If you’re a Shaun the Sheep fan, you know pretty much exactly what to expect here: 10 minutes of setup followed by 20 minutes of chaotic slapstick hilarity and Buster Keaton-esque pratfalls, mixed with a heartwarming but non-shmaltzy message that’s not terribly deep but neither overbearing. If you’re not already a Shaun the Sheep fan and don’t recognize the name Aardman, it’s worth pointing out that this is a spinoff of the beloved Wallace & Gromit series, although that duo doesn’t make an appearance here.

I won’t dig into the plot as I don’t think it’s possible to do so without sounding like a raving lunatic. But I will say that it’s cute and inoffensive but altogether cheeky, and it’s perfectly appropriate for all ages. I could legitimately envision myself sitting down to watch it with my 78-year-old dad or my 7-year-old niece, and I’m honestly not sure who would enjoy it more. 

Stuck as I am reasonably close to the midpoint between those ages (plus or minus a decade), I think the thing I enjoyed most was the artistry of it all. Aardman has been doing stop-motion for decades upon decades now so you’d think there wouldn’t be much room for improvement. But compositionally speaking, the filmmakers have made some interesting choices here. Camera angles are dynamic. The character animation is, at times, elevated to the level of old Looney Tunes cartoons. 

And all of this is aided by a 4K Dolby Vision presentation that really lets you appreciate the details of the stop-motion puppets. The combination of higher resolution and expanded dynamic range makes the textures of the plasticine models and the faux hair and wool feel palpable. There’s a wonderful radiant quality to the tinsel and lights and other shiny accoutrements of the holidays. There’s a lovely amount of depth and a genuine sense of space that’s a huge step above last year’s Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom, which was shot and released in HD only. Indeed, the image is so detailed and dynamic that it almost takes on the quality of 3D, just without the glasses and the headaches. It may be family fare but the picture is inarguably reference quality. 

The Dolby Digital Plus Atmos track, meanwhile, isn’t quite so technically adventurous. Vocal clarity isn’t a problem since there is no discernible dialogue. The ovine characters bleat and grunt and the human characters speak in a sort of muttering mumble reminiscent of the nonsense vocal tracks from The Sims. By and large this is a front-heavy mix, and you likely won’t notice much going on in the surrounds or overhead channels, but that’s perfectly fine. The soundtrack serves its purpose, and fidelity is top-notch.

By the way, it’s worth mentioning that The Flight Before Christmas isn’t the only half-hour Aardman stop-motion holiday special to drop on Netflix this year. There’s also a little film called Robin Robin. The animation in that one is a bit of a departure from the studio’s normal style, and it’s worth a look for that fact alone. But I didn’t care for the musical numbers nor the voice acting. 

So if you have time for only one new stop-motion-animated half-hour Christmas special this year, opt for Shaun the Sheep. It remains to be seen whether it ends up becoming a holiday favorite, but it’s cute,  laugh-out-loud hilarious, perfectly timed, has oodles of genuine personality, and is one of the most visually engaging things Aardman has done to date.