Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas

It is well nigh impossible to top the quality of feature-length titles like Curse of The Were-Rabbit or Pirates, just to mention a few, but The Flight Before Christmas, at 30 minutes only, comes very, very close.

Everything about this gem hits the mark: the story is touching, the pacing perfect (fast without feeling forced), the humor and characters without a single false note, the animation is amazing, and then.. the visual part, the look and feel of the christmassy, wintry world, interiors as well as exteriors, had me totally mesmerized. This looks so lovely and colorful, that I'd give anything to step into its magic landscape.

A classic? Yes, if there is any justice in the world, this IS a new christmas classic (also check out Robin Robin, another splendid Aardman gem on Netflix) and those who are untouched by this jewel in Aardman's crown are either dead or deaf n' blind.

By the way, there is a short Shaun title, from season 2, called We Wish Ewe(!) A Merry Christmas, that is just like this new only, a small miracle. Only shorter.

This one is good. Last year, "The Farmer's Llamas" was just full on chaos and destruction that eclipsed the humour. The llamas were downright nasty. It dragged on. They got it right this time. The story is way better. Poignant even in its depiction of love of technology over real love. And yes, that snowman moment...bravo! So good. Definitely worth watching no matter how old you are.

My first ever encounter with the sprawling Shaun the Sheep brand is this festive special and I was sincerely taken with it. Aardman's charm and wit has barely diminished over the years and this festive wooly romp was a hoot. The brilliantly brief Snowman reprise was the TV highlight of the season, if not the entire year.

The inhabitants of the farm are preparing for Christmas. Everybody is having their own adventures and misadventures. Timmy gets mistakenly sent into the town's Christmas celebration and Shaun the Sheep leads the rescue mission. It all ends in the flight before Christmas.

I love Aardman Animations. They are doing a Christmas special for Netflix. It is perfectly Aardman and a great for any of their fans. It is high adventure and low adventure. I think it should work for everybody no matter their age. As always, there are those who get frustrated with the lack of dialogue. I can't help them there.

The couple with the kid looked a bit like H&M, was this a coincidence I wonder? I love Shaun and all of his pals and have done for many years. The level of detail is astonishing and it takes about a day to film just a few seconds of screen time. It's so cleverly done that it takes a few watchings to notice all of the clever stuff going on. Suitable for all ages from 5 to 105.