Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Ariel Winter, Lake Bell, Stanley Tucci, Leslie Mann, Patrick Warburton, Alison Janney, Mel Brooks, Dennis Haysbert, Stephen Tobolowsky
A zippy, no-nonsense and sharply written kids’ movie, with plenty for adults, Mr Peabody & Sherman is an unexpectedly engaging treat for all age groups.
The canine Mr Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a genius inventor, credited with some of the most innovative devices of the modern era. His adopted son, Sherman (Max Charles), is an eager school starter, whose know-it-all antics lead to a skirmish with a schoolgirl, Penny (Ariel Winter), who calls him a dog. In an attempt to address the situation, which results in child protection services becoming involved, Sherman invites Penny’s parents over for dinner. But Sherman decides to show Penny Mr Peabody’s greatest invention, a time machine, and the two get lost in history, resulting in a race against time for Mr Peabody to rescue the children before the overbearing child protection warden arrives.
The movie wastes no time at all, setting up the scenario before plunging the trio into an array of well chosen historical setups-from the Trojan War and ancient Egypt to renaissance Italy and revolutionary France. Tightly written and relentlessly paced, most of the quips will go well over the heads of most children, who will be kept well entertained by the action set-pieces and expertly applied visuals.
At a tight 85 minutes, unlike most of today's movies, this does not overstay its welcome and indeed feels a little rushed toward the end as history’s characters find themselves in modern day New York and Mr Peabody struggles to repair the space/time continuum. But that’s a small quibble; this is hugely entertaining stuff for all the family. The humour is frequent, wry and dry, the animation is perfect and the 3D well used for once. And it’s got a little heart too; all in all it’s a perfect diversion for any family.
7/10
Ruairi Kavanagh