Plucky, down-on-their-luck heroes standing tall against the aggressive land grabs of the rich and heinous is a popular recurring theme in Australian movies, arguably peaking with Rob Sitch’s endlessly quotable The Castle in 1997. Runt, the gorgeous new film from H is for Happiness director John Sheedy, is a little further along the family-friendly end of the scale, nearer to Babe.

Adapted by author Craig Silvey from his award-winning kids’ book of the same name, Runt is centred on the Shearer family, who, you guessed it, are sheep farmers. Times are tough, with the gloriously named country town of Upson Downs parched by years without a drop of rain. Their land is burnt the lousy kind of golden, while pompous neighbour Earl Robert-Barren (Jack Thompson) surveys his green lawns with a haughty sneer, courtesy of a damn that he erected on his property that has run the local river dry.

Despite their dwindling reserves, the Shearers keep their heads held high. Tool-handy schoolgirl Annie (Lily LaTorre, so good in The Clearing) loves to help out her dad Bryan (Jai Courtney), often fetching escaped sheep from an increasingly irate Earl’s property, care of the zippy lil mutt she took in, the Runt of the title. Her mum, Celeste Barber’s Susie, attempts to keep them afloat with a pie business on the side, but it’s about as successful as any pastry pierced by a gnarled chook foot would be.

The hapless stunts of daredevil bro Max (LaTorre’s actual sibling Jack) aren’t exactly setting the web alight with likes, comments and follows, but they have torched his BMX. All the while, enjoyably ocker gran Dolly (scene-stealer Geneviève Lemon) is a tireless cheerleader for the clan, even if the caravan-dwelling widow does pine for company, unsuccessfully swiping right on a Tinder-style app.

But with Earl bearing down on them, his eyes set on swiping their land, the Shearers’ fortunes are beginning to look pretty grim. Until, that is, Annie hits on a bright, slightly light-fingered plan. Temporarily relieving her mum’s stall tin of 20 bucks, she enters Runt into a local dog agility competition, much to the chagrin of Rake actor Matt Day’s camply bedazzled diva, Fergus Fink, an even more cartoonish villain than the cantankerous Earl, who misses a trick by not twirling his ‘80s-style moustache.

Winning streak

It’s probably a safe bet to guess who wins this round, but without spoiling, let’s just say both Annie and Runt head to the national final alongside the dastardly Fergus, who outsources all of his training to a whipped sidekick. But there’s a minor detail that might trip up Annie and her devoted companion.

Runt only has eyes for Annie and won’t perform for a crowd. They got away with this in Upson Downs by deploying Max’s latest hair-brained scheme as a decoy, but that won’t work in front of a stadium. How will they overcome his stage fright and stand any hope of making the international competition Krumpets, let alone fund the flight to London?

Watch the trailer for Runt

Kids and their grown-ups will love the inventive solution to this conundrum in an endearingly sweet film that manages to stick just the right side of sweet without the toothache, even if it’s not quite as delightful as H is for Happiness. Lily LaTorre is exactly the kind of have-a-go young gun that this stuff soars on, with an adorable rapport with the twinkle-eye handsome Runt.

While it’s wise to keep kids’ films pacy at 90 minutes, every beat is as you’d expect, and there are a few strands that could have been teased out a little more. Like doting dad Bryan’s horticultural endeavours, with Sarah Roberts’ market stall-holder florist, Gretel, all-but missing in action. The same goes for Joel Jackson’s bad cop come good, Constable Duncan Bayleaf. While the inimitable Deborah Mailman fares better as retired dog trainer Bernadette Box, as luminous as ever, she’s still underused, right down to a welcome if blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reveal at the end.

Still, the Shearers are magnificent company and Runt zips along at a rollicking pace – both pawsome actor Squid, and the film he steals like butcher’s sausages. It’s the ideal adventure for families keen to instil resilience as not just a survival tactic, but also a bundle of make-do-and-mend-fun while the sun shines. How’s the serenity?

Runt is in cinemas from 19 September, 2024.