Review: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is an instant Spooky Season classic

My husband and I have been deep in the throes of Spooky Season as of late. We try to start in August each year, and kick it into high gear in September. (Ironically, October is always so busy and packed with other things that our horror viewing kind of tapers off as Halloween approaches.) Aardman and GKIDS have swooped in to provide one of the highlights of this year's spooky (or at least spooky-adjacent) offerings with the latest entry of the beloved Shaun the Sheep series, this one titled The Beast of Mossy Bottom. For fans of the franchise and newcomers alike, this is a wall-to-wall delight, and a perfect cozy movie to pop into your Halloween viewing schedule.

A spin-off of Wallace & Gromit (Shaun made his first appearance way back in 1995's A Close Shave), Shaun the Sheep now has a long (almost 20 years), storied (almost 200 TV episodes and multiple movies and specials) history all its own. Shaun's big-screen adventures have been a real treat, and The Beast of Mossy Bottom might just be the best one yet. Everything that makes the series (and Aardman in general) great is present here, along with a healthy smattering of horror-themed bits and bobs. Truly, who could ask for anything more?

This time around, Shaun and his flock are getting ready for Halloween by cultivating a secret pumpkin patch in a hidden corner of the farm. The pumpkins are looking great, and are just about ready to harvest and carve. But a mishap with the farmer leads to the whole crop getting destroyed, much to the flock's chagrin. Shaun discovers a science book, and goes into full-blown mad scientist mode, concocting a potion that will cause pumpkin seeds to grow at a rapid pace -- just the ticket since Halloween is mere days away. 

Unfortunately, the nearest container to put the concoction into is an empty hair-growth tonic bottle. And a certain follicly-challenged farmer ends up using said bottle to boost his appearance/gumption to invite the beautiful local vet to the Halloween Hoedown. Hair soon sprouts all over his body, causing the farmer to look like a giant monster, causing widespread mayhem and destruction throughout the town and farm. Shaun and his friends know what's happening, and Shaun keeps going back into mad scientist mode rather than relying on his flock to help him save the day. Hilarity ensues.

Just as Shaun's previous feature, Farmageddon, played in the sci-fi sandbox, so this one is seeped in the lore an iconography of horror movies, particularly classic monster movies. Like Night of the Zoopocalypse a couple years ago, this is a great family-friendly entry point to the genre for horror-curious kids. It isn't at all scary, but it bumps up against tropes and themes from the genre to let viewers safely dip their toes in, knowing that whatever is coming is going to make them laugh rather than scream.

And, oh, what laughs they are. The Beast of Mossy Bottom is easily one of the year's funniest movies. It is incredibly joke-dense, just rapid-fire comedy from the moment the movie starts all the way through its charming credits. Shaun the Sheep is always a treasure trove of sight gags, as none of the characters speak (even the human characters only make speech-adjacent noises), and this go-around is no exception. From punny setups to funny physical comedy bits to clever subversions of expectation and well-integrated pop culture references (including The Simpsons and Game of Thrones, if you can believe it), the hit rate is incredible here. I actually don't think there's a single bad or limp joke in the bunch. This is pure comedy gold.

While the focus here is very much "Here's a fun and funny story -- laugh and enjoy," I did appreciate the themes that are woven into that fun and funny story. Shaun is learning to lean on his friends rather than try to handle everything himself. Meanwhile, the farmer learns that he doesn't need to reclaim his glory days of long hair and a svelter body to find love/connection. Sweet beats amongst the Halloweeny chaos.

Of course, the animation here is as lovely as you'd expect. Aardman always knock it out of the park with their signature claymation prowess, and it's genuinely impressive how effective their storytelling is. There are so many moments where characters' movements and facial expressions tell you so much story, give you so much insight into their emotional worlds, you almost forget no words are being uttered. This is a master-class in silent movie storytelling, beautiful and adorable and wonderful. I wish we got one of these movies every year!

With The Beast of Mossy Bottom, Aardman has shown once again why they're one of the best and most beloved names in the business. No one makes movies quite the way they do, with their particular quite of British charm, exquisite humor, and bountiful heart. It's their own signature recipe, one that lends itself well to all kinds of stories and genres, and one that's always a joy to witness at work.