Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Shaun the Sheep Adoption Movie Review
Shaun the Sheep lives the same life every day, surrounded by
his fellow flock, The Farmer, and Bitzer the dog. Shaun decides that he’d like
a day off, and so he tries to distract The Farmer for a day. However, through a
series of accidents, Shaun and the rest of the sheep lose the farmer. After
enjoying their newly-found freedom, they start to miss him. They leave the
familiar grounds of Mossybottom Farms for the Big City to try to find him – and
to reclaim their normal everyday life.
*Spoiler alerts ahead the rest of the way*
The Adoption
Connection
The Farmer is certainly a parental figure to the sheep. He
feeds them, cares for them, and provides order to their lives. Bitzer is sort
of an older brother to the sheep – he is somewhat in charge, but also depends
upon The Farmer. Almost every kid is tired of their parents at one time or
another, and the drive for independence (and freedom) is a common one. The
sheep wish to be free of The Farmer, but get their wish granted more thoroughly
than they wanted. For much of the movie, they are separated from their father;
they wonder how they will get food, and they miss him emotionally as well.
Bitzer also misses The Farmer, but is prevented from seeing him. The sheep see
people who resemble The Farmer, and wonder whether they might actually be
looking at him, much like adoptees may wonder whether a stranger might actually
be a relative. This film could connect with adoptees or children in foster care
who grieve a separation from their parents. Also, because the sheep, Bitzer,
and The Farmer all look different but function as a family, I wonder if some
adoptees might relate the characters to their adoptive family, and thus relate
the separation to a fear of the adoptive family being separated, which might be
particularly relevant to kids who’ve been through multiple foster placements,
or who were adopted at an old enough age to remember living with other families
prior to the adoption. (Spoiler Alert) The Farmer also suffers from amnesia,
and at least for a while can’t remember the sheep. This could be triggering to
adoptees who wonder whether their first parents have forgotten them. (End
Spoiler).
There is a scene where animals, caged in a pound, are put up
for adoption (the word “adopt” is specifically used). Like the kids in Meet the
Robinsons, the animals try to put on their cutest faces, but they are obviously
heartbroken when they are not chosen.
Strong Points
Although it doesn’t say it explicitly, Shaun the Sheep
portrays that, even though we might get tired of our everyday life, we’d probably
miss it quite a bit if it went away.
The Sheep and Bitzer (and The Farmer, too) work together and
function as a family, even though they look different.
Even though The Farmer is separated from the sheep because
of Shaun’s idea, there is never a sense of guilt. That’s appropriate – what happened
was completely accidental. It’s helpful for kids to understand the concept of
an accident – something painful did happen because of something you did,
yet
you’re not guilty of any wrongdoing.
A familiar song brings joy to Shaun and Bitzer, even when
they are in a time of sadness.
Challenges
There is a scene where animals in a pound are put up for
adoption. They sit in their prisonlike cells, trying to smile and be cute so
that they will be adopted, and they’re heartbroken when they are not chosen –
instead of being adopted, they have to stay in a pseudo-jail with a guard who mocks
them. A family pretty obviously decides against adopting one animal because
they find him ugly. This could be quite triggering to some kids.
(Spoiler Alert: After much searching, the sheep finally find
The Farmer. He does not recognize them. He backs away, and shoos them off. They
are heartbroken and tearful, and end up living in a sewer, dejected and
displaced. Although The Farmer eventually does remember them, this scene could
trigger viewers because of parental abandonment in general, or because a
missing parental figure, when found, rejects his “children.” Some adoptees may
want to search for their birth families, but are fearful of rejection, and this
scene could trigger some emotional responses connected to that fear.) END
SPOILER.
Weak Points
A character becomes bent on revenge and tries to kill Shaun.
Recommendations
Shaun the Sheep is remarkable in that it generates an
emotionally compelling, connecting story (I heard kids in the theater crying),
without using any spoken dialogue. Think of the first ten minutes of Up, but
feature length. There are some sad moments and some scary scenes mixed in with
the humor. One child in the theater cried out when Shaun was in peril. (Spoiler
Alert: Another asked his parent, when Shaun was rejected by The Farmer, “Is it
funny yet?” It’s a good question. END SPOILER). Shaun the Sheep has some
humorous moments that will appeal to kids up to 11 or so, and it’s got enough
merit to entertain adults as well. However, the plot of the film revolves around
separation from a parent (more or less), and also involves some parental
rejection. This is a well-made film that is a good fit for many viewers, but
seems likely to be a trigger risk for many foster kids and adoptees. Parents
should tread carefully, or watch it themselves before watching it with their
kids.
Similar Films
Antwone Fisher, Annie and Closure all feature a quest for reunification
with a parental figure.
Meet the Robinsons and Despicable Me both feature sad scenes
with orphanages.
Questions for
Discussion
What does it mean to take something for granted? What about
your life is awesome, that you might not notice every day?
Bitzer and Shaun were happy when they remembered the song
The Farmer used to whistle. What memories do you have that sometimes help you
be happy, even when you’re sad?
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