Shaun the Sheep - B

Rated PG, 85 minutes

If you enjoyed the fun "Wallace & Gromit" TV show and Oscar-winning shorts along with the "Chicken Run" movie, then you'll get a kick out of the clever and amusing "Shaun the Sheep," which is based on the British TV show, and a spinoff of "Wallace & Gromit" (Shaun was first introduced there). The sprightly film, with the same type of stop motion animation and minimal spoken dialogue, is familiar and predictable but the young ones should get a kick out of it. When Shaun (Justin Fletcher) decides to take the day off from Mossy Bottom Farm and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer (John Sparkes), a caravan, and a very evil animal containment officer (Henry Burton) lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun, Bitzer (also Sparkes) and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home. Co-directed and written by animators Richard Starzak and Mark Burton and based on Nick Park's (W&G) creation, the British made, Aardman Animations production "Shaun the Sheep" is energetic, original and altogether terrific fun for the entire family. If you're familiar with "Shaun" and "W&G," then you already know about the minimal dialogue, even by the human characters, with it all centered around the action and hijinks Shaun and his flock get into; if you're not, it may take you a few minutes to acclimate yourself to that notion, but after that you'll find yourself laughing out loud at the colorful characters and story. Admittedly, this works much better in shorter form, as either a short film or TV episode, and stretching it to feature length, is well, a bit of a stretch and feels long even at 85 minutes, but it does have enough merriment to keep you entertained (my favorite: the flock pretending to be humans in clothes, and some pigs, those dirty rascals, who steal a couple of scenes), with fun episodes in a hair salon, a restaurant and a jail cell. The catchy songs on the soundtrack, "Feels Like Summer" and "Life's a Treat," will also stick in your head after it's over.  On that note, you'll leave with a big smile on your face after the amusing and clever "Shaun the Sheep," and maybe want to catch more hijinks in the BBC TV series on DVD.  Definitely recommended for children and families.