Mr. Peabody And Sherman

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' is a 2014 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, PDI/DreamWorks, and Bullwinkle Studios, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is based on characters from Ted Key's " Peabody's Improbable History" segments of the animated television series ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends''. It was directed by Rob Minkoff and produced by Alex Schwartz and Denise Nolan Cascino, from a screenplay by Craig Wright. Tiffany Ward, daughter of series producer and co-creator Jay Ward, served as executive producer. ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Allison Janney. In the film, Mr. Peabody and his adoptive human son Sherman use the WABAC to embark on time travel adventures. When Sherman accidentally rips a hole by taking the WABAC without permission to impress Penny Peterson, they must find themselves to repair history and save the future, while dealing with Sherman's prying corrupt school counselor and Children's Services agent, Ms. Grunion, who wants to have him removed from Mr. Peabody's custody.

The film was originally planned as a live-action/CG film until it was redeveloped into a fully computer-animated film in 2006 when Minkoff joined DreamWorks Animation to direct an adaptation. Andrew Kurtzman was set to write the screenplay, based on the pitch, developed by Minkoff with his longtime producing partner Jason Clark. It is the first DreamWorks animated feature to feature characters from the Classic Media library since its acquisition by DreamWorks Animation in 2012, the first animated adaptation of a Jay Ward property, and Minkoff's first animated film after having co-directed ''The Lion King'' (1994) for Walt Disney Animation Studios in 20 years, his first directing a CGI animated film, and his first fully animated film as a solo director.

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' premiered on February 7, 2014 in the United Kingdom and was released theatrically a month later in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the voice acting and characters, while others criticized the plot and its use of the source material. Despite grossing $275 million worldwide against a budget of $145 million, the film lost the studio $57 million. A TV series based on the film, titled '' The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show'', premiered on Netflix on October 9, 2015, with Chris Parnell replacing Burrell as Mr. Peabody while Charles reprises his role as Sherman.

Plot

Mr. Peabody is a highly intelligent anthropomorphic dog who lives in a New York City penthouse with his adopted human son, Sherman. Peabody uses a time machine called the WABAC to teach Sherman history. On Sherman's first day of school, he corrects classmate Penny Peterson about the historicity of the George Washington cherry-tree anecdote, resulting in a fight where Penny calls Sherman a dog and puts him in a chokehold. After Sherman bites Penny in self-defense, Peabody is called in for a meeting with Principal Purdy and Ms. Grunion, a child protective services agent. Grunion plans to investigate Peabody's home and threatens to remove Sherman from his care if she deems Peabody unfit to parent.

The next evening, Peabody invites Penny's family over for a dinner party. Sherman takes Penny on an unauthorized trip in the WABAC and she stays in Ancient Egypt to marry a young King Tut. Sherman enlists Peabody's help to retrieve her, and Penny agrees to leave after learning that she will be entombed with Tut after his death. On the return journey to the present, the WABAC loses power, forcing an unplanned stop at the home of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Florence, where Sherman tests da Vinci's flying machine and crashes it. Afterwards, he learns of Ms. Grunion's intentions and falls out with Peabody.

A further WABAC malfunction lands the trio in the midst of the Trojan War, where Sherman joins Agamemnon's army. Peabody saves Penny and Sherman from falling off a cliff within the Trojan Horse, appearing to sacrifice himself in the process. Sherman and Penny travel back to earlier that evening, seeking help from the past version of Peabody, but this leads to an encounter with the Sherman from that timeline. Just as Grunion arrives, the original Peabody returns from Troy, having survived the fall. Grunion attempts to collect both Shermans, but they and the Peabodys merge, generating a cosmic shockwave. When Grunion persists in her efforts to take Sherman away, Peabody bites her in a fit of rage and desperation and she calls the New York Police Department.

Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC, but cannot initiate time travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merging. A portal opens above New York and unleashes a deluge of historical figures and artifacts onto the streets. When the WABAC crashes in Grand Army Plaza, Peabody faces arrest, but Sherman, the Petersons, and the historical figures rally to his defense. As the rip worsens, Sherman proposes travelling to the future to repair the damage, and they do. The historical figures are sent back to their respective eras and Agamemnon, smitten with Grunion, takes her with him. Sherman returns to school, having become friends with Penny and strengthened his bond with Peabody, with the historical figures having modern day 'artifacts', while Agamemnon marries Grunion.

