Shaun the Sheep is a British stop-motionanimated silent children's television series which is developed by Aardman Animations. A spin-off in the Wallace & Gromit franchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymous sheep previously starring in A Close Shave, as the leader of his flock on an English farm. The series premiered on 5 March 2007 on CBBC in the UK, also airing on BBC Two. Since 2020, the series is streamed globally on Netflix. In March 2024, it was announced that the seventh series is in development and will premiere in 2025.[1] With 170 episodes over 6 series, Shaun the Sheep is one of the longest-running animated series in British television.
The series inspired the spin-off Timmy Time, a show aimed at younger viewers that follows Timmy, Shaun's younger cousin. A feature-length film, Shaun the Sheep Movie, was released theatrically on 6 February 2015. A 30-minute short film, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, was aired in 2015 as a Christmas TV special. A second feature-length film, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, was released theatrically on 18 October 2019. A second short film, Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, was released on Netflix on 3 December 2021.
Plot
Shaun lives with his flock at Mossy Bottom Farm, a small English farm. Each episode centres around Shaun's attempts to add excitement to their otherwise boring lives. The action snowballs into fantastic sitcom-style escapades, most often because the sheep are fascinated with human technology and culture. This usually brings them into partnership — and sometimes conflict — with the sheepdog Bitzer, while they all are simultaneously trying to avoid discovery by the farmer.
Series director Richard Goleszowski at Canterbury's Anifest 2008 with Series 1 models of a generic sheep, Bitzer, Timmy, and Shaun
Main
Shaun (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) is the protagonist of the series and the leader of the flock. He is clever, confident, and prone to mischief, but equally adept at getting himself and/or his friends out of it. As there is no dialogue, like all the sheep, he communicates entirely through bleats and often explains his ideas to the flock by drawing diagrams on a blackboard. He has a good friendship with Bitzer, though this does not stop him from playing pranks on him at times.
Bitzer (vocal effects by John Sparkes) is the farmer's loyal sheepdog, dressed for work in a blue knit cap, black collar, knitted wristlet, and large official-looking wrist-watch, carrying a clipboard and walking upright or on all fours as needed. He communicates with barks, growls and the occasional whimper. He also gives instructions to the flock by blowing a whistle. He once bought a bike for himself. Despite a tendency to be caught listening to music, he takes his job very seriously, to the point of occasionally letting his power go to his head. He is, however, a generally good friend to Shaun and does his best to keep the whole flock out of trouble. His design was changed for Series 2, adding white coloration and fur texture to his body. These changes only lasted for the duration of Series 2, with Bitzer eventually switching back to his Series 1 model from then on.
Shirley (vocal effects by Richard Webber) is the largest member of the flock. A gentle giant, she is usually seen placidly eating, though she's intimidating enough to have defended Shaun from Pidsley the cat. She's so big that large objects routinely disappear into her fleece, and she quite often gets stuck herself, needing the other sheep to push, pull, or even slingshot her out of trouble. However, her size can also come in very handy when what's needed is a battering ram or similarly immovable object. She is a devoted eater, blindly charging towards food, even if it is not food in the first place. Her size came from her eating, yet it has been proven that by following a diet and exercising, she can become as thin as Shaun.
Timmy (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) is Shaun's cousin and the flock's only lamb and often the innocent centre of the chaos. Timmy tries to be like Shaun. His personality is often contrasting: sometimes he acts responsibly and understands what the older sheep say; other times, he acts like a normal baby, he is prone to tears and something that is taken from him or scares him could set him off. He is a toddler in the series and is often seen sucking a dummy. The spin-off series Timmy Time chronicles Timmy's adventures outside of the farm, as he attends nursery school.
Timmy's mother (vocal effects by Kate Harbour) wears curlers in her topknot and is a bit careless about maternal duties, even using Timmy once as a makeshift paintbrush. But when her offspring goes astray, she is inconsolable until he is safely back in her care. She is unnamed and is Shaun's aunt.
Nuts (vocal effects by Paul Panting in season 1) is quite an eccentric but useful sheep – and usually, like the rest of the flock, accompanies and helps Shaun. The thing that makes Nuts stand out from the others is that he has two differently-sized eyes and a differently-shaped nose.
Hazel is a timid sheep who jumps at the slightest thing and can frequently be heard bleating nervously. In the first movie, when the Farmer's caravan rolls off towards the city, Hazel could barely contain her fear – however, when the flock involve themselves in a hot pursuit of a runaway caravan, Hazel discovers she's much braver than she ever imagined; she eventually learns to face her fears through the big city.
