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| DreamWorks Animation |
Mr. Peabody and Sherman
is one those films that doesn’t fully reach the two sets of audience members in
attendance. For kids, there are a few small minded jokes that may go over well
but the overall pace is not fast or goofy enough to keep them interested. For parents, the historical references may be
amusing along with feelings of nostalgia (this may apply more to grandparents)
but the story is just too weak and messy to care. Mr. Peabody and Sherman is
not a total disappointment but as the film moves along it becomes more and more
clear that it would work better in the medium it came from: television.
In the most
entertaining sequence of the film, Mr.
Peabody and Sherman opens with Sherman (voiced by Max Charles) and his
adoptive, genius, canine father, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell), finding
them self’s in the midst of the French revolution after using the time
traveling machine that Mr. Peabody invented, the WABAC machine to get to the
time period. With things reaching such a drastic level, Mr. Peabody has to quickly
escape the fatal slash of a guillotine blade before he and Sherman can return
to present day.
Believe it or not, real
trouble arises when the summer ends and Sherman has to go back to school. Not
long into the new school year, Sherman bites classmate Penny (voiced by Ariel
Winter) after she continues to torment him about his dad being a dog (yes,
considering the circumstances, not the smartest thing for Sherman to do but the
film makes it perfectly clear and will not let you forget that he is not the
brightest). So in an effort to, patch up things between Sherman and Penny, Mr.
Peabody invites Penny and her parents (voiced by Stephen Colbert and Leslie
Mann) over to the house. Everything is going well until Sherman and Penny do
the one thing Mr. Peabody says not to: use the WABAC.
The most enjoyable
aspects of Mr. Peabody and Sherman are the historical references. I already mentioned
my admiration for the opening scene that is set in the midst of the French
Revolution but the involvement of some of history’s most prominent figures and
moments not only adds smarts to an extremely outlandish concept but also makes
for the films largest source of energy and entertainment. Leonardo da Vinci
(voiced by Stanley Tucci), Mona Lisa (voiced by Lake Bell) and Albert Einstein
(voiced by Mel Brooks) all make for entertaining appearances but it is King Agamemnon
(voiced by Patrick Warburton) and his army in the middle of the Trojan war
that’s makes for the most memorable character in the film. Yes, this could be
completely contributed to the pure joy I get from hearing Warburton’s voice
(his voice work in The Emperor’s New
Groove should be experienced by EVERYONE and NEVER forgotten) but it is a
voice that is perfect for the tough guy role not to mention the humor he and
the character brings to the table hits on all levels.
Mr.
Peabody and Sherman is one of those movies that can filed
in the “thanks for trying” category as it clearly makes an effort to be more
than just cute movie for kids but doesn’t quite pull it all together. This is
not because this is a story about a brilliant dog who fathers a human boy. It’s
not like we haven’t been moved before by the unreal. If living, breathing toys,
wooden puppets and toasters can invoke emotion and care, then there is no
reason that Mr. Peabody raising Sherman as a son can’t do the same. The problem
isn’t believability of the concept, it’s how the concept is handled. The issue
at hand in Mr. Peabody and Sherman is
that the school that Sherman attends does not believe that Sherman can behave
like a human if he is being raised by a dog. It easy to see how this would be a
real concern but the problem is that the only way that it is tied into the time
traveling concept is with a brief monologue about making mistakes from Sherman at
the end of the film. The story may work better if the fact that a dog raising a
human is seen as normal by the characters in the film and a different storyline
is used to better accompany the time travel concept. In all honesty the story
would work better if it only focused on time travel. The perception of Mr.
Peabody and Sherman’s relationship would not be needed.
Given that the best
parts of Mr. Peabody and Sherman is
the historical references and that time travel storylines are over used, it is
easy to come to the conclusion that this idea may be better in its original
format: a television segment titled Peabody’s
Improbable History. With a television or short story format, education and
humor can be executed without having to wrap it into a film by tying on unrelated
moral values and unneeded characters. If you really want to revive Peabody, why
not bring back the television show or maybe even some kind of program that can
be used in school systems. It’s not that a film version can’t work, it’s just
that Mr. Peabody and Sherman is
unable to pull everything together while failing to fully appeal to both
children and adults.
Grade:
C-
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