Last July, 'Shaun the Sheep' was voted the best BBC children's TV character of all time, beating such popular nominees as 'Postman Pat' and 'Bob the Builder'. After launching in March 2007, Shaun's TV show has had four series with 130 episodes, broadcast in 180 countries around the world and winning multiple Baftas and Emmys.

'Shaun The Sheep' was released on 6th February 2015
'Shaun The Sheep' was released on 6th February 2015

Actually, Shaun was born much earlier, playing a key role in the Oscar-winning 'Wallace & Gromit' short 'A Close Shave' in 1995 and instantly sparking a legion of fans. When he started making the TV series, producer Gareth Owens targeted the show to viewers aged 4 to 7. Although he admits that, "in reality, the age range is 4 to 87!"

More: Read the review for 'Shaun The Sheep'

With no spoken dialogue, the character relies on visual charisma and the occasional bleat to let viewers know what he's thinking. And filmmakers Mark Burton and Richard Starzack took a risk bringing this nonverbal storytelling to the big screen. Animating 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' took over a year, although they say it would have taken nine years if they hadn't shot dozens of scenes simultaneously. Stop-frame animation notoriously only produces two seconds of footage in a whole day's work.

Watch the trailer for 'Shaun The Sheep' here:


The movie has had across-the-board raves from the UK critics, and is set to become a big hit over Britain's school holidays. After a successful screening at last month's Sundance Film Festival, the film is still awaiting its US release date.

More: Say Baa! New Shaun the Sheep Movie Trailer Released

And later in the year, British fans will get the chance to attend 'The Shaun the Sheep Experience' in Lands End, rebranded "Lambs End" while the attraction is running. The exhibition will feature original sets and character models, as well as a chance for guests to appear in a scene with their favourite character using green-screen technology.