Mr. Peabody & Sherman
2.5/4
Starring (voices): Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Allison Janney, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann
Rated PG for Some Mild Action and Brief Rude Humor
"Mr. Peabody & Sherman," which is a film version of the "Peabody's Improbably History" segments of "The Rocky and Bulwinkle Show," suffers from a similar fate that befalls most kids movies these days: too much action. While it's true that young children don't have the patience or attentions spans of adults, kids movies don't have to be hour and a half long video games to be successful. Look at "Beauty and The Beast," "The Lion King" (which was directed by Rob Minkoff, who also directed this film) or "Spirited Away" for examples. Sure, those had action scenes, but they were germane to the plot. They came out of the story, rather than being inserted just to keep kids interested.
Mr. Peabody (Burrell) never had a family growing up. His intelligence and wit didn't endear him to kids looking for a cuddly puppy. So he devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge, eventually becoming capable of more or less anything (there's little that he is unable to do, apparently). He has a child named Sherman (Charles), that he found in an alley and adopted. They have a close relationship, helped along by The Way Back, a time machine that he uses to give Sherman a first-hand learning experience of history. But as all kids do, Sherman has grown up and must go to school. It does not go well. His intelligence makes him prey for Penny Peterson (Winter), who mercilessly makes him act like a dog in front of the whole lunchroom. He bites her arm during the fight, which brings Mr. Peabody to the attention of Ms. Grunion (Janney), who has designs to take Sherman away from Mr. Peabody. As a way to patch things up, he invites Penny and her parents over for a nice dinner to smooth things over. That's when mischievous Penny and Sherman get into the Way Back, and Penny ends up becoming engaged to King Tut (Zach Callison).
Minkoff seems to think that no scene can end without some sort of action. Be it a lunchroom fight or an escape from the guillotine (this serves as the introduction to the main characters, and it would have worked had it been shortened considerably), there's never a dearth of action in this movie. But this limits the amount of emotional connection the characters have with each other and the audience. And for a movie that's focused on the father-son relationship, that's a big problem.
The voice acting helps. Ty Burrell is terrific as Mr. Peabody. He's witty but aloof, and yet there is an underlying caring nature of his personality. His performance is better than the film deserves. Max Charles is also good as Sherman, whose experiences allow him to grow up. Ariel Winter is also good as Penny, who isn't as nasty as she seems. Everyone else, for reasons only known to the filmmakers, seems to shout all their lines.
There's no subtlety in this film. The filmmakers have made the same mistake that made "The Lorax" misfire two years ago: they have underestimated their audience. And that is why I am not recommending the film.
Starring (voices): Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Allison Janney, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann
Rated PG for Some Mild Action and Brief Rude Humor
"Mr. Peabody & Sherman," which is a film version of the "Peabody's Improbably History" segments of "The Rocky and Bulwinkle Show," suffers from a similar fate that befalls most kids movies these days: too much action. While it's true that young children don't have the patience or attentions spans of adults, kids movies don't have to be hour and a half long video games to be successful. Look at "Beauty and The Beast," "The Lion King" (which was directed by Rob Minkoff, who also directed this film) or "Spirited Away" for examples. Sure, those had action scenes, but they were germane to the plot. They came out of the story, rather than being inserted just to keep kids interested.
Mr. Peabody (Burrell) never had a family growing up. His intelligence and wit didn't endear him to kids looking for a cuddly puppy. So he devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge, eventually becoming capable of more or less anything (there's little that he is unable to do, apparently). He has a child named Sherman (Charles), that he found in an alley and adopted. They have a close relationship, helped along by The Way Back, a time machine that he uses to give Sherman a first-hand learning experience of history. But as all kids do, Sherman has grown up and must go to school. It does not go well. His intelligence makes him prey for Penny Peterson (Winter), who mercilessly makes him act like a dog in front of the whole lunchroom. He bites her arm during the fight, which brings Mr. Peabody to the attention of Ms. Grunion (Janney), who has designs to take Sherman away from Mr. Peabody. As a way to patch things up, he invites Penny and her parents over for a nice dinner to smooth things over. That's when mischievous Penny and Sherman get into the Way Back, and Penny ends up becoming engaged to King Tut (Zach Callison).
Minkoff seems to think that no scene can end without some sort of action. Be it a lunchroom fight or an escape from the guillotine (this serves as the introduction to the main characters, and it would have worked had it been shortened considerably), there's never a dearth of action in this movie. But this limits the amount of emotional connection the characters have with each other and the audience. And for a movie that's focused on the father-son relationship, that's a big problem.
The voice acting helps. Ty Burrell is terrific as Mr. Peabody. He's witty but aloof, and yet there is an underlying caring nature of his personality. His performance is better than the film deserves. Max Charles is also good as Sherman, whose experiences allow him to grow up. Ariel Winter is also good as Penny, who isn't as nasty as she seems. Everyone else, for reasons only known to the filmmakers, seems to shout all their lines.
There's no subtlety in this film. The filmmakers have made the same mistake that made "The Lorax" misfire two years ago: they have underestimated their audience. And that is why I am not recommending the film.
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