Cast

* Ty Burrell as Hector J. Peabody, a talking intelligent white beagle, business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmet chef, and two-time Olympic medalist.
* Max Charles as Sherman, Peabody's 7-year-old adopted son.
* Ariel Winter as Penny Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson's 7-year-old daughter and Sherman's classmate.
* Stephen Colbert as Paul Peterson, Penny Peterson's father and Patty's husband.
* Leslie Mann as Patty Peterson, Paul's wife and Penny's mother.
* Allison Janney as Edwina Grunion, the stocky Children's Services agent.
* Stephen Tobolowsky as Principal Purdy, the principal of Sherman's school.
* Stanley Tucci as Leonardo da Vinci
* Adam Alexi-Malle as a French peasant
* Patrick Warburton as King Agamemnon
* Zach Callison as King Tut
* Steve Valentine as Ay, King Tut's Vizier.
* Dennis Haysbert as a judge who grants Mr. Peabody the custody of Sherman.
* Leila Birch as the WABAC
* Karan Brar as Mason, one of Sherman's friends.
* Joshua Rush as Carl, another one of Sherman's friends who also wears glasses and is seen in a wheelchair.
* Thomas Lennon as Italian Peasant #2

In addition to Leonardo da Vinci, King Agamemnon, and King Tut, the film features other historical figures including Albert Einstein (Mel Brooks), Mona Lisa ( Lake Bell), Marie Antoinette (Lauri Fraser), Maximilien Robespierre (Guillaume Aretos), George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Isaac Newton (all voiced by Jess Harnell), Odysseus ( Tom McGrath), Ajax the Lesser (Al Rodrigo) and Spartacus ( Walt Dohrn).

Production

Development

Plans for a film starring Mister Peabody and Sherman had existed for several years with director Rob Minkoff. His first attempt to make a feature film goes to 2003, when it was reported that Minkoff's Sony-based production company Sprocketdyne Entertainment and Bullwinkle Studios would produce a live-action/CG film, with a possibility of Minkoff to direct it. The live-action film was not realized, but in 2006, Minkoff joined DreamWorks Animation to direct a computer-animated film adaptation. Andrew Kurtzman was set to write the screenplay, based on the pitch, developed by Minkoff with his longtime producing partner Jason Clark. The final screenplay was written by Craig Wright, with revisions by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.

Tiffany Ward, daughter of Jay Ward, one of the creators of the original series, served as an executive producer, whose job was to make sure the film stayed "true to the integrity of the characters". When she was approached by Minkoff ten years before the film's release, she was enthused by his intention to respect the legacy: "What better caretaker for the characters could we ask for than Rob". The process to make the adaptation "perfect" took them a long time, but she was pleased with the end result, which stayed "very true to the original cartoon".

Casting

In early 2011, Robert Downey Jr. signed on to voice Mr. Peabody, but in March 2012, he was replaced by Ty Burrell. Reportedly, Downey's commitments to '' The Avengers'' and other franchises did not allow him to find the time to record his lines. Initially, Tiffany Ward and others at the studio opposed Burrell, who was then relatively unknown, but he managed to convince them with a successful audition. Ward insisted on someone who sounds like Mr. Peabody did in the original series, while Minkoff saw the casting as an opportunity "to modernize the character". He promised her that Burrell would try to "get there and he started watching the show to nail the cadence. He got the underlying connection and he made it his own."

Max Charles, the actor who played young Peter Parker in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', voiced Sherman. Stephen Colbert voiced Paul Peterson, Leslie Mann, who replaced Ellie Kemper, voiced Peterson's wife, Patty, and Ariel Winter voiced their daughter Penny. Other voices include Stephen Tobolowsky, Allison Janney, Mel Brooks, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Lake Bell, Zach Callison, Karan Brar, and Dennis Haysbert. According to Minkoff, Burrell was chosen because his voice "embodied all the different aspects of the character today. Not just the intellect and the suave personality, but the underlying warmth as well."

Animation

The visual development process began in 2011 with production designer David James, visual effects supervisor Philippe Denis, and art director Tim Lamb collaborating to establish the film’s aesthetic. The team drew inspiration from mid-century modern design, the UPA animation style, and visual trends from the 1950s and 1960s. These influences guided the creation of environments, character poses, and textures, emphasizing clean silhouettes and simple, readable designs to retain the essence of the original show. Translating the minimally designed 2D cartoon characters into 3D posed significant challenges. Early animation tests focused on ensuring expressive clarity for characters like Mr. Peabody and Sherman, particularly regarding their glasses, which obscured facial features. For example, animators developed rules to adjust eyebrow placement above or below the glasses' rims to enhance readability of expressions.

