Review 304: Mr Peabody & Sherman

Mr Peabody & Sherman is not the best animated offering Dreamworks has to offer, but it's a thoroughly entertaining watch that the whole family can enjoy.

Based on the characters from the Peabody's Improbable History segments of the 1960s animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Mr. Peabody (Ty Burell), a talking dog who is the smartest being in the world, and his adopted boy Sherman (Max Charles). On his first day of school, Sherman comes into conflict with another classmate, Penny Peterson (Ariel Winter). The adoption agency informs Peabody that they will reclaim Sherman if any more incidents occur. To complicate this issue, Peabody invites the Petersons over to break the ice. After Sherman's misuse of their time traveling WABAC machine to impress her has disastrous and comical results, it is up to them to put things on track before the space-time continuum is irreparably destroyed.

The plot is not as deep as some of Dreamworks' creations can be but what keeps it afloat is the relationship between Mr Peabody & Sherman. We've seen loads of film about father/son relationships as well as time travel before right? But all those elements are handled in such a twisty, intelligent way that its hard to resist it's charm and imagination: The ways it's intelligent is that, Mr Peabody & Sherman & Penny don't just visit one time period cause a fracture in the space/time continum and try to repair it Back to the Future style, they visit all sort of time periods, The Trojan War, The French Revolution where they meet Marie Antoinette, they meet Leonardo de Vinci etc.  

They way the film handles Mr Peabody & Sherman and Penny's character development and relationships is in some ways quite remarkable, Sherman and Penny get into a fight, Mr Peabody ability to be a parent to Sherman is questioned and Sherman becomes in danger of being taken away from him.
After Sherman uses the WABAC to impress Penny spirals out of control the trio have to work together to repair the damage, Sherman goes through a coming of age and in some ways become better people.

Director Rob Minkoff's animation direction is imaginative, the animation is splendid and beautiful, the production design (creating all the settings in various time periods) is elaborate and amazing, the character design is fantastic, the scenery is breathtaking, the score by Danny Elfman is beautiful and magnificent, pacing is killing (the film is so fast paced, it gives you the sense that these characters are whizzing across time and the jokes are funny and equally as fast paced, they go by so quickly, you have to pay close attention to get them, otherwise you'll be lost.

The voice acting, for the most part, is superb, Ty Burrell and Max Charles are hilarious in their roles as Mr Peabody & Sherman receptively, they beautifully depict their father/son relationship wonderfully.
Mr Peabody has looked after Sherman since he was a baby and feels a great responsibility to him and the way that relationship begins and evolves over time is quite moving in a way.

Ariel Winter is also good in the film, she starts off as quite bratty and unlikeable, but as she goes on these adventures with Mr Peabody & Sherman she becomes more friendly to them.

Other actors who are funny are Stanley Tucci as Leonardo de Vinci who is so outrageously erratic, crazy and unpredictable, Lake Bell as Mona Lisa, yes Mona Lisa and Patrick Warburton as King Agamemnon who is so hilarious and one of the great laughs of this film.
Also the rest of the cast is great.

Mr Peabody & Sherman is another fine addition to Dreamworks extensive filmography.

Please comment and subscribe, 4/5.

The Anonymous Critic.