Decades ago, the cartoons of Jay Ward, like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Do Right and George of the Jungle entertained a whole generation of television viewers, and while I have to admit I wasn't part of that generation, I was able to catch one or two of the film adaptations of these cartoons that have been coming out since the late 1990s. In particular, I watched George of the Jungle, which did nothing for me, and more recently, the animated film Mr. Peabody and Sherman, directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King).
The timing for my watching this film couldn't have been better; after watching the magnificently crafted but emotionally draining 12 Years A Slave, a considerably lighter movie was quite welcome.
Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a genius of a dog who has adopted a human boy named Sherman (Max Charles) and actually gives his son lessons by traveling back in time using a device Peabody has invented called the WABAC (which is pronounced "way back"). When Sherman goes to school, however, and his knowledge gained from time-traveling has him run afoul of "popular girl" Penny (Ariel Winter) which results in her bullying him, which in turn results in him fighting back by biting her, things get distinctly uncomfortable for the unconventional father-son duo as child services, represented by the hulking, unpleasant Mrs. Grunion (Allison Janney) scrutinizes the propriety of having a dog adopt a boy. To fix things, Peabody invites Penny and her parents (Stephen Colbert and Leslie Mann) over, and leaves the two children in Sherman's room to resolve their differences while he tries to charm Penny's parents. Sherman, wanting to prove to Penny that he wasn't lying about the things he knows, shows her the WABAC, and suffice it to say, chaos ensues.
I never watched the original cartoon, so if there were any references or in-jokes that only fans of that show would get they sailed right over my head. Still, there were enough puns and broad, visual gags for me and my family to appreciate the movie, flaws and all. While I wouldn't rank this film with Dreamworks Animation's best work like the first Shrek, Kung Fu Panda or How to Train Your Dragon, it does have that some of that sense of fun that made those films memorable. It was fitting that Minkoff, who also directed Stuart Little, which was about humans adopting a mouse as their son, helmed this film, as it represents a bit of a turnabout on the concept of interspecies adoption.
The appearance of comedic versions of notable historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci (Stanley Tucci) and King Agamemnon (Patrick Warburton) added to the enjoyment and duly exploited the film's time-traveling theme. The film's absurd premise also makes it easy to ignore some of the verbose explanation of the fake science, though it grated on me every now and then when it seemed like they were trying to make it all sound even remotely believable.
The thing about movies that don't really invest a lot in story or characterization is that they run out of gas a lot earlier than they otherwise would, as this film does with a third-act "I am Spartacus" scene (which actually features a pretty funny cameo), but I'd already had enough fun by then to endure the last-act cliches.
This film makes for a pleasant enough afternoon with the kids, and truth be told, while to my mind it doesn't really scream for a sequel, perhaps a revival of the original TV show using CGI is in order now. After all, there are thousands of years of human history that Mr. Peabody and Sherman can explore.
3.5/5
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