The Flock (vocal effects by Keith Wickham in season 1) tend to follow Shaun, are obedient to orders, and generally form one big happy (if sometimes fractious) family. Unlike Shaun, however, they are not particularly bright, which becomes a problem when combined with their ongoing fascination with the human world.
The Farmer (voiced by John Sparkes) is a bespectacled, balding man who runs the farm with Bitzer at his side and acts as the flock's primary, if unwitting, nemesis. His livestock's main concern is to ensure he remains completely oblivious to their unusual sapience, a task made easier by his unobservant nature but complicated by his enthusiasm for picking up new hobbies. He can be heard frequently making wordless noises or muttering under his breath just audibly enough for the viewer to pick up on his meaning. His disastrous attempts at dating are a running joke of the series. In the episode "Karma Farmer", it is revealed that the farmer has a twin. In Series 2, he sported a light stubble; this was removed from Series 3 onward. His glasses also changed from round lenses to squared lenses.
The Naughty Pigs (vocal effects by John Sparkes and Justin Fletcher) are bullies to Shaun and his flock, always trying to antagonize them and get them into trouble. They live in their own pen adjacent to their farm. They are, however, scared of Bitzer (though they still take the chance to bully him whenever possible). They communicate via oinks and squeals like actual pigs.
Pidsley (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher in season 2) is the Farmer's orange cat, a minor character (without fur) in Series 1 and the main antagonist of Series 2, who makes his last appearance in "We Wish Ewe a Merry Christmas". In Series 2, he desires to be the sole recipient of the Farmer's attention and thus is jealous of Bitzer. He also dislikes the sheep, thinking of them as stupid and seeing them as inferior. He communicates through meows, trills and purrs like an actual cat.
Other
Mower Mouth (vocal effects by Justin Fletcher) is a goat who first appears in the episode of the same name. He is an unstoppable eating machine. While not an unfriendly character, all of his considerable energy is focused on his next meal; he thus routinely causes trouble for Shaun and the flock.
The Bull (vocal effects by Richard Webber) is belligerent, powerful and easily provoked by Shaun's antics and the colour red. He first appears in the episode of the same name.
The Ducks make frequent appearances. In Series 1, a single duck gets into predicaments due to Shaun's exploits in "Off the Baa!", "Bathtime" and "Tidy Up". Sometimes, he is seen with his lady-friends. In Series 2, there are two ducks; in Series 3, they have once again been replaced with a single, pure white duck.
The Aliens appear in "The Visitor", "Shaun Encounters", "Caught Short Alien" and "Cat Got Your Brain" and briefly in "Spring Lamb". They are green and have one large eye on the top of their head. Despite their advanced scientific technology, which frequently causes trouble for the farm animals, they exhibit human-like behaviour and generally cheerful personalities.
The Granny is a short-tempered, short-sighted old lady, appearing in "Take Away" and "Save the Tree". She also appears in "Two's Company", holding a cart, and "The Big Chase", forcing the pigs to give her a lift in their car. She is renowned for hitting people (or animals) with her handbag when they annoy her by mistake.
The Pizza Delivery Boy is a young man who rides a moped (which Bitzer often "borrows" to chase after the sheep) and works in the local pizzeria. He also works as a postman in "Saturday Night Shaun".
The Farmer's Girlfriend appears for the first time in Series 2. She appears to be adventurous and an animal lover, patting Bitzer and Shaun and offering food to Timmy.
The Farmer's Niece appears in the episode of the same name (and also her debut), "Bitzer's New Hat" and "The Rabbit". She appears to be a fan of horses and irritates Shaun, Bitzer, and the flock. The Farmer's niece is also a spoiled brat, as she screams and cries every time things don't go her way. She is also one of the few humans who know what the flock is up to.
Each seven-minute episode is shot in Aardman's stop-motion animation style. The comedic tone is a combination of slapstick and classic silent comedy, similar to that used in the Wallace & Gromit shorts. Unlike other shows made by Aardman Animations, the series was restricted in its ability to carry much-spoken dialogue, not even from the human characters, except for a few simple grunts, bleats, barks, growls, pointing, sighs, mutterings, and similar wordless inflections, which are used to indicate a character's mood or motive. Thus, the series also never uses any readable words in any episode, although "Bitzer" can be seen on a dog bowl, and—in series four--"Mossy Bottom Farm" on a gate, in the original English-language title sequence. All other signage, such as on a pizza box or a bus stop, is replaced by illegible scrawls and pictures.
