It has been a very long time since audiences have witnessed the time traveling adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle friends Mr. Peabody & Sherman. It may even be jarring to fans of the 60’s animated characters to see a new movie give them a 3D computer make-over. Yet, despite these updates, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is an enjoyable effort that still retains the same infectious tone, humor and charm of the original cartoon. Kids should have a blast, and adults may find themselves chuckling along with them.
Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) is a brilliant Harvard laureate, scientist and just about everything else under the sun. Of course, this is in addition to the fact that he is a talking dog. One of Mr. Peabody’s many inventions is the WABAC, a time machine that he uses to help teach history to his adopted son, Sherman (Max Charles). When Sherman encounters a bully named Penny (Ariel Winter), the boy is manipulated into using the WABAC without his canine guardian’s supervision. Complications arise and the three must not only struggle to survive adventures in various periods of history, but prevent a rip in time from destroying the world.
There is considerably more back story and emphasis on the relationship between the title characters than in the original cartoon. The film also attempts to shoehorn in a few moral messages (about bullying and prejudice) as well as more emotional moments into the story. While some of these bits slow the pacing down, the attempts don’t dramatically detract or distract from the overall experience. It even results in a funny gag in which the overly formal Mr. Peabody tries to awkwardly express his feelings for Sherman and can only muster that he has a “deep regard” for the boy.
Ultimately, the film’s highlights come from the numerous time travel sequences that include encounters with Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, King Tut, Leonardo da Vinci and Agamemnon. There’s a fun interplay between the characters, as the heroic pooch intersperses some droll puns that enliven the history lesson taught and amusingly contrasting the seriousness of the situations. It’s also entertaining to see the verbal word play mixed with some silly sight gags (including one that features Greek soldiers in the famed Trojan Horse leaping out of its rear end).
Visually, the movie is quite striking as well. The 3D is effectively employed and director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little) uses depth to create some impressive compositions, particularly those involving people and object falling into and out of a wormhole during a chase through the streets of Manhattan. Of course, there are also a few effects involving spears being thrust out of the screen that also make the feature fun to look at.
Fast-paced, light and breezy, Mr. Peabody & Sherman should not only entertain tykes and introduce them a few bits of historical trivia, but also amuse guardians with its goofy “punniness.”