Who Should Be the Next “Sheep Detective”?

There’s something in the air this spring. Talking animal movies are often seen as the exclusive domain of kids and kids, but are now seeping into the adult mainstream. In March, it’s Pixar Hoppers—an animated film about humans uploading their consciousness into lifelike animal robots— new yorker And voiced by Jon Hamm, Meryl Streep, Bobby Moynihan and others. now is Sheep Detective Teamreceived rave reviews new york times and at least one Fashion Editors discovered it was the hottest ticket in town when it opened last weekend.

Sheep Detective Team With an equally star-studded cast Hoppersalthough in this case some of the performers (Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Hong Zhou) retained their human forms. But their furry companions are voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Lily, the smartest sheep, and Bella Ramsey as Zola, who’s full of questions (especially: If everything ends tomorrow, what’s the point of human life? ); Bryan Cranston as the loner Sebastian; Patrick Stewart as the noble Lord Ridgefield; Regina Hall as the fluffy, gorgeous, deserved heroine Cloud; Chris O’Dowd as Mopple (the only one who remembers things); and Brett Goldstein as the noisy twin rams Ronnie and Reggie.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, Sheep Detective Team (a passion project directed by Kyle Barda and written by Craig Mazin) follows a group of Agatha Christie-esque mystery-loving sheep who set out to solve the murder of their shepherd (Jackman). Even in the strange circumstances of a weekday matinee, I found myself laughing and tearing up at the same time. That said: Animal movies seem to be firmly becoming the domain of award-winning actors, top comedic talents, and seasoned stage legends.

So we thought: who should voice the other most popular (non-animated) animals on the internet these days? Without further ado, here’s the cast we’ve been dreaming of for the next bizarre and poignant animal movie.

Jonkers

Photo: Getty Images

Chonkers, a 2,000-pound “food-powered” male Steller, went viral in April when he made his home at San Francisco’s Pier 39. He has an air of nobility about him. I’d vote for JK Simmons, Jack Black or Robert De Niro.