A highly intelligent talking dog named Mr Peabody (Burrell) and his adopted human son Sherman (Charles) go on a fun time travelling adventure in this cartoon inspired by characters who first appeared in the 1960s US TV series The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show.
When young Sherman first starts school, he falls foul of another classmate, Penny (Winter) and gets in so much trouble that the adoption agency tells Peabody he may lose custody of his son. Determined to smooth things over, the super-smart pooch invites Penny and her parents to dinner, but when Sherman and Penny sneak off and use Peabody’s time travelling WABAC machine against his wishes, their actions cause historical problems that all three of them have to go back and fix.
Featuring stop-offs in Ancient Egypt, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Italy, the French Revolution and the Trojan War, this is a warm-hearted, zippy ride through history that features a few jokes and cameos (see Einstein playing with a Rubiks’ Cube, that sort of thing) that may fly over the heads of kids but will amuse their parents. That said, there’s plenty that younger audiences will chortle at, including the occasional butt gag, some enjoyable action sequences and sweet father/son moments between Peabody and Sherman. It’s not a classic slice of animation, perhaps, but it’s a cute, jolly cartoon for all ages nonetheless.
Is Mr Peabody & Sherman suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
Very little viewers may be scared when one character is taken to the guillotine during the French Revolution to be beheaded. (Don’t worry, they’re ok).
If you like this, why not try: Bolt, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Despicable Me, Garfield: The Movie, Back To The Future,