Today, when computer animation is gradually occupying the mainstream animation film market, the existence of traditional animation, especially stop-motion animation films that cost a lot of hand-made, is even more precious. As one of the largest stop-motion animation production studios in the current animation film market, Adman Studio has been committed to the production and promotion of stop-motion animation. Before "Shaun the Sheep Movie", Adelman has successfully launched "Little Chicken Run", "The Curse of the Super Invincible Head Dog Rabbit", "The Wandering Rat Country" (CGI Animation), "Ya Five animated feature films, "Ser Christmas" and "Fantastic Pirates".
The role of Sean first appeared in 1995 in the second animated short film "Super Invincible Head Dog: Razor's Edge" by Nick Parker, the soul of Adman Animation Studios. In the film, Sean has already shown super Strong machine intelligence and funny talent. Twelve years later, in 2007, the "Shaun the Sheep" series with Sean as the "leader" was officially produced and released. Unlike the "Super Invincible Head Dog" series, "Sean the Sheep" is more relaxed and humorous in style, without much suspense and horror elements of "Super Invincible Head Dog". At the same time, the "Shaun the Sheep" series is an animation without dialogue. There is no line in the whole film, only a few single syllable forms of communication, and all the stories and emotions are conveyed through the performance of the animated characters.
The "Shaun the Little Sheep" series has been produced and broadcasted in Four Seasons. The "Little Sheep Timmy" produced and released in 2011 is a derivative work especially for younger children. The protagonist of the story is Sean's nephew Timmy. In 2012, in response to the 30th London Olympic Games, Adman Studios also specially produced the "Sean the Lamb: Champion Sheep" series. The single episode lasts about 1 minute, which explains all kinds of sports in a fun way. project.
Due to the clay animation production, the character movements in the "Shaun the Sheep" series are slightly clumsy and rough. But it is precisely because of this characteristic of clay animation that Sean and his partners have a characteristic sometimes called "silly and cute".
Of course, this is just a direct sensory experience. In fact, the "Shaun the Sheep" series also uses a lot of animation exaggeration techniques. It's just that the exaggeration of "Shaun the Sheep" is relatively moderately controlled. It does not like to create jokes by exaggerating the character's body movements as extreme as the early Warner Animation and Disney Animation. Although there are some exaggerated deformations of characters in several episodes of the "Shaun the Sheep: Champion Sheep" series, in most episodes, including in the "Shaun the Sheep Movie", these black sheep are Except for excessive curiosity and slightly higher IQ than humans, they are mediocrely nothing special.
Of course, the statement that "IQ is slightly higher than that of humans" may be too implicit, because these cold and silly sheep can not only switch between upright walking and four-legged crawling at any time, but also know how to use electric tools and household appliances. And painting (especially abstract works), driving, dancing, and wearing sweaters seem to be nothing they don't know. They can even read simple text, are familiar with currency transactions, and can communicate freely with alien creatures. Of course, the best skill of these witty sheep should be camouflage, because they have lived on the Moss Bottom farm for so long, and they have never let the farmer discover their extraordinary ability.
As a TV anime, the "Shaun the Sheep" series has been very popular once it was launched. This group of black sheep from northeast London, led by Sean, quickly became a British "national treasure" with their invincible funny skills and extraordinary IQ. , Became the most popular team among cloven-hoofed animals in the animation industry. "Shaun the Sheep" once again proves with its own success that cartoons are not just for children. No matter how simple things are, as long as they are carefully explored, they must be different and exciting.
With 8 years of experience in TV animation production and a broad audience base, in 2015, "Sean the Sheep" finally successfully landed on the big screen. This time, let’s say goodbye to the 7-minute TV stage. Sean and his partners want to let The audience enjoyed 85 minutes of carnival in the cinema.
"Shaun the Sheep Movie" is co-directed and screenplayed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak. Mark Burton is a director and screenwriter. He has been involved in the writing and directing of films such as "Little Chicken Run" and "The Curse of the Rabbit", while Richard Starzak is a member of "Shaun the Sheep". As the main screenwriter of Four Seasons, in the current 120 episodes of the "Shaun the Sheep" series, he has participated in nearly 20 episodes of screenwriting, and is one of the screenwriters with the most screenwriting.
The story line of "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is very simple. In a nutshell, it is an urban adventure to save the amnesia farmer. The main scenes in the film take place in farms, restaurants, hospitals, prisons and barbershops. The escape plot that takes place in prison is the most exciting place in the film. Moreover, it is said that one of the most funny places is the unintentional production of the production team, so I won't make spoilers here.
