2.5 out of 4 stars
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Featuring the Voices of: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Zach Callison, Stephen Tobolowsky, Dennis Haysbert, Guillaume Aretos, Lake Bell, Lauri Fraser, Mel Brooks
Rated PG for some mild action and brief rude humor.
Verdict:
YOU MAY ENJOY MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN IF YOU LIKED:
STUART LITTLE (1999)
THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE (2000)
THE CROODS (2013)
BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1991)
TIME BANDITS (1981)
Based on the Peabody's Improbable History segments of the 1960s animated television series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Modern Family's Ty Burrell) is the most intelligent being on Earth, a titan of the business world, a world-class inventor, scientist, a winner of the Nobel and the Olympics and occasionally a gourmet chef, among other things. He also happens to be a (talking) dog. After achieving excellence in practically every field, he decides to give parenting a shot, after discovering an abandoned infant in an alleyway. A judge rules that if "a boy can adopt a dog, then a dog can adopt a boy", and Peabody raises the boy, Sherman (voice of Max Charles), while tutoring him in the lessons of history with the use of his time machine, the WABAC (pronounced "Way-back"). Eventually, Sherman has to start school though, and his eagerness to share his knowledge in the classroom, combined with his unique parentage, results in conflict with fellow student Penny Peterson (voice of Ariel Winter). When a bigoted Children's Services agent (voiced by Allison Janney) is thrown into the mix, intent on proving that a dog, even one as talented as Peabody, is unfit to be a parent, Mr. Peabody invites Penny and her parents (Mr. and Mrs. Peterson voiced by Stephen Colbert and Leslie Mann, respectively) over for dinner in hopes of smoothing things over. While Peabody is entertaining, Sherman, in an effort to show up Penny, takes her out for a spin in the WABAC, but loses her in Ancient Egypt, so Peabody and Sherman must both go back to retrieve Penny and get back to the dinner party without permanently damaging the space-time continuum, which, of course, is easier said than done.
Not being a fan of the creepy cartoons that this film is based on (if enough baby-boomers are nostalgic about something, they'll call anything a classic), I was never concerned about the integrity of the original characters, but the general spirit is still there, with Peabody cracking the most godawful puns imaginable throughout (although less deadpan than the original) and an array of highly colorful, comically-stylized historical figures. The best one is probably Leonardo da Vinci (voiced by Stanley Tucci), who we see clashing with Mona Lisa (voiced by Lake Bell) about her smile and haunted by a "child" he created. There's also King Agamemnon (voiced by Patrick Warburton, doing his usual schtick), King Tut (voiced by Zach Callison), Maximilien Robespierre (voiced by Guillaume Aretos) and others, laying a groundwork for children's education in history, and perhaps that of a few adults as well.
There are several moments of genuine wit and laugh-out-loud hilarity, but they're spread pretty thin over the hour-and-a-half running time, which is generally composed of mildly amusing but mediocre episodes. Director Rob Minkoff's greatest claim to fame by is far is THE LION KING, which he co-directed with Roger Allers, and while that film is easily one of my all-time favorites, every film he's made after that is defined, at best, as mildly charming/interesting, but ultimately lackluster, i.e. STUART LITTLE, THE HAUNTED MANSION and THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM. Following the intense brilliance that nobody saw coming in THE LEGO MOVIE just last month, it was not likely that MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN would be the best animated movie of the year so far, but it never quite its its own modest bar of expectations. It's harmless, and perhaps a bit too much so, but it's older audience-friendly enough and kids certainly won't mind it.
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