The Sheep Detectives

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2:33

The Sheep Detectives

PG

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1h 49m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

184 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Verified Ratings

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) 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.

Critics Consensus

Drolly funny and sweet as a lamb, The Sheep Detectives is a delightful family entertainment that bundles disarmingly profound themes in a cozy package.

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Audience Says

A flock of committed sleuths spin a splendid whodunnit in The Sheep Detectives, a mystery as whimsical as it is charming.

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Shirley Li

The Atlantic

4d

The result may just be the most tonally surprising feature of the year so far, a rare, unabashedly earnest PG-rated film that has enchanted audiences with the deceptively simple power of well-deployed tropes.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

May 22

3.5/4

Like the great kid films of the 1970s and ‘80s, Mazin isn’t afraid to deal with heady topics like unexpected death, racism, grief, cultural bias, and shortsighted groupthink.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

May 21

A kind of movie that Hollywood has all but forgotten how to make, if they ever knew.

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Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

17h

B

A movie like this leans heavily on its characters, and how interesting they are. This movie has strong characters, aided by a good voice cast for the sheep characters, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston and Chris O'Dowd.

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Aglaia Berlutti

El nacional

1d

Kyle Balda's film uses its bizarre premise—a flock of book-loving sheep trying to solve an absurd crime—to explore the theme of grief. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Rubén Rosario

MiamiArtZine

5d

What does not surprise, as a headstrong porker taught us so many years ago, is that a movie dominated by talking animals can be this good, so good that you end up forgetting these are talking critters and become invested in their welfare.

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Angel

59m

This movie was adorable! It was a funny, feel-good movie, exactly what we all need today!

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jade

5h

absolutely amazing and i loved how the sheep were being detectives to bring justice for their shepherd 😢😢

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Jennifer R

7h

Incredible and inspiring story!!! My husband, kids, and I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this movie. I am definitely going to read the book and look forward to buying the movie to watch numerous times at home. 5 stars!!!!!

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Ivette

8h

This was really a surprising gem of a movie. Full range of emotions and great acting.

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Brad

8h

An absolutely wonderful movie, filled with wit, humor, charm and heart. Probably completely different from any movie you've ever seen before, but in a really good way. Both kids and adults will love it. My wife and I have seen it three times in the theater it was so good we just had to go baaa-ack!

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Gene

9h

Was definitely a cute detective sheep movie. Family, friendly, and a clever..

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Kyle Balda

Director

Hugh Jackman

George Hardy

Nicholas Braun

Officer Tim Derry

Emma Thompson

Lydia Harbottle

Nicholas Galitzine

Elliot Matthews

Hong Chau

Beth Pennock

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - I Have A Question As Well

1:05

The Sheep Detectives: Exclusive Clip - Introducing the Sheep

1:27

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - I See Everything

0:35

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - Reading

0:51

The Sheep Detectives: Movie Clip - Crossing the Road

1:15

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The BEST Script Hugh Jackman's Ever Read?!

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"It's Knives Out Meets Babe" Hugh Jackman & Nicholas Braun on 'The Sheep Detectives'

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The Sheep Detectives: Featurette - First Look

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The Sheep Detectives: Trailer 2

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The Sheep Detectives: Trailer 1

2:39

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Synopsis

In this witty, new breed of mystery, George (Hugh Jackman) 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.

Director: Kyle Balda
Producer: Lindsay Doran, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Screenwriter: Craig Mazin, Craig Mazin
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Production Co: Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels
Rating: PG (Thematic Material|Some Violent Content|Brief Language)
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 2026, Wide
Runtime: 1h 49m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos