MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN

2014, DreamWorks Animation

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 91 mins.

THE STORY:

Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is the world's only Harvard-graduated, gourmet chef, multi-lingual, multi-instrumental dog. He is also the only dog in the world to have adopted a boy. Mr. Peabody has tried to give young Sherman (Max Charles) the best education possible, including exposing him to history firsthand. Yet another of his seemingly endless accomplishments is invention of a time machine

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• none

VIOLENCE:

• reference to disembowelment and mummification process
• a near-miss scene involving a guillotine
• Mr. Peabody seems to die, but reappears 5 or so minutes later

TEACHING POINTS:

• labels can be hurtful and meaningless-- question and challenge them
• sometimes parents know what is best and safest for their kids... and sometimes they need to recognize when to back off

THE UPSHOT:

The adults in the theatre enjoyed it more than the 5 year-old, despite her best efforts. The humour relies mainly on clever word play and historical references that were simply out of her reach. We did some prep work related to DaVinci and the Trojan Horse, but so much about the movie was overwhelming, including the whole rip in the time continuum concept which is so central to the story.

The animation is great, the story and humour are smart, the pacing is good and the voices are spot on. It just lacks something. Including-- bar some mildly crude references-- relatability for younger kids. 

3.5/5