With breezy confidence from director Kyle Balda and writer Craig Mazin, this zany whodunnit (think Babe meets Knives Out) unfolds with understated charm from the get-go.
George Hardy, Hugh Jackman's genial shepherd, has a quietly lived-in warmth that leaves you wishing he lingered longer on screen. He spends his evenings reading detective novels aloud to his flock, unaware they understand every word. When he is found dead under suspicious circumstances, the sheep decide to solve the crime themselves.
What follows is a less manic animated caper than gently eccentric village noir: sketchy vicars, bitter family secrets, bumbling policemen, and one spectacularly judgemental ewe voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus with impeccable comic timing.
The mystery is driven by a savvy black sheep, played superbly by Bryan Cranston. His dry humour and easy-going presence quietly hold the film together, giving it much of its heart without ever overplaying it.
Chris O'Dowd is effortlessly likeable as the voice of Mopple, a somewhat anxious Merino sheep with unmistakable Irish charm.
What's striking is how the tale resists the urge to wink at its own absurdity. These fluffy friends are not chaotic caricatures, but anxious, observant creatures, occasionally reflective, trying to make sense of human behaviour and its harsher edges.
The film treats grief with real tenderness. Even the CGI - which could easily have veered into nightmare fuel - ends up feeling surprisingly textured.
Emma Thompson and Patrick Stewart both keep things tightly under control. Nothing is pushed too far, which suits the film's tone more than it probably should.
By the time the final act kicks in, the film has already eased you into its deeper concerns: loneliness, loyalty, and the small, sustaining stories people tell themselves to get through difficult stretches.
The Sheep Detectives arrives dressed as a whimsical murder mystery, but there's more soul than fluff beneath its fleece.
