Director: Rob Minkoff.
Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Ariel Winter, Leslie Mann, Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Mel Brooks, Lake Bell.
Running Time: 92 minutes.
Certificate: PG.
Synposis: Using his most ingenious invention, the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) and his adopted boy Sherman (Max Charles) hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events first-hand and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time. They find themselves in a race to repair history and save the future.
The story of MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN is based on the characters and adventures from the ‘Peabody’s Improbable History’ segments of the 1960s animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show in which a genius talking dog and his pet son travel through time and encounter adventures from a variety of historical times and events. Various segments from the show have previously been made into feature-length movies such as THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY & BULLWINKLE featuring a cast of Robert Di Niro and Rene Russo. The film was widely panned by critics and did not fare well at the box office either, so DreamWorks Animation took a gamble in this new adaptation. The result is 90 minutes packed with action, adventure, thrills, spills and, to the film’s credit, a heart-warming morale.
After a fight with the school bully, Sherman mistakenly lets the mean-spirited Penny (Ariel Winter) check out his time machine and ends up getting them into a whole heap of trouble in ancient Egypt, the French Revolution and the Renaissance before Mr. Peabody can find them and try to repair the damage. We’re given a potted round-up of eras many younger audience members will not yet have encountered, and the sneaky history lesson – combined with enough silly gags to keep them laughing – is a joy to behold. A clever script from Craig Wright and a simple but exciting plot ensure a ‘Horrible Histories’-esque adventure comedy from THE LION KING director Rob Minkoff.
In the variety show, Sherman is Mr. Peabody’s ‘pet’ boy, but the film takes this one step further having Mr. Peabody as the boy’s adoptive father. This relationship is the heart of the movie as we see Sherman teased and being called a dog by the school bully. When Sherman ultimately embraces the ‘dog like’ qualities of his adoptive father knowing they make him who he is, he learns a valuable lesson about acceptance that is played at just the right level so the children in the audience won’t even notice.
You’ve got heroes and villains aplenty and the humorous script doesn’t let up throughout. Take the children or leave them at home, MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN is fun for all ages.
[usr=4] MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN is released in UK cinemas on Friday 7th February, 2014.
