Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Theatrical release poster

***Mr. Peabody & Sherman*** is a 2014 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, PDI/DreamWorks, and Bullwinkle Studios, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is based on characters from the *Peabody's Improbable History* segments of the animated television series *The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends*. It was directed by Rob Minkoff and produced by Alex Schwartz and Denise Nolan Cascino, from a screenplay by Craig Wright. Tiffany Ward, daughter of series co-creator Jay Ward, served as executive producer. *Mr. Peabody & Sherman* features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Allison Janney. In the film, Mr. Peabody (Burrell) and his adoptive human son Sherman (Charles) use the WABAC to embark on time travel adventures. When Sherman accidentally rips a hole by taking the WABAC without permission to impress Penny Peterson (Winter), they must find themselves to repair history and save the future.

The film was originally planning a live-action/CG film until it was redeveloped into a fully computer-animated film in 2006 when Minkoff joined DreamWorks Animation to direct an adaptation. Andrew Kurtzman was set to write the screenplay, based on the pitch, developed by Minkoff with his longtime producing partner Jason Clark. It is the first DreamWorks animated feature to feature characters from the Classic Media library since its acquisition by DreamWorks Animation in 2012, the first animated adaptation of a Jay Ward property, and Minkoff's first animated film after having co-directed *The Lion King* for Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1994.

*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* premiered on February 7, 2014 in the United Kingdom, and was released theatrically a month later in the United States. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice acting, characters, humor, action scenes, and soundtrack, though some criticized the plot and its source material. Despite grossing $275.7 million worldwide against a budget of $145 million, the film became a box office flop and lost the studio $57 million. A TV series based on the film, titled *The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show*, premiered on Netflix on October 9, 2015, with Chris Parnell replacing Burrell as Mr. Peabody while Charles reprises his role as Sherman.

## Plot

Mr. Peabody is a highly intelligent anthropomorphic dog who lives in a New York City penthouse with his adopted human son, Sherman. Peabody teaches Sherman history by using the WABAC to travel to the past. After narrowly escaping the French Revolution, and on his first day of school, Sherman's knowledge of the apocryphal nature of the George Washington cherry tree anecdote leads to an altercation with one of his classmates Penny Peterson who calls him a dog and puts him in a chokehold. After Sherman bites Penny in self-defense, Peabody is called into the office of Principal Purdy. Also in attendance is Ms. Grunion, a child protective services agent who suspects Peabody of being an unfit parent and plans to visit their home to investigate.

Peabody invites the Petersons over for a dinner party to make amends before Grunion arrives. Against Peabody's orders, Sherman shows Penny the WABAC and takes her into the past, where she stays in Ancient Egypt to marry King Tut. Sherman returns to the present to get Peabody's help. Penny initially refuses to leave until she is informed that she as well will be killed alongside Tut during the wedding and escapes with Peabody and Sherman.

While trying to return to the present, the WABAC runs out of power, forcing the trio to stop at the home of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Florence. Penny goads Sherman into piloting da Vinci's flying machine which he manages to do before they crash. After they resume their journey, Sherman learns of Ms. Grunion's plot and argues with Peabody. After they crash-land in the middle of the Trojan War, Sherman runs away and joins King Agamemnon's army. During the battle, Penny and Sherman are trapped inside the Trojan Horse as it rolls towards a ravine. Peabody saves them, but seemingly dies in doing so.

Sherman and Penny travel back to a few minutes before they left in the present to find Peabody, despite his earlier warnings to never return to a time in which they existed. As Sherman and Penny try to explain the situation, Sherman's earlier self shows up. When Grunion arrives, Peabody tries to conceal the presence of two Shermans, but the second Peabody, having survived the crash, arrives back from Troy. Grunion attempts to collect both Shermans, but they and the Peabodys merge, generating a massive cosmic shockwave. When Grunion again tries to take Sherman away, Peabody bites her in a fit of rage, and she calls the New York Police Department.

Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC, but cannot time-travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merging of their cosmic doubles. A portal appears above New York and historical objects and figures rain down upon the city. The WABAC crash-lands in Grand Army Plaza where historical figures and police converge. Grunion calls in animal control to arrest Peabody, but Sherman and all others come to Peabody's defense with George Washington pardoning him. As the rip worsens, Peabody and Sherman take off in the WABAC and travel into the future for a few minutes, undoing the damage. The historical figures are dragged back to their respective eras and Agamemnon takes Grunion with him. Sherman returns to school, having become friends with Penny and deepened his bond with Peabody. Meanwhile, Agamemnon marries Grunion in the Trojan Horse as history has been contaminated with modern traits.

## Voice cast

* Ty Burrell as Hector J. Peabody, a talking intelligent white beagle, business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmet chef, and two-time Olympic medalist.
* Max Charles as Sherman, Peabody's seven-year-old adopted son.
* Ariel Winter as Penny Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson's daughter and Sherman's classmate.
* Stephen Colbert as Paul Peterson, Penny Peterson's father and Patty's husband.
* Leslie Mann as Patty Peterson, Paul's wife and Penny's mother.
* Allison Janney as Edwina Grunion, the bigoted and stocky Children's Services agent.
* Stephen Tobolowsky as Principal Purdy, the principal of Sherman's school.
* Stanley Tucci as Leonardo da Vinci
* Adam Alexi-Malle as a French peasant
* Patrick Warburton as King Agamemnon
* Zach Callison as King Tut
* Steve Valentine as Ay, an Egyptian who conspires to kill King Tut and Penny.
* Dennis Haysbert as a judge who grants Mr. Peabody the custody of Sherman.
* Leila Birch as the WABAC
* Karan Brar as Mason, one of Sherman's friends.
* Joshua Rush as Carl, another one of Sherman's friends who also wears glasses and is seen in a wheelchair.
* Thomas Lennon as Italian Peasant #2

In addition to Leonardo da Vinci, King Agamemnon, and King Tut, the film features other historical figures including Albert Einstein (Mel Brooks), Mona Lisa (Lake Bell), Marie Antoinette (Lauri Fraser), Maximilien Robespierre (Guillaume Aretos), George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Isaac Newton (all voiced by Jess Harnell), Odysseus (Tom McGrath), Ajax the Lesser (Al Rodrigo) and Spartacus (Walt Dohrn).

There are also silent cameos by Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, the Wright Brothers, Jackie Robinson and baby Moses.