Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter
Mr. Peabody (Burrell) is a super-intelligent dog who also happens to be a master inventor and adopted father to a human boy, Sherman (Charles). When Sherman bites Penny (Winter) a girl at his new school, Mr. peabody invites Penny and her parents (Steven Colbert, Leslie Mann) to his house to keep the peace. Sherman shows Penny the WABAC, Mr. peabody's time machine, starting a wild adventure through history.
Over the years, a film franchise relating to classic animated characters Rocky and Bullwinkle has drifted into cinemas. First, in 1999 came Dudley Do Right about the scatter-brained Mountie. It got slaughtered by critics and was a complete failure at the box office. A year later came Rocky And Bullwinkle. It fared better critically and (technically) did better financially, but still was considered a rather poor film that financially failed. Now is the turn for Mr. Peabody And Sherman from Peabody's Improbable History and whilst it isn't a masterpiece, it's a fairly acceptable animated film with some impressive qualities.
This coming from Dreamworks, one the greatest computer animation studios in the world there's a feeling that whilst the simple and blocky animation style could've been an homage to the simple designs of the original Peabody and Sherman cartoons, it comes off as unimpressive rather than stylised especially since it is still radically different to the original cartoons.
As for the plot, whilst the film does eventually twist around the notion of a paradox in the space time continuum (which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that it's a premise that was used in Back To The Future (1985)) the film does give a nice variety of time periods to witness throughout whilst also providing a wealthy supporting cast of historical figures with acting choices that sometimes seem a given (Patrick Warburton as Agamemnon) and some that seem unusual (Mel Brooks as Albert Einstein comes off rather more puzzling than you might think). In the leads, Ty Burrell does as surprisingly good job as Mr. Peabody given the rather specific characterisation whilst young Max Charles shows some promise as an actor in the role of Sherman. Ariel Winter rounds out the cast fairly well but it's surprising that more isn't made of her acting opposite Ty Burrell (given the two play father and daughter in the popular sit-com, Modern Family).
The film isn't exactly the height of wit, but it's worthy of a chuckle every now and then. The history presented is often wildly inaccurate but is so obviously bound to the fictional universe that it's not too misleading and whilst it won't provide a good education for children, it may inspire an interest in history. All things considered, Mr. Peabody And Sherman has its flaws, but it has good intentions, a fairly smart script and will probably keep kids entertained.
Next time, a sneak preview into the life of a gay rights activist in Bette Bourne: It Goes With The Shoes.
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