Shaun the Sheep's first appearance was in Wallace & Gromit's third short feature, the Academy Award-winning A Close Shave. As the youngest member of a flock of sheep, Wallace and Gromit work to save Shaun from being turned into dog food. He was named Shaun as a pun on the word "shorn" after he was accidentally subjected to Wallace's automated sheep shearing machine. This early version of Shaun shows a hint of his characteristic human-like bravado—among other things, wearing a sweater knitted from his own shorn wool, proving to be a major help in saving the day.
At the end of this short, Shaun is seen living with the duo; Shaun later made a brief cameo appearance in the "Shopper 13" episode of Wallace & Gromit's "Cracking Contraptions" web series. No official explanation has been given for the flock's transfer to the farm.
Although the original series is silent aside from sound effects, a Hindi-dubbed version seen on Nickelodeon India was redone with scripts and dialogue.[3]
The first two series consisted of 40 seven-minute episodes each, and the third 20 episodes. The fourth series debuted on 3 February 2014.[4] The fifth series has 20 episodes and was first aired in the Netherlands from 1 December 2015 to 1 January 2016[5][6][7] and in Australia on ABC Kids from 16 January 2016 to 1 May 2016. In the United States, a series of Shaun the Sheep shorts aired between commercial breaks on Disney Channel starting on 8 July 2007.[8]
On 19 February 2020, it was reported that the sixth series of Shaun the Sheep, subtitled Adventures from Mossy Bottom, was released on Netflix on 16 March 2020 in Spain, Poland, Turkey, and UAE. Additionally, it was released in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Latin America on 17 March 2020.[9]
A series of 15 1-minute 3D shorts were released on Nintendo's Video service for the Nintendo 3DS between March and June 2012.[10] The Nintendo shorts were released in early 2016 on the official Shaun the SheepYouTube channel under the name "Mossy Bottom Farm Shorts".[11] Another series of 21 1-minute sports-themed shorts, named Championsheeps, aired on CBBC during the Summer of 2012.[12]
A second half-hour special titled Shaun the Sheep: A Winter’s Tale went into production in late 2020 and aired on Christmas 2021 on BBC One.[14][15] On 23 August, it was revealed to debut on 3 December under the title Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas,[16] which later aired on Christmas Eve on BBC One.
In Germany, Shaun the Sheep is a part of "Die Sendung mit der Maus", a famous children's television series of German Television.[17] The creator of Die Sendung mit der Maus also is one of the production companies of Shaun the Sheep.
Adventures from Mossy Bottom features a new electronic version of the theme, a new intro episode sequence, and introduced new characters including a super-fast squirrel named Stash, a fancy neighbour Farmer Ben and his dog Lexi, and Rita the delivery lady.
Reception
Reviews of the series were consistently positive. Harry Venning of The Stage found "characterisation charming and the animation superb. All this before even a mention of how funny and splendidly slapstick the script is."[18]The Guardian noted that the series "hits the four-to-seven-year-old age group smack in the eye."[19] Series producer Gareth Owen said the age range is "four-to-seven, though in reality, the age range is four-to-eighty-seven", as the series is popular among all different age-groups.[20] Charles Arthur wrote "classic Aardman style that leaves me laughing out loud."[21]
Aardman developed a feature film Shaun the Sheep Movie,[33] written and directed by Richard Starzak and Mark Burton, which was financed by French company StudioCanal,[34] and was released on 6 February 2015. The film received very positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 99% of critics have given the film a positive review.[35] The film opened to $3.2 million in the UK and grossed $22 million in the UK and $106 million worldwide.[36]
There were plans for an anime adaptation in 2008 which got scrapped, Larry Bundy Jr. produced a series of character designs for the spin-off.[38]
In 2009, Aardman Animations released Timmy Time, a CBeebiesspin-off series aimed at preschoolers. It centres on Timmy's own adventures as he attends nursery for the first time and learns how to interact and play with a variety of young animal friends.[39]
On 16 June 2008, D3 Publisher of America, which had previously published a game based on Aardman's 2006 film Flushed Away, announced that it would also release a video game based on Shaun's escapades. The Shaun the Sheep game was developed by Art Co., Ltd exclusively for Nintendo DS, and was released in autumn 2008.[40]
A second game for Nintendo DS, titled Shaun the Sheep: Off His Head, was released on 23 October 2009, exclusively in Europe.[41]
The Shaun the Sheep website is also home to several Flash-based games, including Home Sheep Home,[42] which was also made available at the iOS App Store for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad in April 2011.[43] A sequel, Home Sheep Home 2, was released in December 2011 for WindowsPCs, iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.[44] It was released on the Steam digital distribution platform for WindowsPCs in February 2014.[45] In March 2012 the iOS release was updated with a new chapter titled The Pirates! In an Adventure With Sheep to promote the upcoming Aardman film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!.[46]
In June 2016, an event course called Shaun's Mossy Mole Mischief, was released on Super Mario Maker, along with Shaun's costume.[47]
A game entitled Home Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Edition was released in October 2019 for Nintendo Switch and PC, shortly after the similarly titled A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. It was later released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles in 2023. The game includes multiplayer-supported remasters of Home Sheep Home and Home Sheep Home 2, as well as a selection of new multiplayer minigames loosely based on the events of the movie. The PC version was released as an update to the existing PC port of Home Sheep Home 2.
