And while Shrek may have the crown as the world's most famous sheep, one of his fellow ruminants is about to become world famous in "GY" - the small town at the head of Lake Wakatipu which is fast becoming a byword for rural chic.
Bear the sheep is the star of Bartholomew Goes Home - a "heroic epic of 23 minutes" - screening in the Glenorchy Hall on Wednesday night.
Film-maker, farm labourer, screen writer, and camerawoman Joanna Ibell, not one to be retiring, or sheepish for that matter, about her accomplishment, has invited local celebrities and star-gazers alike to hose off their gumboots, shake out their Swandris and "come hob-nob with the poor and unimportant".
Ms Ibell said she had spent two winters filming her four "big, fat" pet sheep for the movie.
If GY was good enough for Hollywood, then she reckoned it was good enough for the locals.
"There are so many movies made up here, so I wanted to have a go."
So, the Arcadia Station farm labourer set to work.
"Mostly, it was just me, the sheep and the dogs.
"It's not Lord of the Rings . . . if you're into continuity, you're going to feel really ill [watching it]."
While some say you should never work with children or animals, Ms Ibell said directing her sheep had been an "educational experience".
"They were fantastic, they were so obliging."
That "obliging" nature may have had something to do with the sheep pellets with which she bribed her "characters" - Batholomew, Lucia, Lance and Isadora.
Ms Ibell initially planned to use subtitles in the film but "it just didn't work as well as I'd hoped".
So, she roped in her sister, Leanne Ibell, an audio engineer at Sky TV in Auckland, and went in search of actors to "get in touch with their inner sheep".
An email to a voice lecturer at Unitec, also in Auckland, was all it took to find four willing third-year students to "voice" the parts.
They, too, were obliging "and didn't need bribing with sheep pellets".
Wednesday's premiere will also feature A Hard Day at the Office, a short film about heli-skiing by Southern Institute of Technology student James Ross.
Ms Ibell has no plans for future screenings of the movie.
Entry to the premiere is by gold-coin donation - with proceeds going to the Glenorchy Pool Roof appeal.
