Mr. Peabody & Sherman

I have never seen a "Peabody's Improbable History" segment from "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" but I know who Mr. Peabody and Sherman are thanks to pop culture references on animated TV shows. Upon looking up information on these characters, I was surprised to learn that Old Man Peabody, who owns Twin Pines Ranch on "Back to the Future", is named in tribute after those segments. The way I see it, DreamWorks Animation makes better CGI movies when they adapt something. Their original films tend to be misfires. There are some exceptions such as the "Kung Fu Panda" films but when you consider the successes of "Shrek" and "How to Train Your Dragon", my theory makes sense. I feel that the biggest reason why this animated film works is director Rob Minkoff. He is of course one of the directors of "The Lion King" but I also enjoy his live action-directed films "Stuart Little" and "The Forbidden Kingdom". "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" has a strong central relationship and it is well established during the opening part of the film. The humor was funny and the story was well created. The drama could have used a little more sincerity but that is just me being picky.

First of all, I want to get something off my chest. I desire honesty in advertizing. I have looked at the list of producers, executive producers, writers and directors of "How to Train Your Dragon" and none of them worked on this latest film. How then can DreamWorks claim that this film is "from the creators of 'How to Train Your Dragon'"? Sure, I am betting there are animators and technical artists who worked on both films but that is a given when you are talking about two films from the same company. It would have been better to say "from the studio..." on the poster but then it becomes obvious and not worthy advertising in the first place. The advertisements also said "from...the director of 'The Lion King'". Rob Minkoff was the co-director of that masterpiece. The ads for "Stuart Little" got it right so why not DreamWorks? Okay, I am done ranting. At least the filmmakers didn't spoil their best jokes in the trailers like with "The Croods". As opposed to other DreamWorks films, the humor of "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" was smart as opposed to crude. There were jokes for both kids and adults and the adult humor wasn't the kind I was expecting. The jokes about Clinton and Oedipus for example won't be understood by kids but adults will really get a kick out of them. Sometimes though, kids can understand adult humor and I frown upon that. From what I saw, this movie is one that the whole family can enjoy. The film starts to get good when Sherman is put to bed and we see the subsequent montage of Peabody and Sherman's other adventures as Sherman grows up. These scenes sincerely provide the necessary foundation for an entertaining and relatable story. The part I like is the reason why Peabody wants to adopt Sherman. The idea of him providing Sherman with the kind of life he never had growing up is very noble and touching. The use of John Lennon during the montage was really good (this was one of his last songs before his death). A variety of other relatable themes are explored such as letting go of your kids and self-confidence. The fans of "Finding Nemo" by Pixar should be also entertained by "Mr. Peabody & Sherman". The film could have made humor or time travel the central feature of the story but this more heart-filled choice is always best. The climax could have used a bit more sincerity in its drama but that is a mirror flaw when compared to how good the rest of the movie is.

I am glad the Ty Burrell ended up as the voice of Peabody because I think that Robert Downey Jr. may not have been the best choice for this dignified character. I am glad that DreamWorks may now be looking towards actors that aren't necessarily A-listers in order to create better characters. My favorite character was Penny. She is cute and undergoes an appealing character change. Ariel Winter did a good job as her voice and I first saw her briefly in "Speed Racer". Both Burrell and Winter are on TV's "Modern Family" by the way. Patrick Warburton is one of my favorite voice actors and he was really funny as Agamemnon. Other actors I was happy to hear in this film were Stephan Colbert, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci and Mel Brooks. Tiffany Ward, one of the executive producers, is the daughter of Jay Ward who helped created these characters and I am grateful for her involvment. Danny Elfman's score is also noteworthy. His film discography is starting to become extensive. He scored six films in 2012 by the way.

I am sure people know that I am partial towards Pixar because DreamWorks tends to be a hit-and-miss company. I still went to see "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" because I could sense something different from say "Turbo" or "Megamind". Rob Minkoff's talent of telling stories is obviously good and he did the smart thing by putting a father/son relationship at the center of this film's story. I laughed many times during the show and applauded the emotional exposition moments.

4 Stars