"Shaun the Sheep" (2007) TV series 2007-????

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

5 March 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Shaun is a sheep who doesn't follow the flock - in fact, he leads them into all sorts of scrapes and scraps...

Plot Keywords:

Sheep | Farmer | Sheepdog | Farm

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Jan. 4	7:55 AM	DISN	Fleeced	#1.14
Tue. Jan. 5	7:55 AM	DISN	Save the Tree	#1.40

Cast

John Sparkes		(20 episodes, 2007)
Justin Fletcher		(20 episodes, 2007)
Kate Harbour		(20 episodes, 2007)
Richard Webber		(20 episodes, 2007)
Jo Allen		(20 episodes, 2007)

Series Directed by
Richard Goleszowski		(13 episodes, 2007)
Christopher Sadler		(9 episodes, 2007)
Dave Osmand		(5 episodes, 2007)
Richard Webber		(5 episodes, 2007)

Series Writing credits
David Fine		(20 episodes, 2007)
Richard Goleszowski		(20 episodes, 2007)
Nick Park		(20 episodes, 2007)
Alison Snowden		(20 episodes, 2007)
Lee Pressman		(5 episodes, 2007)
Rob Dudley		(4 episodes, 2007)
Ian Carney		(3 episodes, 2007)
Julie Jones		(3 episodes, 2007)
Sarah Ball		(2 episodes, 2007)
Glenn Dakin		(2 episodes, 2007)
Trevor Ricketts		(2 episodes, 2007)

Series Produced by
Miles Bullough	....	executive producer (7 episodes, 2007)
David Sproxton	....	executive producer (7 episodes, 2007)
Peter Lord	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 2007)
Nick Park	....	executive producer (6 episodes, 2007)
Julie Lockhart	....	producer (5 episodes, 2007)

Series Original Music by
Mark Thomas		(40 episodes, 2007)

Series Cinematography by
Charles Copping		(7 episodes, 2007)

Series Film Editing by
Jane Hicks		(7 episodes, 2007)
Andrew Ward		(7 episodes, 2007)

Series Production Design by
Michael Salter		(3 episodes, 2007)

Series Art Direction by
Kitty Clay		(6 episodes, 2007)

Series Production Management
Richard Beek	....	production manager (7 episodes, 2007)

Series Art Department
David Vinicombe	....	storyboard artist (13 episodes, 2007)
Kate Anderson	....	head of model making (7 episodes, 2007)
Alan Barrett	....	rigger (7 episodes, 2007)
Amanda Darby	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Claire Drewett	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Cath Ford	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Diane Holness	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Nicola Howells	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Nancy Jones	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Jill Keogh	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
David 'Del' Lawson	....	rigger (7 episodes, 2007)
Nigel Leach	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Gary Roberts	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Jack Slade	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Jay Smart	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Debbie Smith	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Harriet Thomas	....	model maker (7 episodes, 2007)
Joe Bourbon	....	props / set dresser (6 episodes, 2007)
Sophie Brown	....	props / set dresser (6 episodes, 2007)
Jon Frier	....	model maker (6 episodes, 2007)
Thalia Lane	....	model maker (6 episodes, 2007)
Laura Savage	....	props / set dresser (6 episodes, 2007)
Helen Javes	....	props / set dresser (5 episodes, 2007)
James Parkyn	....	model maker (5 episodes, 2007)
Alexa Vickery	....	props / set dresser (5 episodes, 2007)
Andy Brown	....	props / set dresser (4 episodes, 2007)
Cliff Thorne	....	set constructor (4 episodes, 2007)
Mathew Healey	....	construction manager (3 episodes, 2007)
James Held	....	props / set dresser (3 episodes, 2007)
Jo Masters	....	props / set dresser (3 episodes, 2007)
Adrian Sims	....	props / set dresser (3 episodes, 2007)
Cathryn Webber	....	props / set dresser (3 episodes, 2007)

Series Sound Department
Will Norie	....	supervising sound editor / sound supervisor (40 episodes, 2007)
Paul Ackerman	....	foley artist / sound effects (15 episodes, 2007)
Chris Domaille	....	sound re-recording mixer / dubbing mixer (15 episodes, 2007)
Sean Richards	....	sound effects editor / dubbing editor (15 episodes, 2007)

Series Visual Effects by
Sarah Kempson	....	visual effects (7 episodes, 2007)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
James Fisher	....	camera operator (7 episodes, 2007)
Richard Hosken	....	lighting gaffer (7 episodes, 2007)
Churton Season	....	camera operator (7 episodes, 2007)
Toby Howell	....	lighting camera (6 episodes, 2007)

Series Animation Department
Sara Barbas	....	assistant animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Jason Comley	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Alison Evans	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Gareth Love	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Caroline Maure	....	assistant animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Julia Peguet	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Claire Rolls	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Laurie Sitzia	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Andy Symanowski	....	animator (7 episodes, 2007)
Lee Wilton	....	animator (6 episodes, 2007)
Pascual Perez	....	animator (4 episodes, 2007)
Shona de Bradeny	....	assistant animator (3 episodes, 2007)

Series Music Department
Tom Dalgety	....	music scoring mixer: title song (10 episodes, 2007)

Series Other crew
David Button	....	assistant floor manager (7 episodes, 2007)
Richard Hansom	....	script editor (7 episodes, 2007)
Kevin Harwood	....	assistant floor manager (7 episodes, 2007)
Tara Knowles	....	production coordinator (7 episodes, 2007)
Michael Carrington	....	executive: BBC (6 episodes, 2007)
Nikki Chaplin	....	executive: BBC (6 episodes, 2007)

Production Companies

• Aardman Animations
• EU Media Plus Program (with the support of)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (in association with)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (in association with)

Distributors

• Cinequanon (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Disney Channel (2007-) (Portugal) (TV)
• Disney Channel (2007-) (USA) (TV)
• Lionsgate (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• NHK (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Nordisk Film (2007-) (Finland) (DVD)
• Pony Canyon (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Toon Disney (2007-2009) (USA) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Runtime:

7 min (20 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:G | Portugal:M/4 (DVD rating)

Company:

Aardman Animations

Trivia:

Bitzer the dog's wristwatch vanishes whenever he goes on four legs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#37.16)" (2007)

Really good clean fun that will appeal to adults almost as much as it will to children

Shaun the sheep, as the song goes, doesn't miss a trick or ever lose a beat and indeed he doesn't in his own television show that premiered on CBBC last year before coming to terrestrial recently. I was actually driving home from work when the first one aired on BBC1 and I found out about the series because the presenters on Radio Five were all talking about it as it was on in the studio. Obviously Aardman appeals to adults as much as to children and I was hoping that this series would do the same.

Of course it isn't as smart as the Wallace & Gromit films and is slightly more for children, but it does have plenty that I enjoyed as well as bits that made me laugh. The character of Shaun was always more for children when he appeared in A Close Shave and this was born out by a million Shaun backpacks on high streets everywhere. However in this series Shaun is much more like Gromit than like the Shaun that was originally introduced. This was a good move because it does allow him to do more and be more proactive within the stories, leading raids, outsmarting other characters and generally being a catalyst for action – quite the opposite of what he originally was.

Each episode is short but all include the trademark Aardman wit and the way of making references to other things without ramming them down our throats. The plots are mostly simple setups (playing football, getting apples from the pigs, exercising etc all came early in the series) but they are delivered with wit and intelligence and although the humour is best for child it is never dumb or crude. The animation is instantly recognisable as Aardman, which is true of the characters as well. The farmer is a necessary evil but is sparingly used in favour of the animals. The sheep are a good group and well created while other groups such as pigs, the cat, the dog and the ducks (my favourites) are all good fun.

Overall a really good clean show for children that will appeal to age groups right up to adult. I'm in my third decade and I thought it was great fun – understandably not up to the high standard of the recent W&G film, but still the strong, quality output one associates with Aardman.