I am a huge Shaun the Sheep fan so I might be a little biased but I loved this movie.
Though the era of the silent film is long gone, this movie shows that a story can still be told completely visually without the aid of dialogue. There are no spoken words (with the possible exception of "zoom"), yet we know each character's personality and the new characters get a fully formed backstory. Like Shaun's first feature length movie this film manages to get some great heart beneath the slapstick. There are some very effective tug at your heartstrings moments that work because the lack of dialogue not in spite of it. These scenes are touching because of the pure simplicity with which they are told, and any speech about why they are emotional would ruin that simplicity. Where this film tops the first movie is with how memorable the side characters are. Lu La captures perfectly the experience of a lost child in a strange place. There is a pure mixture of the childlike wonder and amazement at everything new around her and the fear of never getting home or seeing her parents again are both there as they would be in a child. She is smart, determined and headstrong, yet at the same time is a child and is easily distracted by the likes of candy and pizza. The relationship between her and Shaun is very well done. You see how these two learn to fully grow and understand each other. One is a child and the other is a child at heart making them the perfect match as well as partners in crime when there mischievous side comes out. Still Shaun knows how to be the adult when that is needed. Yet despite all this heart, this is first and foremost a comedy and is full of all the slapstick and gentle satire, one could want from Shaun and his flock. The jokes range from mildly amusing to flat out hilarious with none of it ever completely missing the mark. The side story of the farmer's get rich scheme was very clever and very funny with just the right mixture of slapstick and satire.
This movie shows that great visual storytelling and slapstick are something that did not fade away with the birth of talkies but are still with us today.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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