A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON

When 2014's beloved 'Paddington' was released, there was a very wide "Oh no, why?" as the trailers marketed a very different and dumber kids movie - but much to everyone's surprise, 'Paddington' was one of the most wholesome and heartwarming films to grace our screens in the 21st century. Since Pixar's origin, children's films have shifted so to also appeal to adults. Being a film "just for kids" used to be acceptable, but now mass appeal is the goal, hence why we have so many remakes and sequels. From 'The Lego Movie' to 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle' the term "kids' movie" is slowly fading away. Most successful kids' films outside of Disney come as a surprise, including the 2015 Academy Award-nominated film 'Shaun The Sheep'. After a uproaring critical success, a followup was kind of inevitable.

Shaun, Timmy, Bitzer, Farmer John and the rest of the Mossy Bottom Farm are up to old tricks, messing around on the farm as they usually do. But when an alien, Lu-La, crashes on earth, it's up to Shaun to get them home all while being chased by the evil Red, who wants to capture the alien.

Just like the original film, the charm is oozing out of these clay characters. I don't think I stopped smiling for the whole 80-minute run time. There is never a missed opportunity for a joke, my favourite being when Shaun and Lu-La hit a sheep crossing sign, which spins around, and the sheep on the sign is all dizzy. It's this kind of detail that makes the stop-motion style so fun and exciting. Even the simplest scene is filled with so much detail and love.

While the film does still appeal to all ages, 'Farmageddon' skews much younger. The gibberish way all the characters speak is very much played up, especially with the new alien character, and there are a lot of really simple jokes.

Going in, I was hesitant about the introduction of aliens; 'Shaun the Sheep' is a franchise that is very grounded, and bringing in a sci-fi element felt a little gimmicky. Especially as the last episode aired in 2016 (the show is slated for revival next year), it seemed like a cheap way to quickly bring interest back to the franchise. However, the film never feels like it goes outside of Shaun's world and feels like a perfect adventure to bring the characters back to the big screen for.

'A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon' isn't as sure-fire a hit as the first film, but like all of Aardman's works, it's another fun adventure with creative animation, charming characters and a heartwarming story.