed until that fateful day. The challenge for the sheep is, though: how can they convey their thoughts to the constable and has he the wherewithal to assemble the clues? Someone described this is as a sort of "Thursday Murder Club" meets "Babe" and that's about the height of it. There are plenty of engaging woolly characters who manage successfully to avoid dipping us in too much sentiment; Braun does the nice-but-dim engagingly and Dame Emma brings a well-dressed imperiousness to the proceedings as the red herrings gradually accumulate and "Cloud", "Mopple" and the grumpy ram "Sebastian" slowly realise that they too might be destined for the inside of a tin can too, if they can't thwart some cunning scheming from their two-legged neighbours. On a marginally more serious note, it also serves to dispel the notion that sheep are all a bit thick as they take quite a few risks - even crossing the road - to get to the truth. This is a family film in that there is plenty for the kids, but there is also enough of a mystery and some comedy for the grown ups too, and if you're in the mood for something light, fluffy and entirely devoid of crooning then this ought to do the trick.
HaremCinema2026-05-31
★ 3/10
Shepherd dies. It’s the result of murder most foul! Unpropitiously for the manslayer there is a most important factor that they have not accounted for. Unbeknownst to the assassin, the deceased herdsman had been training a crack team of detectives. (If, at this point, you can’t tell who those detectives are from the title of the film, then perhaps murder mysteries are not for you?) What I thought: meh, it was OK. I wanted it to be funnier, maybe a little cuter. I don’t think they are unreasonable expectations going into a kids movie, right? The village is charming and the characters have some chemistry. For me it suffered from severe miscasting. Hugh Jackman couldn’t make this material work through little fault of his own. To make that character work it really needed a gruff, older curmudgeon who showed us his soft, tender, underbelly at the end. I think this movie would have fared better by setting my expectations lower. I see that Jackman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Emma Thompson are in a flick together and I’m expecting something special. But the comedy didn’t really work for me. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s an OK movie. But I wouldn’t watch it again.
Sierbahnn2026-06-26
★ 7/10
It's weird to make a sheep movie without any sheep. While this is a murder mystery, Hugh Jackman doesn't actually do anything in this movie and is away from most of it being dead and the movie is all about the sheep and their interaction with each other and the human world. The movie is strange because it doesn't actually contain that many sheep. It's mostly just a high polygon count and fantastic voice work instead. I think the movie is cute and the casting for the voices is excellent. And while it is funny, it isn't funny to the degree where it ruins the actual junior murder plot that is afoot here. I had a lot of fun watching this and I think I can recommend it.