Mr Peabody and Sherman

Jay Ward is considered by many as one of the pioneers of television cartoons. Reason for it is with the iconic success of “Rocky & Bullwinkle,” a show about a moose and flying squirrel going on many adventures that stop the persuasive plots of Potsylvanian spies, Boris Badinov and Natasha. This show was made around the times of the Cold War, so it was basically a satire on that, but that wasn’t all the show had to offer. There were other cartoon shorts, such as “Fractured Fairy Tales,” “Dudley Do-Right,” and today’s subject, “Peabody’s Improbable History.” This is pretty much the educational segment of the show, as it features the smartest dog in the world, Mr. Peabody, and his adoptive son, Sherman, going back in time with an invention called the WABAC. They use this to go back to historical events in history, and show what happened during this time and see how it unfolds. It was pretty much the segment kids usually went to go get snacks or use the bathroom, as it has been deemed the weakest of the bunch.

And much like “Rocky & Bullwinkle” and “Dudley-Do Right,” “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” was turned into a theatrical film for modern day audiences. Now when I heard news about this, I wasn’t the least bit interested, even when trailers started to pop up, I thought it was going to suck royally. I mean, let’s face it, “R&B” and “Dudley Do-Right” rightfully bombed due to the lack of loyalty, and the only good thing about it was the casting. Say what you will about Jason Alexander, at least he did better justice to Boris more so than Robert DeNiro did to Fearless Leader. Bottom line, I had low expectations for this movie. And even if it was helmed by acclaimed director, Rob Minkoff, the man behind “The Lion King,” it still didn’t do it for me. Don’t forget, this was the same guy responsible for “The Haunted Mansion” starring Eddie Murphy, so it could go in either direction. So, as I pulled a triple feature, I started the day out with “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.” And let me just say…It surprisingly didn’t suck. It’s no masterpiece, but it does manage to be a charming kid’s movie.

The film tells the origins of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, as they return back from one of their past adventures for Sherman to start school. However, after he gets into a fight with a bully named Penny, Peabody must now try to make peace with the family, if he wants to keep Sherman in his custody. Disaster strikes when Penny tricks Sherman into showing her the WABAC and getting stuck in time, leading to shenanigans. The plot, while a bit generic, doesn’t stray from what keeps the charm of the original cartoons. In fact, it may be one of those rare occasions of a film adaptation being loyal and superior to its source material; it pulls a reverse with the cartoons, where “Rocky & Bullwinkle” and “Dudley Do-Right” have the superior cartoon, but inferior film adaption.

While the cast is full of on-screen voice actors, I thought they did an okay job here. Ty Burrell as Mr. Peabody does a good job at portraying the character, showcasing his smarts in the simple tone of his voice. Granted, he’s no Bill Scott, but I digress. I also enjoyed the work done with Sherman, played by Max Charles, who you may remember as young Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spiderman.” I was glad they DID get a kid who DOES have acting chops to play Sherman, and I hope to see more of Charles’s work in the future, in both film and animation. We also get appearances from other great talents, such as Leslie Mann and Stephen Colbert as the Petersons, Mel Brooks as Albert Einstein, and even voice actors such as Patrick Warburton as Agamemnon and Jess Harnell as George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Isaac Newton, and Bill Clinton.

The humor in the film, while modern, does make sense. I mean, think about it, it’s a film that involves Time Travel, so something like that could take place at any given time and it would work out if done right. While there were some jokes that felt tacked on, the rest of it does keep in tone of the cartoon, like Peabody making historical puns. And in all honesty, I’d take bad puns over bad sophomoric humor, which is too common nowadays. Not only that, but the film manages to get in a few touching moments, and I do feel they have a good impact on you when they happen. I am glad to see that Dreamworks has been improving with their animated films as of recent, because this one does hit the spot decently.

Now is there anything I didn’t like in this film? Yes, and one of them is with one character, but a big one at that. The girl in this movie, Penny Peterson, played by Ariel Winters. Don’t get me wrong, Winters did a good job voicing this character; I just felt that they made this character too unlikable when they introduced her. In fact, she bullies Sherman just for being raised by a dog, and thus she starts treating him like one. Now I would have been okay with this, but she went WAY too far, and I felt like that was too harsh. Not only that, there were moments that felt SO damn corny, that it took me out of the film for a second, with a prime example being that clichéd “I'm Sparticus” speech that is seen a lot of films. Aside from that, nothing else really bothered me that much.

Overall, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” is a charming little movie that manages to have good humor, wonderful animation, and seems to appeal to audiences of this generation. If you have kids to take to this movie, then I’d recommend seeing it, if “The Lego Movie” isn’t playing, or you already saw it. Trust me, you won’t be bored.

Rating: 7/10

Oh, and you know that triple feature I mentioned? Well, next reviews are on the other two, coming soon.