"Sean the Sheep Movie" is full of jokes and may not stop, frankly speaking, you will never be able to keep your mouth shut after watching the whole movie. The arrangement of all the jokes was caught off guard like an explosive candy. The tension of the laugh point in the previous second had not completely relaxed, and the baggage of the next second tightened the muscles again. The brilliance of the movie is that in many cases, the characters may do some normal things, but after reasonable arrangements and subtle collisions, boring things become interesting and fun. The "Shaun the Sheep" series has undergone 8 years of testing in the market, and the creators have become very mature in grasping the audience's psychology.
In terms of character design, the herd lineup in this big movie adopts the basic formation of an eight-man group. The few sheep appearing are all classic representative characters in "Sean the Sheep", led by the witty sheep, Timmy , Timmy's mother, Shirley are the main coffees, in addition to the twins, and the other two daredevils NUTS and HAZEL Hazel.
In terms of other roles, the stupid farmer and his loyal shepherd friend Bitzer are naturally indispensable in the film. At the same time, in order to cope with the progress of the story, the new yellow-haired buck-tooth dog Slip and other Several animal characters. Of course, the various roles that have appeared in the "Shaun the Sheep" series before, such as Angry Bull, Three Little Pigs, Big Stomach Goat, Crowing Rooster, Pizza Delivery Boy, Old Lady Who Likes to Hit People with Bags, etc. Friendly guest appearances in different ways, creating a series of wonderful jokes.
But the setting of the villain, the wandering animal manager Trumper, still feels a little weak, and it doesn't make people feel particularly scary and annoying. At the end of the story, he was defeated without much effort, which made the climax of the whole movie not so strong, and it seemed a little flat. In contrast, the similar role of Captain Dewar in DreamWorks' "Madagascar 3" in 2012 is more vivid and powerful.
The production cost of "Shaun the Sheep Movie" should not be too high, but the production staff who pursue perfection still try their best to achieve the ultimate in details. Because the story extends from the farm to the big city, Adman Studio spent a lot of effort on the production of the scene. Although most of the stories take place indoors, Adelman did not use the medium and close shots as much as possible to avoid the production and construction of complex scenes. There are still many shots in the movie to show the architectural style of the city. Moreover, many detailed model makers have not let go, such as posters on the wall, lunch boxes, tattered piles and many other insignificant things are also made as perfect as possible. Today, when CG modeling technology is so advanced, there are still some people who want to make animation in such a primitive and laborious way, which is really admirable and moving.
In terms of animation accuracy, because the viewing time limit is ignored, it may not surpass the TV version too much, but it is enough.
The bright and relaxing music melody of Ash band "Feels like summer with you" is played over and over again in the movie, sometimes joyful, sometimes warm, and perfectly integrated with the plot of the movie, which gives a lot of extra points. Of course, the classic soundtrack of each episode of the TV version of "Shaun the Sheep" also flashes in the movie. If you have watched "Shaun the Sheep" before, heard this familiar soundtrack, and then saw those familiar smiles, there must be some strange feelings in your heart.
Although the directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak wanted to make "Sean the Sheep Movie" a funny and moving work, the production team achieved 120% of the funny thing, but the moving aspect may still be slightly weaker. . Although the scene where Sean and Bitzer hugged the farmer tightly at the end of the film is moving, but the whole film may be more appropriate to describe it with warmth.
On the whole, "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is more like an extended and upgraded version of the TV series "Shaun the Sheep" in the four seasons. It is a simple and clear story line with the funny skills and new magic weapons used in TV animation. The next turn is staged. Its theme is not very clear, although it is not important for the "Shaun the Sheep" series, because the animals living on the Moss Bottom farm, like the farmer, do not have any special lofty pursuits. Simple happiness is for It is enough for them. But for a successful animated film, a clear theme is still needed, friendship, growth, family affection, there are always something that needs to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and sustainable development. If only all kinds of gag jokes are remembered, the passage of time will easily erase people's memories. Although "Shaun the Sheep Movie" is also trying hard to express the feelings between the farmer and the animal like family like "The Curse of the Rabbit, the Super Invincible Head Dog", it may not be full enough. There is room for improvement.
Finally, according to the requirements of a mature animation film, "Sean the Sheep Movie" is not perfect, but for everyone who goes to the cinema, it will never disappoint you, and you can go to the cinema in advance to watch it. You must have earned this movie. And if the movie is 120 minutes long, 240 minutes would be great. I look forward to the continuation of the "Shaun the Sheep" series and the release of new big movies.
(PS: I really like the pink blue baseball cap of "Shaun the Sheep", but because it is a limited edition, it can only be bought at the Shaun Sheep Carnival. If you have a chance to see it, please help me buy one. , I'll pay. THX)
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