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I’m not a big fan of talking animal films, yet for some reason, the preview of The Sheep Detectives (2026) interested me.

A flock of sheep become involved in solving the mystery behind a suspicious death, which was really a homicide. Talking sheep. Yes, to each other, but not to humans. Still, it takes putting aside reality and trusting that sheep know what they’re talking about.

The Sheep Detectives stars Hugh Jackman, Dame Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun (Succession); and features the voices of Julia Louise-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Chris O’Dowd, Regina Hall and others.

As a who-dunnit, is somewhere between Agatha Christie and Hallmark. The sheep help by steering clues to the slightly in-over-his-head police officer Tim Derry (Braun), who is quite convincing as the befuddled and somewhat nervous investigator. He is really the star of the film and you might remember him as Greg, the naive nephew of kingpin Logan Roy. Braun stands 6’7” so he’s hard to miss.

Based on the novel, Three Full Bags by Leonie Swann, the script is adapted by Craig Mazin and directed by Kyle Balda, who give us a beautiful looking film, that has a light, but very touching story. The film is designed to keep you guessing as the layers of suspects are peeled away.

This engaging film is deceptively sweet in how it handles death and grieving, as seen through the eyes and limited dealing with real world issues. The sheep are innocent to things beyond their field and hold some childlike ideals that are to protect their naivety. Reality can suck. Thankfully, I placed it aside for a couple of hours.