Shaun's shenanigans are back in full swing with Aardman Animation's newest feature length entry in his franchise: The Beast of Mossybottom. 

I must admit, my hopes weren't especially high. A Halloween flick timed just for the September school holidays felt like a surefire moment for the creators to turn to previous, classic, Halloween movies and try to mimic their themes and motifs. Oftentimes, I’ve found these attempts of reconfiguring classic films to introduce certain thematic concerns to kids can become kitschy. 

Thankfully, I could not have been more wrong. I'm liking how certain kids' films are adapting certain "classic" film scenes and modernising them, or making them funnier (I think of the latest Minions movie), and this one is no exception. With an opening montage harkening to classic Halloween flick archetypes, it's a nice introduction for children to the culture of films. That said, what I'm appreciating more are kids films that give us new and vibrant stories, and treat previous film stereotypes as a base to expand children’s narratives.

This movie tends to this flame: an inventive, genuinely funny story based in typical monster-film tropes: there's a sasquatch, haunted house, and even inflatable pitchforks. Another such trope is the mad scientist adopted by Shaun. As the inventor of a menacing, misunderstood antagonist, he makes clear why patience is always key. The togetherness of the cast is also particularly sweet, with the entire flock banding around Shaun to save the farmer, despite Shaun’s occasional selfishness. 

Bitzer’s driving was probably the greatest standout and I caught myself laughing about it for about a week afterward. Our conscientious pup is teaching kids how to be responsible on the roads. Yes, kids, even if a sasquatch is chasing you down, you still have to check all your mirrors!

There were also some underlying literary allusions, but maybe I was reading into it. I noticed a connection to Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen’s foray into gothic feeling, with the seemingly ‘haunted’ house, occupied by a ‘monster’. Again, a gentle introduction to the depth and culture surrounding the scary-media. Naturally, there were also some more obvious ones, including the classic Frankenstein and Dracula costumes. I particularly liked these being juxtaposed with the pitchfork on a phone screen, or the streamer livestreaming the drama, and the distracted viewer not seeing it happen around them. The messages here are less subtle, but valuable nonetheless!

As the title suggests, this is also the film where the farmer reaches beyond the love for his animal friends—he is looking for a date to the Halloween Hoedown! This film is not just an introduction to horror movies, but also to rom-coms. The moment at the start of clear miscommunication and a sustained reaching for one another throughout the entire film makes for a really fun romance subplot, alleviating some of the tension of the farmer’s debacle. 

Most impressively, as expected from Aardman Animation, each scene is handmade. In a video on the Aardman Animation page, animator Tim Allen says, “It doesn’t matter, sometimes, if it takes half an hour to get one position right, it’s about making that moment work.” The effort put into creating these stop-motion classics are palpable. I watched Shaun The Sheep growing up, and I still get the same feeling of homeliness when I see them now. I have to attribute at least some of that to the handmade animations. 

I think with the rise of generative whatevers, it's always lovely to see real, human effort at the centre of creation, especially creations which have children in mind. I don't think AI could ever replace the fast-paced silliness of Shaun's shenanigans, or generate such a timely message about disregarding differences and affording patience.