Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
2026 British film
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Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom is a 2026 British stop motion animated comedy horror film directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker and written by Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow. Produced by Aardman, it is the third feature film based on the British television series Shaun the Sheep, itself a spin-off of the Wallace & Gromit short film A Close Shave (1995). The plot follows Shaun as he tries to save Halloween for the residents of Mossy Bottom farm. Things take a turn for the worse when The Farmer suddenly goes missing and a mysterious beast begins roaming nearby.
- Steve Cox
- Matthew Walker
- Mark Burton
- Giles Pilbrow
- Richard Beek
- Mark Burton
| Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | |
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British theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Charles Copping |
| Edited by | Dan Hembery |
| Music by | Natalie Holt |
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| Distributed by | Sky UK StudioCanal |
Release date |
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Running time | 81 minutes[1][2] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $7 million[3][4][5] |
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom was released on 18 September 2026 by Sky UK in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The film has received acclaim from critics.
Plot
During the leadup to Halloween on Mossy Bottom farm, The Farmer accidentally destroys his sheep flock's secret pumpkin patch. Shaun becomes a mad scientist to fix the problem, creating a potion to regrow the pumpkins overnight, but it ends up in The Farmer's possession. Mistaking it for a hair growth serum, he applies it all over, hoping to impress the town vet, whom he has a crush on. The potion causes The Farmer's hair to grow wildly out of control, turning him into a shaggy beast resembling Bigfoot. While going through Mossingham, The Farmer inadvertently scares the townspeople, who chase him into the woods, while his dog Bitzer tries to track him down, unaware of his transformation.[6]
Shaun and the flock race to make an antidote for the growth potion as the farm's pumpkins begin to grow uncontrollably. The Vet aspires to capture the "beast" with the hope of sending him to Bigfoot Island, not knowing it is The Farmer. Shaun and the flock, aided by Bitzer, use a crane to retrieve a crate from a ship presumably carrying The Farmer. As the ship sails away, it is revealed the crate is full of fluffy toys, and The Farmer is still on route to the island. They enlist the help of the vet, who through DNA testing discovered The Farmer is the beast. Shaun chases after the ship, rescuing the farmer. Back at the farm, the locals rally against the "beast". Using an overgrown carved pumpkin and a car, Bitzer and Timmy create the illusion that The Beast has been eaten. Shaun sprays the antidote into the mouth of the carved pumpkin, returning The Farmer to his usual appearance. The flock rejoices and The Farmer asks the vet to accompany him to a local dance.
In a short mid-credit scene, a crow drinks the remnants of the growth potion out of a bin.[7][8][9]
Voice cast
- Justin Fletcher as Shaun and Timmy[10]
- John Sparkes as The Farmer and Bitzer[10]
- Kate Harbour as Timmy's Mother[10]
- Richard Webber as Shirley
- Simon Greenall as The Twins
- Emma Tate as Hazel
- Andy Nyman as Nuts
- Nina Sosanya as The Vet
- Paul Whitehouse as The Shopkeeper
- Dani Dyer as The Influencer
- Chris Morrell as The Captain
- Roman Kemp as The Pizza Boy
Production
Release
Reception
Box office
As of 1 October 2026, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom grossed $7 million worldwide. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Resident Evil and The Weight, and made $1.9 million. The United Kingdom is its highest-grossing market, grossing $2 million. Followed by US and Canada ($1.8M) and Australia ($179K).
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 99% of 76 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus: "Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom combines snappy visual comedy and Aardman's endearingly handmade aesthetic to craft a charming, deceptively funny monster movie pastiche."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[19]
In a positive review, Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "[U]nlike the frenetic, in-your-face style of so many American animated films, the charmingly low-key Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom always feels understated, as if slightly embarrassed when the humor becomes lowbrow."[20] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, writing, "As ever with Shaun the Sheep and Aardman Animations generally, the standard of writing is extremely high and the script here, from Mark Burton and Giles Pilbrow, sparkles with good-natured fun."[21] John Nugent of Empire also gave the film four out of five stars and wrote that "Aardman's stop-motion care and craft remains as sharp as ever."[22]
