'The Sheep Detectives' review: Talking animal whodunit filled with warm humor and cuddly charm

Cats do it, dogs do it — why not sheep?

Solve mysteries, that is. Whodunits featuring animal detectives have been around for years, from Rita Mae Brown’s feline-centric "Mrs. Murphy" novels (co-credited to her actual cat, Sneaky Pie Brown) to Peter Abrahams’ canine sleuth series ("Dog on It," "To Fetch a Thief"). German crime writer Leonie Swann was surely the first to hand the proverbial magnifying glass to a flock of sheep, and now her 2005 novel "Three Bags Full" has been adapted into "The Sheep Detectives." A cozier two hours of mystery, humor and heart-tugging you will not find at the movies.

The premise is just the first of this film’s many delights. In rural England, eccentric shepherd George Hardy tends his flock with more love than he shows his human neighbors. He even reads mystery novels to them at night, complete with theatrical voices. These bedtime stories apparently sunk in, because when Hardy is found murdered his sheep set out to solve the crime. Led by the smart but sheltered Lily (the voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus), they will rummage through evidence, eavesdrop on conversations and conveniently leave clues for the town’s otherwise clueless cop, Tim Derry, played by Bethpage’s Nicholas Braun (thoroughly endearing and, to my ear, convincingly British).

Did I mention that George, a small but crucial role, is played by Hugh Jackman? It’s smart casting, and not only because he’ll sell tickets. Jackman is one of those actors who just fills the screen, and his George leaves an impression: prickly and rugged, but also wounded and tender. We can see why Lily, summoning the courage to leave her meadow and cross her first-ever paved road, would take a deep breath and say: "For George."

Though made with CGI, these sheep feel almost wearably woolly and real. Confronted with death, uncertainty or anything unpleasant, the entire flock can will itself into amnesia on the count of three. ("Sheep are not meant to feel such things," says Patrick Stewart as the horned Sir Richfield.) But Lily suspects her faithful friend Mopple (a lovely Chris O’Dowd) remembers more painful truths than he’s letting on. The flock’s cynical loner, Sebastian (a literal black sheep, with the voice of Bryan Cranston), also has some tough lessons to teach. Much of this material, so charming and often moving, comes from screenwriter Craig Mazin, whose credits include HBO’s "The Last of Us." Director Kyle Balda handles it all with a gentler touch than his multiple "Minions" credits would suggest.

Emma Thompson, as a big-city lawyer, is an added bonus in a human cast that includes Nicholas Galitzine as a pushy journalist and Molly Gordon as George’s daughter, Rebecca — the prime suspect. The murder plot, once revealed, feels a little loosely knit (I couldn’t resist), but "The Sheep Detectives" overall is as warm and welcome as your favorite sweater.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com