The animation team implemented innovative techniques to reflect the spirit of 2D animation. A system was developed to allow characters to use "multiple limbs", a nod to traditional animation smears and exaggerated movements. This feature enabled animators to add extra limbs to characters during rapid movements, enhancing visual clarity and energy. Another innovation involved incorporating refraction effects in the animation software to simulate the distortion caused by the characters' glasses. This allowed animators to pose characters accurately without relying on time-intensive adjustments during the lighting phase.

The production schedule was organized by sequences, with each sequence lasting two to three minutes. Early sequences, such as the bedroom scene between Mr. Peabody and Sherman, were chosen for their focus on character interactions, providing an opportunity to refine character dynamics. Complex sequences, such as one depicting Sherman growing younger through time, required extended pre-production and weekly review meetings to address unique visual and technical challenges. One notable challenge was the depiction of the antagonist, Ms. Grunion. Her limited screen time necessitated careful animation to establish her motivations and impact as a villain. This process required multiple iterations to ensure her character resonated with the audience.

Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Danny Elfman. The soundtrack was released by Relativity Music Group on March 3, 2014. Peter Andre wrote and performed for the film a song titled "Kid", which is played during the British version of the end credits, instead of Grizfolk's "Way Back When".

Release

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' went through several release date changes. Originally scheduled for March 21, 2014 and March 14, 2014, DreamWorks Animation's high expectations moved the film to November 8, 2013 (which was moved up to November 1, 2013), replacing another DreamWorks Animation film, ''Me and My Shadow''. The last shift happened in February 2013, which pushed the film back to March 7, 2014, reportedly due to a "more advantageous release window", again replacing ''Me and My Shadow''. The film premiered a month earlier in the United Kingdom, on February 7, 2014.

Home media

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' was released in digital HD, Blu-ray (2D and 3D) and DVD on October 14, 2014. The Blu-ray release also included a new CGI ''Rocky & Bullwinkle'' short film. As of February 2015, 3.4 million home entertainment units were sold.

Rocky and Bullwinkle Short

The film was planned to be theatrically accompanied with a DreamWorks Animation short film, ''Rocky & Bullwinkle'', based on the Rocky and Bullwinkle characters from ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show''. The short was directed by Gary Trousdale, who is known for co-directing Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'', produced by Nolan Cascino, and written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Garant. June Foray was set to reprise her role as Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel, while Tom Kenny was set to voice Bullwinkle Moose. The short was originally planned as a test for a feature film with the characters. ''Almost Home'', a short based on the DreamWorks Animation film ''Home'', played before the film instead and plans for a Rocky and Bullwinkle movie was ultimatly scrapped.

Reception

Box office

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' grossed $111.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $164.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $275.7 million. With a budget of $145 million, the film underperformed, forcing DreamWorks Animation to take a $57 million write-down on behalf of the film.

In the United States and Canada, ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' was released alongside '' 300: Rise of an Empire'', and was projected to gross $30 million from 3,934 theatres in its opening weekend. The film earned $8 million on its opening day, and opened to number two in its first weekend, with $32.2 million, behind ''300: Rise of an Empire''. ''Forbes'' attributed the underperformed to lackluster marketing and lack of interest for the youngest moviegoers, while Katharine Trendacosta of ''Gizmodo'' felt the low opening was because it was "too clever" for audiences. In its second weekend, the film moved up to number one, grossing $21.8 million. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $11.8 million. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number four, grossing $9.1 million. ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' completed its theatrical run in the United States and Canada on August 14, 2014.

Critical response

''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' has an approval rating of based on professional reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' offers a surprisingly entertaining burst of colorful all-ages fun, despite its dated source material and rather convoluted plot." Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' a score of 59 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' said: "(The film) takes a little while for the audience to get up to speed, but once this is achieved, there's an awful lot of unexpected fun to be had," while Mark Kermode of the sister paper ''The Observer'' declared, "Pleasant to report, then, that DreamWorks' latest offers a fairly consistent stream of sight gags and vocal slapstick, even as the plot veers wildly down a wormhole in the time-space continuum." Kevin McFarland of ''The A.V. Club'' gave the film a C+, saying, "Unlike the whimsical, slapstick-driven shorts on which it's based, this feature-length adaptation adds an obligatory emotional arc that feels at odds with the zany spirit of historical time-travel tales." A. O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' gave the film a positive review, saying, "This DreamWorks Animation production, directed by Rob Minkoff (''Stuart Little'', ''The Lion King'') from a screenplay by Craig Wright, is not perfect, but it is fast-moving, intermittently witty and pretty good fun." Richard Roeper of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film a B, saying, "''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' is a whip-smart, consistently funny and good-natured film with some terrific voice performances and one of the most hilarious appearances ever by an animated version of a living human being." Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' is lively, educational and intermittently amusing. The fun, however, grows strained and formulaic as the movie goes on." Michael Phillips of the ''Chicago Tribune'' gave the film two out of four stars, saying, "The film's animation design is strictly generic in its rounded edges and dutiful 3-D IN YOUR FACE!!! gimmicks. And the story gets off to such a sour start, it takes a long time for the comedy to recover."

