Customer Reviews

Shaun the Sheep: Back in the Ba-a-ath

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We first saw Shaun the Sheep on Disney and our son (one year old at the time) loved it so much we bought the DVD set from Amazon UK and a Region Free DVD player just so he could watch it. He's almost 2 1/2 now and still loves it. He recently started watching Wallace and Gromit and loves the trio of shows and the were-rabbit movie, too!

We stumbled onto "off the baa" and got it for Christmas. Our family is big Wallace & Gromit fans and we were not disappointed by this DVD. So we have been eagerly awaiting the second installment. We ordered serveral copies and another copy of the Wallace and Gromit collection. Amazon claimed 5 to 7 days shipping, actual shipping time 11 days according to tracking info. We would have gladly paid for shipping to get this in a reasonable amount of time. 11 days is way to long.

I purchased the first Shaun the Sheep DVD (Off the Baa!) sight unseen because my husband and son are huge fans of Aardman Studios' "Wallace and Gromit" movies - Shaun makes an appearance in the short, "A Close Shave." Well, I'm glad I did. The Shaun the Sheep episodes are hilarious! There isn't any dialogue but it's not needed. The situations the characters find themselves in will keep you chuckling from beginning to end. This second DVD is as good as the first and we look forward to getting the other DVDs as they come out.

It seems everybody loved that Shaun and his sheep friends in the Wallace and Gromit short, "A Close Shave" and admittedly the scenes with the sheep were indeed the funnest and most outrageous of that film. It looks like Nick Park and friends know a fan favorite when the see one. Now Shaun is the star of about 80 stop motion animation (or claymation) shorts and it only seems to be going up from there. Shaun the Sheep is an entertaining and light hearted series of seven minute short films that are currently being aired on the Disney Channel (as well as other stations worldwide). This is one of those shows that truly deserve their success.

You have various levels of positives going on here. First off Aardman Animations is well known for their high quality stop motion films, and they are as on top of their game as ever. While you may got so many movie style camera shots like from their other projects you do get concise character animations that run very smooth for stop motion.

Next is an obvious ploy for family viewing: a cute set of characters that do funny things. Much of what made A Close Shave funny gets reworked on many episodes. This doesn't mean the cartoons are derivative. It does mean they have fun with physical humor in a way you don't really see much anymore. Animals ending up in crazy poses and situations. The humans being completely oblivious to this. Etc.

Finally there is story and production. The plot for each episode is tight, simple and seamless. They generally don't fall into the pitfalls of yesteryear's cartoons and do take a fresh and light hearted approach to the story. In other words perfect for family viewing (not just the kiddies). Music and sound is very consistent throughout. Nothing that really stands out, but then again this isn't a WB promo video either.

What you have here is the second release of shorts. You get ten in this disk. Here's a quick synopsis:

"Shape Up With Shaun" - Shirley the fat sheep needs to lose a few stone (pounds for us yanks). Lots of poking fun at those training montages from Rocky.

"Bathtime" - The sheep need a bath, but there's no hot water. A fun play on Mission Impossible on this one.

"Fetching" - Bitzer the dog wants to play fetch and ends up finding a picnic romance.

"Take Away" - The farmer orders a pizza. Now the sheep hatch a cunning plan to get some themselves. You gotta see how the sheep disguise themselves as a human.

"Still Life" - The farmer wants to paint a landscape portrait with the sheep interfering (with funny results). I won't spoil the ending, but it's the best.

"Scrumping" - Three pigs won't share apples from the apple tree. Good physical humor on this one.

"Stick with Me" - Bitzer gets stuck with some super strong glue; then the rest of the sheep get stuck too. This one reminds me of A Close Shave the most with the antics.

"The Kite" - The sheep go crazy over a kite that flew by. Shaun is obsessed with catching it.

The animated shorts are very funny, but there is a reason I don't give five stars to this disk. For one it's one of those DVD's that annoyingly keeps you from getting to the menu before going through the previews. It's easy enough to scene skip the previews, but really guys. Is it that bad to your bottom line to give us the option of getting to the main menu immediately? Also the DVD wants to play through all the content like a non-stop film going automatically through the episodes and then the special features (which is just a sing along video and those pesky previews), even if you just elected to view a single episode. The DVD makers brag about this all being a "feature" so you can have the disk repeat itself for the kids while you mow the lawn and whatnot. Still even Disney gives you the option to turn that OFF.

Another put off was this DVD runs all of its content in less than an hour. So you have eight shorts, a sing along, and previews that take up less than half the disk. With the scores and scores of episodes out there would it hurt them to pack a single disk with twice the shorts? Five stars for the cartoons. Four for the annoying stuff.

All in all if you like Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run or even Flushed Away there is absolutely no reason for you get see Shaun the Sheep. Maybe in the future they will make a more comprehensive collection so you get your money's worth. Still if you have kids the non-stop playing feature could be helpful.

These stop-animation shorts come from the same studio that created Wallace and Gromit. Here, Shaun and the rest of his flock have amusing adventures across their farm (and beyond). The sheep dog helps, and the farmer remains oddly oblivious - something sure to appeal to kids who like the idea of outsmarting the grownups.

This DVD is intended for a young audience. Plots are simple, characters are clear and enjoyable, and real aggression is conspicuous by its absence. Also, the opening menu has an interesting feature: it doesn't require a click to go ahead, ideal for kids who haven't mastered the remote. It's not real intellectual material, but good fun.

-- wiredweird

Shaun the sheep is ba-a-a-ck, and this second DVD is even better than the first. The littlest viewers will love it, right on up to adults. Nick Park and Aardman, the UK animation house that introduced Wallace and Gromit, are back with this clever spin off from the W&G featurette, "A Close Shave". Along with PIXAR in the US, Aardman in the UK has transformed animation, and raised both the standard and the level of audience expectation.

Shaun the Sheep is full of light, deft touches, but it doesn't try too hard, unlike so much animation that seems somewhat strained. On the other hand, it's quite a cut above the talking down sort of kids' toons which are little more than filmed picture books.

Here are eight more delightful six minute episodes, which start automatically, although clicking "menu" on the remote allows selecting shows. The bonus, "Sing Along with Shaun" is a karaoke style video at the end of the disc, in which words light up on the screen along with the catchy Shaun the Sheep theme song, "It's Shaun the Sheep". The chorus repeats for a bit, but the visuals vary, depicting Shaun and friends' zany barnyard antics. An animation ba-a-a-a-rgain.

It's hard to believe a cartoon without any talking could be this funny. Shawn the Sheep is hilarious! I have two boys (3 and 5) and they both love it.

I bought this DVD for my grandchildren, but it turned out that the adults enjoyed it every bit as much as the kids. I would recommend this one to anyone who is tired of the crazy violent type of cartoons that are being produced today in our country. This is funny.

Very funny and humorous! I first saw Shaun on a Wallace and Gromit video and now me and my 2 year old daughter watch him all the time. So funny!

This gift was purchased for one family member but we all love it. If you are looking for a cartoon that all can laugh at this is it!!