Shaun the Sheep characters appear in The Sandbox, an NFT-based 3D open world game.[48]
On 9 March 2011, Shaun the Sheep made its live theatre debut in Shaun's Big Show.[50] The 100-minute (1 hour and 40 minute) long musical/dance show features all the regular characters, including Bitzer, Shirley, and Timmy.
On 26 September 2013, the International Rugby Board and Aardman Animations announced that Shaun and other characters from the franchise would be used in a merchandising programme to promote the 2015 Rugby World Cup to children.[52]
In 2015, Shaun the Sheep appeared as the face of the "Holidays at Home are Great" initiative. In the advert, seeing the Farmer going away, Shaun and the flock decide to have their own holiday around the UK before the Farmer gets back.[53]
In August 2022, The European Space Agency announced that Shaun would fly aboard the Artemis 1 mission which launched on 16 November 2022.[54][55][56] Shaun returned to Earth on December 11 when the Orion capsule reentered the atmosphere and splashed down.[57]
In May 2023, Natural England and Aardman Animations launched a new campaign for the countryside code, with Shaun the Sheep being the face of the campaign that tries to encourage young people and children to "respect, protect and enjoy" the countryside.[58]
Attractions
Shaun in the City
In 2015, Shaun the Sheep starred in two public charity art trails to raise money for sick children in hospitals across the UK. Organised by Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation in collaboration with Aardman, Shaun in the City saw 50 giant artists and celebrity-decorated sculptures of Shaun appear in London in the spring before a further 70 appeared in Bristol throughout the summer.[59] All 120 sculptures were auctioned in October 2015, raising £1,087,900 for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal and Wallace & Gromit's Children's Charity.[60]
Shaun the Sheep Land
A Shaun the Sheep ride area, titled Fåret Shaun Land was opened at Skånes Djurpark in Sweden in early Summer 2016.[61]
Shaun the Sheep Experience
In 2015, a family attraction based on Shaun the Sheep, called "The Shaun the Sheep Experience" opened at Lands End, rebranded "Lamb's End" for the duration of the attraction. It features original sets, models, and characters from many Aardman productions. Using green screen technology, guests are able to "star" in a scene from the show, as well as meet other characters from the Aardman filmography including Wallace and Gromit and Morph.[62]
Shaun the Sheep: Championsheeps
In 2021, Aardman announced the launch of a 30-minute immersive game experience to be located at Electric Gamebox venues in London, Manchester Arndale and Lakeside, Essex.[63]
In the United Kingdom, the DVDs released from 2007 until 2011 were distributed by 2Entertain. DVDs from 2014 until 2018 were distributed by StudioCanal while Dazzler Media released the DVDs of 2024. In the United States, the DVDs were released by HIT Entertainment and distributed by Lionsgate Home Entertainment
UK compilations
DVD name
Episode count
Release date (UK)
Shaun the Sheep: Shape Up With Shaun (8 Baa...rilliant Adventures!)
8
17 September 2007; Re-Release: 23 July 2018
Shaun the Sheep: Off The Baa! (8 Woolly Adventures!)
8
5 November 2007; Re-Release: 23 July 2018
Shaun the Sheep: The Box Set! (Includes Shape Up With Shaun (8 Baa...rilliant Adventures!) and Off The Baa! (8 Woolly Adventures!) DVDs)
16
5 November 2007
Shaun the Sheep: Saturday Night Shaun (Fleece Is The Word!)
