Mr. Peabody and Sherman

I've never watched the cartoon this is based off of (definitely before my childhood), but I can appreciate its history. Then again, what business does a television show made decades ago have being made into a feature length film far after its popularity? It's not like that's ever been done. Except with the Smurfs. And Yogi Bear...and the A-Team...and the Lone Ranger...you get the point.

As it turns out, Mr. Peabody and Sherman is an incredibly lovable and fun movie, with plenty of laughs and an enormous heart. I might be a little biased, but my heart melts when it comes to stories about adoption, having been adopted myself. This story delves into not just the idea of a dog adopting a human boy, but some of the bigger frustrations of being adopted. In particular, the feelings that we simply don't belong to someone who looks nothing like that. It sounds silly (of course being a boy adopted by a dog is tongue in cheek), but one of my first questions to my parents was a very innocent but very serious "why am I brown and you're white?" And growing up I did feel that. So call me a sap, but watching a father/son relationship that's based on adoption grow makes me feel sappy.

But the story isn't what makes Peabody and Sherman shine. No, it's a super quick witted and hilariously movie with plenty of jokes for the kids and the grownups. I was cracking up every few minutes, for the great historical humor and completely random, raunchy jokes. Let me just say there's a line about touching yourself that's brilliantly placed. Not to mention hilarious revelations of Egyptian burial customs, a weird but zanily funny robot built by DaVinci, and a pretty hilarious depiction of Agamemnon by Patrick Warburton.

The film revolves around the escapades of the famous time traveling duo, in a movie that to me is reminiscent of Meet the Robinsons meets Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs humor. These are both enormous compliments to the style and humor of the movie. It looked perhaps not as good as previous Dreamworks films such as How to Train Your Dragon, but it managed to keep a style all its own nonetheless. Brilliant voice acting all around, with a great visual style unique to the studio, left me having a great time in the theatre, laughing at brilliant jokes and feeling the sappiness of the (perhaps a bit heavy handed) emotional bursts the film has. It's a good movie. A really good movie.

Rank - 4/5.