By and large, children’s properties getting modern updates for the big screen largely haven’t been able to avoid hackish, focus group driven and condescending writing, if the recent Smurfs and Chipmunks films are any indication. Like its title character, DreamWorks’s Mr. Peabody and Sherman, based on the “Peabody’s Improbable History” segment from Rocky And Bullwinkle, is far more enlightened and ambitious than its peers, especially in the emotional department. There is a moment in the film when Peabody (voiced by Modern Family star Ty Burrell) reflects back on the day he adopted Sherman (given a rather good performance by Max Charles), and his new son starts honking his nose. His expression, as if he’s fighting back tears, indicates this is the happiest day of his young canine life. It’s a testament to how DreamWorks has improved in designing dynamic acting characters since the Shrek days.
Sadly, for all of Sherman’s heart melting cuteness, desire to learn from his adopted father and his good intentions, he’s also really, really accident prone. His clumsiness is what puts much of the plot in motion, as on his first day of public school he gets bullied by a bratty girl named Penny (Ariel Winter). The fallout leads to an investigation of Peabody and his son by a dog hating social worker, so the genius inventor tries to smooth the situation by inviting Penny and her parents over for dinner. Penny continues to antagonize Sherman, until he finally decides to reveal their WABAC time machine in order to look credible. When the girl gets lost in the past, the dog and his boy come to her rescue, setting off an adventure throughout history. Like many fictional time travelers, all three of them have era appropriate costumes for every occasion.
Peabody’s biggest strength is its desire to connect with its audience with some unexpected but well done angst. Partly due to the good voice acting, Peabody, who before this film was probably best remembered as that one character from the Simpsons Halloween special that yelled “Quiet you!” at his boy, is reimagined as a loving father who is nevertheless afraid to back away and let his son learn on his own. For his part, Sherman is retconned from a bumbling sidekick into a bumbling son who still wants to make his dad proud regardless. The evolution of their relationship makes up a slight majority of the film, and the comedy bits are really just given to us as intermissions. There’s a rather intense argument between them where the lighting even changes, and without the visuals, it sounds like something you could hear in a family drama vying for the awards season. What really helps also is how believable the character growth between the two is, as they both make mistakes, regret them and learn from them. Penny starts out as pretty much Bart Simpson in a schooldress, but there are at least some indications the experience is making her a more mature person.
The comedy is pretty childish, but not to the insulting degree of many kiddie flicks. Peabody’s “computerized” brain was a very nice touch, and the slapstick, like most everything else in the film, is well animated. The historical characters are just that, broad characters on the level of the ones found in History Of The World Part 1 (in fact, listen for a Mel Brooks voice cameo!). Peabody can’t go very long without firing off volleys of corny puns, all which fly over his young ward’s head. Despite the fact he’s obviously playing himself again, Patrick Warburton is a hoot as the Greek hero Agamemnon. Stanley Tucci is a very likable Leonardo Da Vinci, and Zach Callison (better known as the voice of Steven Universe ) gives a suitable amount of snobbery to King Tut (who Sherman has a rivalry with over Penny, which I thought was kind of forced).
Mr. Peabody and Sherman is fast paced and goofy as many recent children’s films, but it’s the father/son relationship that makes it above average. Director Rob Minkoff was also co-director of The Lion King, and while it’s not on the level of that masterpiece, his 2014 tribute to some long forgotten characters rises well above most of the dreck that calls itself the cartoon remake. Even if you fall short, it’s probably better to shoot for making the next Toy Story 3 than the next Chipwrecked. I recommend it, especially because unlike the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle film, I see no careers being destroyed by this. Poor, poor Jason Alexander.
Finally, here’s why Beyoncé Knowles’s early Mr. Peabody script and storyboards were rejected by DreamWorks:
