Have fun with Shaun the Sheep and the wacky animal antics from the Oscar(r)-winning creators of Wallace & Gromit. With Shaun, Bitzer the sheepdog and those Naughty Pigs next door, there’s no telling what bizarre escapades will happen next as the animals pull the wool over The Farmer’s eyes. From stealing hot water for their own bath to ordering pizza for the barnyard, sometimes it’s shear madness, but it’s always fleecy fun! Shaun, the clever little sheep from Nick Park’s Oscar-winning short A Close Shave (1995), returns for more stop-motion fun in Back in the Ba-a-ath. While the nearsighted and none-too-bright Farmer is away, Shaun and his flock-mates explore their surrounding and get into mischief. When the water in the sheep-dip tank proves too cold for comfort (it freezes a duck solid), Shaun and company devise an elaborate scheme to steal the Farmer’s hot bathwater. Shaun also has to design a workout routine for a sheep who’s gotten too fat to get through the barn door. Whenever the Farmer can see them, they act like ordinary sheep under the watchful eye of Bitzer the sheepdog, which adds to the fun. Although the animation is much less polished than in Park’s ground-breaking film, the artists include some deft touches that bring the characters to life. Warm, charming, and funny, the Shaun the Sheep cartoons will delight small children–and their parents. (Unrated, suitable for all ages: minor cartoon violence) –Charles Solomon

(1. Shape Up with Shaun, 2. Bathtime, 3. Fetching, 4. Take Away, 5. Still Life, 6. Scrumping, 7. Stick With Me, 8. The Kite)

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