Dreamworks has done some different kind of films in the past, but this could take the cake. For first time in the animation studio’s history, Dreamworks Animation takes a crack at bringing a popular animated show to the silver screen. Well , a segment on a cartoon series would be more accurate. The movie is Mr.Peabody and Sherman; a film based on the cartoon segments about an Intellectual Dog and his Boy companion going on adventures through time.. Getting their start on the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, Peabody and Sherman were featured in Peabody’s Improbable History. While the duo did not get their own series, these characters have been well known in pop culture. Now the adventure of Peabody and Sherman hit the big screen, but will they find success or fall on their faces just Rocky & Bullwinkle?
The story of Mr.Peabody and Sherman focuses on…well Mr.Peabody (Ty Burrell) and Sherman (Max Charles). Thank to Peabody’s time machine called The Wayback, Peabody and Sherman have had many adventures. However, when Sherman gets in a fight with a girl named Penny (Ariel Winters) at school and the adoption of Sherman is called into question, Peabody hopes to rectify the situation by inviting Penny and her parents over for dinner. Things do not go according to plan after Sherman shows Penny the Wayback and looses her in ancient Egypt. Peabody and Sherman journey into the past to get Penny back and what ensues is an adventure that rips a hole right into the fabric of time.
The story to Peabody and Sherman is simple; however this simplicity was quite effective. For it is worth, the story is an adventure through and through. Yet along with the adventurous story are themes such as a love between a father and his adoptive as well as the idea of change. While some themes were stronger then others, the fact that they were there gave the movie more depth that I ever thought possible.
While the movie has plenty of colorful characters, my hat goes off to Peabody and Sherman. The banter between the two characters was simply engaging, whether it was a comical moment or a emotional one. Ty Burrell was surprising as the role of Peabody. In fact, you can hardly tell it was Burrell at all. It can be hard to find a good kid actor, but Max Charles shined as Sherman. Accompanying the two was Penny, who was just alright. Ariel Winters did a great job as Penny, but this kind of character has been seen before from Dreamworks. The character was not bad, but she was just nothing new. To fill out the rest of the movie was entourage of comical characters. The likes of Stephen Colbert, Lisa Mann, Stanley Tucci and Patrick Warburton provided comical voices for the movie; and while they did not get loads of screen time, they still were great to hear. Add a few cameos in the bunch and you have a fun cast from Mr.Peabody and Sherman.
It seems silly to compliment the animation. It would be strange if Dreamworks did not have a movie these days that lack good animation. Aside from that, I came out enjoying the comedy of the film. The majority of the humor was center on puns and family friendly fun, but it worked for the movie. There are some jokes for adults in the film as well, so keep an eye out for them. I did not expect to find this movie as humorous as I did, but I found myself laughing on several occasions.
When I walked into the theater, I did not think anything good would come from Mr.Peabody and Sherman. Oh how wrong I was as this animated film was very enjoyable. True, it is not the strongest film to come from this animation studio, but it is certainly no the weakest. Mr.Peabody and Sherman is a treat for all ages and it shows that you do not need to know Mr.Peabody and Sherman to love Mr.Peabody and Sherman.
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