Bill Goodykoontz of ''The Arizona Republic'' gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying, "It retains the main characters, the WABAC machine, the trips through history – but not the sense of nuttiness that made the TV cartoon so delightful." Colin Covert of the ''Star Tribune'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "What a relief to see that while ''Mr. Peabodys visuals are enhanced to sleek 21st-century standards, the essential charm of the series survives more or less intact." Elizabeth Weitzman of ''New York Daily News'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Burrell doesn't quite capture the wry deadpan of the original, but then, neither does the movie. That's okay." Bruce Demara of the ''Toronto Star'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Kids of all ages are sure to enjoy this visually splendid, fast-paced blast through the past." Betsy Sharkey of the ''Los Angeles Times'' gave the film a negative review, saying, "For all the ways the film reflects its earlier TV incarnation, the shadings have been softened. ''Mr. Peabody'' could use a bit more bite." Soren Anderson of ''The Seattle Times'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Frantically paced by director Rob Minkoff (''The Lion King'') and making very effective use of 3D – Hey! Get that sword out of my face! – the movie will surely appeal to kids." Rafer Guzman of ''Newsday'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "The movie has trouble stitching together disjointed episodes into a coherent narrative. Thanks to a strong voice cast, however, the characters retain their charm throughout."

Leslie Felperin of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' gave the film a positive review, saying, "The film's saving grace is its character design and use of 3D techniques to speed things up in every sense when the plot starts to flag." Liam Lacey of ''The Globe and Mail'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "''Mr. Peabody'' is fast-paced and jammed with rib-poking historical references, but it couldn't be called witty, even on the broadly winking level of the original cartoon." Stephen Whitty of the ''Newark Star-Ledger'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Fifty years ago, animated entertainment was a lot quieter. But that was my ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman''. This is someone else's. And it should give them, and even a few open-minded parents, almost just as much giggly fun." Owen Gleiberman of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the film a B, saying, "''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' has a zesty time mixing and matching historical figures, from Marie Antoinette to George Washington. Yet the movie never, to my mind, conjured quite the quirky effervescence of such brainiac animated features as the ''Jimmy Neutron'' or ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' movies." Michael O'Sullivan of ''The Washington Post'' gave the film one out of four stars, saying, "By visual standards alone, the characters, rendered in eye-popping 3-D, resemble nothing so much as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats. They're just as lifeless and inexpressive, too." Sean Daly of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' gave the film a B, saying, "Before getting sucked into a what-the-wormhole ending that will scramble young brains, time-travel romp ''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' is a fast, fun 3-D getaway."

Tom Huddleston of '' Time Out'' gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "This feature-length ''Mr Peabody & Sherman'' is by no means unbearable: there are a few decent gags, and the episodic plot just about manages to hold the interest. But there's little here for any but the most easy-to-please youngsters." Eric Henderson of ''Slant Magazine'' gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying, "The film spent roughly a dozen years in development, and the moronic, corporate detritus from that long time warp is strewn about like so many improbable history lessons." Steven Rea of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "''Mr. Peabody & Sherman'' has a cool, midcentury-modern look (dog and boy live in a populuxe Manhattan penthouse) and a voice cast that may not be A-list but fits the bill nicely." David Gritten of ''The Daily Telegraph'' gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "It's sweet-natured and amusing, with a story to captivate kids; yet the script has enough witty touches to keep adults laughing too."

Accolades

Television series

An animated television series featuring Mr. Peabody and Sherman, titled '' The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show'' premiered on October 9, 2015 on Netflix. The series is based on the 1960s short film segments that aired as part of ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'', and it also takes some elements from the film. After being revealed as time travelers at the end of the film, Mr. Peabody and Sherman launch a live TV variety show, hosting various historical figures at their Manhattan penthouse. The series is hand-drawn, with the Vancouver-based DHX Media providing the animation. Mr. Peabody is voiced by Chris Parnell, while Max Charles reprises his role as Sherman from the film. A soundtrack for the series was released digitally on October 2, 2015, and on CD in December 2015. Published by Lakeshore Records, the album features original score and the opening theme song by Eric Goldman and Michael Corcoran (a.k.a. The Outfit), and new original songs by Jukebox the Ghost, JD McPherson, Wordsworth and Prince Paul, and Ra Ra Riot.

Notes

References

External links

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