Shaun the Sheep

Shaun the Sheepis a Britishstop-motionanimatedsilentchildren's television serieswhich is developed byAardman Animations. Aspin-offin theWallace & Gromitfranchise, the series focuses on the adventures of Shaun, the eponymous sheep previously starring inA Close Shave, as the leader of his flock on an English farm. The series premiered on 5 March 2007 onCBBCin the UK, also airing onBBC Two. Since 2020, the series is streamed globally onNetflix. In March 2024, it was announced that the seventh series is in development and will premiere in 2025.With 170 episodes over 6 series,Shaun the Sheepis one of thelongest-runninganimated series in British television.
The series inspired the spin-offTimmy 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.
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 fantasticsitcom-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.
The show was produced byAardman Animationsand was commissioned by theBBCand theWestdeutscher Rundfunk(WDR),a member station of  German public-broadcasting networkARD. It has aired onBBC channelsin the UK since 2007.
Each seven-minute episode is shot in Aardman'sstop-motionanimation style. The comedic tone is a combination ofslapstickand classicsilent comedy, similar to that used in theWallace & Gromitshorts. 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, theAcademy Award-winningA 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 automatedsheep shearingmachine. 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, aHindi-dubbed version seen onNickelodeon Indiawas redone with scripts and dialogue.
The sixth series was commissioned byNetflix.
The first two series consisted of 40 seven-minute episodes each, and the third 20 episodes. The fourth series debuted on 3 February 2014.The fifth series has 20 episodes and was first aired in theNetherlandsfrom 1 December 2015 to 1 January 2016and inAustraliaonABC Kidsfrom 16 January 2016 to 1 May 2016. In theUnited States, a series ofShaun the Sheepshorts aired between commercial breaks onDisney Channelstarting on 8 July 2007.
On 19 February 2020, it was reported that the sixth series ofShaun the Sheep, subtitledAdventures from Mossy Bottom, was released onNetflixon 16 March 2020 inSpain,Poland,Turkey, andUAE. Additionally, it was released in theUK,US,Canada,AustraliaandLatin Americaon 17 March 2020.
On 26 March 2024, Shaun the Sheep Series 7 Announced! on shaunthesheep.com.
A series of 15 1-minute3Dshorts were released onNintendo'sVideo servicefor theNintendo 3DSbetween March and June 2012.TheNintendoshorts were released in early 2016 on the officialShaun the SheepYouTubechannel under the name "Mossy Bottom Farm Shorts".Another series of 21 1-minute sports-themed shorts, namedChampionsheeps, aired onCBBCduring the Summer of 2012.
A half-hour television special based on the television series, titledShaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, premiered onBBC OneonBoxing Day2015.
A second half-hour special titledShaun the Sheep: A Winter’s Talewent into production in late 2020 and aired on Christmas 2021 on BBC One.On 23 August, it was revealed to debut on 3 December under the titleShaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas,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.The creator of Die Sendung mit der Maus also is one of the production companies of Shaun the Sheep.
Adventures from Mossy Bottomfeatures 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.
Reviews of the series were consistently positive.Harry VenningofThe Stagefound "characterisation charming and the animation superb. All this before even a mention of how funny and splendidly slapstick the script is."The Guardiannoted that the series "hits the four-to-seven-year-old age group smack in the eye."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.Charles Arthur wrote "classicAardmanstyle that leaves me laughing out loud."
Aardman developed a feature filmShaun the Sheep Movie,written and directed by Richard Starzak andMark Burton, which was financed by French companyStudioCanal,and was released on 6 February 2015. The film received very positive reviews from critics. Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesreports that 99% of critics have given the film a positive review.The film opened to $3.2 million in the UK and grossed $22 million in the UK and $106 million worldwide.
On 18 October 2019, StudioCanal and Aardman released a sequel titledA Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.
Both films were nominated for anAcademy AwardandBAFTA Awardfor Best Animated Film.
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.
In 2009,Aardman AnimationsreleasedTimmy Time, aCBeebiesspin-offseries 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.
On 16 June 2008,D3 Publisher of America, which had previously publisheda gamebased on Aardman's 2006 filmFlushed Away,announced that it would also release a video game based on Shaun's escapades. TheShaun the Sheepgame was developed byArt Co., Ltdexclusively forNintendo DS, and was released in autumn 2008.
A second game forNintendo DS, titledShaun the Sheep: Off His Head, was released on 23 October 2009, exclusively in Europe.
The Shaun the Sheep website is also home to several Flash-based games, includingHome Sheep Home,which was also made available at the iOS App Store foriPhone,iPod Touch, andiPadin April 2011.A sequel,Home Sheep Home 2, was released in December 2011 forWindowsPCs,iPhone,iPod Touch, andiPad.It was released on theSteamdigital distribution platform forWindowsPCsin February 2014.In March 2012 the iOS release was updated with a new chapter titledThe Pirates! In an Adventure With Sheepto promote the upcoming Aardman filmThe Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!.
In June 2016, an event course calledShaun's Mossy Mole Mischief, was released onSuper Mario Maker, along with Shaun's costume.
A game entitledHome Sheep Home: Farmageddon Party Editionwas released in October 2019 forNintendo Switchand PC, shortly after the similarly titledA 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 inThe Sandbox, an NFT-based 3D open world game.
In 2021, Shaun the Sheep was added toRollerCoaster Tycoon Touch.
On 9 March 2011, Shaun the Sheep made its live theatre debut inShaun's Big Show.The 100-minute (1 hour and 40 minute) long musical/dance show features all the regular characters, including Bitzer, Shirley, and Timmy.
In 2015, Shaun starred inSnow White and the Seven DwarfspantomimeatBristol Hippodrome.
On 26 September 2013, theInternational Rugby Boardand Aardman Animations announced that Shaun and other characters from the franchise would be used in a merchandising programme to promote the2015 Rugby World Cupto children.
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.
In August 2022, TheEuropean Space Agencyannounced that Shaun would fly aboard theArtemis 1mission which launched on 16 November 2022.Shaun returned to Earth on December 11 when the Orion capsule reentered the atmosphere and splashed down.
In May 2023,Natural Englandand 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.
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 Citysaw 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.All 120 sculptures were auctioned in October 2015, raising £1,087,900 forWallace & Gromit's Grand AppealandWallace & Gromit's Children's Charity.
A Shaun the Sheep ride area, titledFåret Shaun Landwas opened atSkånes DjurparkinSwedenin early Summer 2016.
In 2015, a family attraction based on Shaun the Sheep, called "The Shaun the Sheep Experience" opened atLands 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 includingWallace and GromitandMorph.
In 2021, Aardman announced the launch of a 30-minute immersive game experience to be located at Electric Gamebox venues inLondon,Manchester ArndaleandLakeside,Essex.
The series is also broadcast inMiddle East and North AfricabyMBC 3andJeem TV.
In the United Kingdom, the DVDs released from 2007 until 2011 were distributed by2Entertain. DVDs from 2014 until 2018 were distributed byStudioCanalwhile Dazzler Media released the DVDs of 2024. In the United States, the DVDs were released byHIT Entertainmentand distributed byLionsgate Home Entertainment
In the US, the following DVD compilations were released:
Home Media releases are distributed by Panorama Corporation in Hong Kong, andWalt Disney Studios Japanin Japan, with earlier releases under the latter'sGhibli Museum Libraryimprint.