8
10 March 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018
Shaun the Sheep: Abracadabra
8
20 October 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018
Shaun the Sheep: Wash Day
8
17 November 2008; Re-Release: 23 July 2018
Shaun the Sheep: Triple Pack (Includes Saturday Night Shaun (Fleece Is The Word!), Abracadabra and Wash Day DVDs)
24
17 November 2008
Shaun the Sheep: Spring Lamb
8
29 March 2010
Shaun the Sheep: Two's Company
8
6 September 2010
Shaun the Sheep: Party Animals
8
8 November 2010
Shaun the Sheep: The Gift Set (Includes 3 DVDs: Spring Lamb, Two's Company, and Party Animals)
24
8 November 2010
Shaun the Sheep: The Big Chase
8
4 April 2011
Shaun the Sheep: We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas
8
3 October 2011
Shaun the Sheep: Spring Cleaning
10
7 April 2014
Shaun the Sheep: Shear Heat
10
21 July 2014
Shaun the Sheep: Christmas Bleatings
10
3 November 2014
Shaun the Sheep: Flock To The Floor
10
26 January 2015
Shaun the Sheep: Picture Perfect
10
30 March 2015
Shaun the Sheep Movie (limited edition with championship shorts)
1 Movie
1 June 2015
Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas
1 Special + 15 Shorts
8 February 2016
Shaun the Sheep: Pizza Party
10
13 February 2017
Shaun the Sheep: Spoilsport
10
10 April 2017
Shaun the Sheep: 10 Years (Episodes Re-Release)
10
12 February 2018
In the US, the following DVD compilations were released:
Off the Baa! (11 November 2008): Off The Baa! / Timmy In A Tizzy / Buzz Off Bees / Mower Mouth / Fleeced / Shaun Shoots The Sheep / Mountains Out Of Molehills
Back in the Ba-a-ath (10 February 2009): Shape Up with Shaun / Bathtime / Fetching / Take Away / Still Life / Scrumping / Stick With Me / The Kite
Sheep on the Loose (9 June 2009): Sheep on the Loose / Saturday Night Shaun / Tidy Up / Shaun the Farmer / Camping Chaos / If You Can't Stand the Heat
Little Sheep of Horrors (1 September 2009): Little Sheep of Horrors / Abracadabra / Things That Go Bump / Heavy Metal Shaun / Troublesome Tractor / Sheepwalking
A Wooly Good Time (16 February 2010): Washday / Tooth Fairy / The Farmer's Niece / Snore-Worn Shaun / Helping Hound / Big Top Timmy
One Giant Leap for Lambkind (8 June 2010): Shaun Encounters / The Bull / Hiccups / Bitzer Puts His Foot In It / Save The Tree / The Visitor
Party Animals (7 September 2010): Party Animals / Double Trouble / Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow / Pig Swill Fly / Operation Pidsley / Shaun Goes Potty / Strictly No Dancing
Spring Shena-a-anigans (25 January 2011): Spring Lamb / Supersize Timmy / Bagpipe Buddy / Cheetah Cheater / Lock Out / Draw the Line / Ewe've Been Framed
The Big Chase (19 April 2011): The Big Chase / Bitzer from the Black Lagoon / Zebra Ducks of the Serengeti / Bitzer's Basic Training / The Magpie / The Boat / Hide and Squeak
Animal Antics (26 July 2011): Foxy Laddie / Whistleblower / Frantic Romantic / Who's the Caddy / Everything Must Go / In the Doghouse / Cock-a-Doodle Shaun
We Wish Ewe A Merry Christmas (18 October 2011) We Wish Ewe a Merry Christmas / Snowed In / Fireside Favorite / An Ill Wind / Bitzer's New Hat / Chip Off the Old Block / Shirley Whirley
Shear Madness (17 April 2012): Pig Trouble / Sheepless Nights / Party Animals / Cat's Got Your Brain / Two's Company / What's Up, Dog! / Draw the Line
Blu-ray discs
Region A: (Hong Kong, Japan)
Home Media releases are distributed by Panorama Corporation in Hong Kong, and Walt Disney Studios Japan in Japan, with earlier releases under the latter's Ghibli Museum Library imprint.
Shaun the Sheep – Series 1 (Vol 1 & 2) (Hong Kong)
Shaun the Sheep – Series 1 (Vol 3 & 4) (Hong Kong)
Shaun the Sheep – Series 2 (Vol 1 & 2) (Hong Kong)
Shaun the Sheep – Series 2 (Vol 3 & 4) (Hong Kong)
