Spoilers ahead for The Sheep Detectives, streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives hit theaters back in May and became a critical and box office success. The book to screen adaptation has plenty of hilarious comedic bits, but also told a moving story about grief. The movie is now streaming for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, and writer Craig Mazin spoke to CinemaBlend about why he thinks kids can handle its emotional narrative. The Sheep Detectives is basically Babe meets Knives Out, with the titular animals helping to solve the murder of their shepherd George (Hugh Jackman). While its a funny concept, the sheep also explore the complex emotions that come with losing their caretaker. I had the chance to speak with Mazin and the cast ahead of the movie's release, where I asked the Last of Us writer if he was prepared to hear from young moviegoers in years from now who he made cry with the movie's touching script. He responded with: We go through difficult things in order to feel lifted up, and that's what movies do. They help us experience these rough things without having to actually directly experience them and to feel things like this. But it is moving and it is about important things. I was telling somebody earlier, when I was a kid, I'm a kid of the seventies. I had this book written by Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers. Each little chapter was about, it was for kids, and it was about something difficult that you might have to face and what you might feel like and how to deal with your feelings. And it was about moving divorce, people dying. It was about reality. It was about life. We used to talk to kids about these things. They can handle it. You were able to handle it. We can handle it. Points were made. Every generation has a handful of movies and/or books that they remember crying over as a young person. For children of the '90s like me, Mufasa's death in The Lion King comes to mind. But while The Sheep Detectives might have a similar effect on young moviegoers nowadays, Mazin thinks the way art addresses those complicated emotions is something that is actually helpful. What's more, he thinks kids can handle the tears that might come from the movie. While George's death is what kickstarts the adventure of The Sheep Detectives, it's not the only loss that might have audiences choking up. Because in the movie's third act Bryan Cranston's sheep Sebastian sacrifices himself to save Lily and Mopple from a pack of dogs. This forces Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character to face the losses she buried into her psyche throughout her life with George and the flock. (Image credit: Amazon MGM)I also asked Louis-Dreyfus about The Sheep Detectives potentially affecting young audiences in particular. I name dropped The Lion King during our chat, and the Seinfield star responded by saying: I hope it does have an impact on kids. I think it's got a ton of positive messages and so we should be so lucky as to have an impact. Impact like the Lion King. While death and grief are subject that might be hard for parents to talk about with young children, The Sheep Detectives actually offers the language and story that can help open up these conversations. And for those who have experienced loss, it was a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the grieving process. Add in the many laughs that buoy the movie, and it's a project that the whole family can enjoy.The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Amazon Prime Video as part of the 2026 movie release list. I'd definitely recommend watching it if you didn't catch the movie in theaters... even if you might need some tissues.