Mr. Peabody & Sherman

***Mr. Peabody & Sherman*** is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated science fiction comedy film based on characters from the Peabody's Improbable History segments of the animated television series *The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show*, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Rob Minkoff from a script by Craig Wright, with Alex Schwartz and Denise Nolan Cascino serving as producers and Tiffany Ward, daughter of series co-creator Jay Ward, serving as executive producer. *Mr. Peabody & Sherman* features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Allison Janney.

It is the first DreamWorks animated feature to feature characters from the Classic Media library since DreamWorks Animation's 2012 acquisition of Classic Media, the first animated adaptation of a Jay Ward property, and Rob Minkoff's first animated film after having co-directed *The Lion King* for Disney in 1994. The film premiered on February 7, 2014 in the United Kingdom, and was released on March 7, 2014 in the United States. Grossing a worldwide total of $275 million on its $145 million budget, the film underperformed at the box office, forcing a writedown of $57 million. A TV series based on the film, titled *The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show*, premiered on Netflix on October 9, 2015.

## Plot

Mr. Peabody is a gifted anthropomorphic dog who has an adopted 7-year-old young human son, Sherman. He tutors Sherman travelling throughout history using the WABAC, a time machine. They visit Marie Antoinette in Versailles during the French Revolution in 1789. Getting caught in the Reign of Terror, Peabody is nearly sent to the guillotine by Maximilien Robespierre, but escapes with Sherman through the Paris sewers.

In the present day, Sherman attends the Susan B. Anthony School in New York City on his first day of school. His knowledge of the apocryphal nature of the George Washington cherry-tree anecdote leads to a fight with Penny Peterson in the cafeteria where she puts him in a choke hold. Peabody is called in by Principal Purdy who tells Peabody that Sherman had bit Penny. He is also confronted during this meeting by Ms. Grunion, a Child Protective Services agent, who implies that Sherman's behavior is due to being raised by a dog. She informs Peabody that she will come to their home to investigate whether he is an unfit parent.

Peabody invites Penny and her parents over for a dinner party to reconcile before Ms. Grunion arrives. Penny calls Sherman a liar for claiming first-hand knowledge of history. Despite Peabody's contrary instructions, Sherman shows Penny the WABAC. Penny goads Sherman into taking her into the past, where she stays in Ancient Egypt in 1332 BCE to marry King Tut. Sherman returns to get Mr. Peabody's help. Peabody hypnotises the Petersons, and retrieves Penny by telling her the fate of a pharaoh's widow.

The WABAC runs out of power, but Peabody is able to get them to Renaissance Florence in 1508 where they meet Leonardo da Vinci. Penny and Sherman explore da Vinci's attic, finding his flying machine. Penny goads Sherman into flying it, which he manages to do before crashing. Da Vinci is thrilled the device works, but Peabody is upset that Sherman risked his safety and destroyed a historical artifact.

They again attempt to return, but a black hole forces them into an emergency landing during the Trojan War in 1184 BCE. Upset about learning what Ms. Grunion would do to him, Sherman runs off and joins the army of King Agamemnon in the Trojan Horse. During the final parts of the Trojan War, Penny is trapped inside the Horse as it rolls towards a cliff. Peabody rescues her, but apparently dies during the attempt.

Sherman pilots the WABAC to a few minutes before they left in the present to get Mr. Peabody's help to fix everything. As Sherman and Penny try to explain the situation, Sherman's earlier self shows up. Peabody tries to conceal the presence of two Shermans from the Petersons, then Grunion arrives. Then a second Peabody arrives from Ancient Troy. Grunion's attempt to collect both Shermans causes them to touch and begin to merge. Both Peabodys rush to assist, but they each merge back together amidst a cosmic shockwave. Grunion grabs Sherman to take him away, hurting him in the process. Peabody furiously bites Grunion, who then calls the NYPD. Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC, but cannot time travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merger of their cosmic doubles. Historical figures and objects from the past begin falling from the cosmic rip and into the present.

Mr. Peabody crash-lands the WABAC in Grand Army Plaza at William Tecumseh Sherman's statue's base. Historical figures and police officers quickly surround them. Grunion calls in Animal Control to collect Peabody. Sherman explains that everything was his fault, but Grunion contends that it is all because a dog cannot raise a boy. Sherman climactically shouts down Grunion, saying that if being a dog means being as loving and loyal as Peabody is, then he is proud to be a dog too. Penny, her parents, the historical figures, and others all make the same pledge. George Washington is able to grant Peabody a presidential pardon which is supported by Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.

As Peabody, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Agamemnon try to figure out how to close the rip, Sherman suggests they travel into the future. Peabody and Sherman take off in the WABAC and undo the damage. The historical figures are dragged back to their respective times, with Agamemnon abducting Grunion back to his own time as she vows revenge on Peabody.

Sherman returns to school having made great friends with Penny. History, meanwhile, is contaminated with modern traits, while Grunion and Agamemnon get married in the Trojan Horse.

## Voice cast

* Ty Burrell as Mr. Peabody, a talking intelligent young dog, business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmet chef, and two-time Olympic medalist
* Max Charles as Sherman, Peabody's seven-year-old adopted young boy
* 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
* Patrick Warburton as King Agamemnon
* Zach Callison as King Tut
* Dennis Haysbert as Judge
* Leila Birch as WABAC
* Karan Brar as Mason, one of Sherman's friends
* Joshua Rush as Carl, another one of Sherman's friends; he 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 de 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 cameos with no words by Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincent van Gogh, the Wright Brothers, Jackie Robinson and baby Moses.

### ADR Group

* Ava Acres
* Newell Alexander
* Rosemary Alexander
* Steve Alterman
* Steve Apostolina
* Eva Bella
* Blake Bertrand
* Mitch Carter
* David Cowgill
* Jeff Fischer
* Don Fullilove
* Jackie Gonneau
* Rif Hutton
* Molly Jackson
* Luisa Leschin
* Hope Levy
* Scott Menville
* Edie Mirman
* Raymond Ochoa
* Jacqueline Pinol
* Jim Pirri
* Ella Rouhier
* Michelle Ruff
* Jadon Sand
* Alan Shearman
* Claudette Wells
* Lynnanne Zager
* Dave Zyler

## Production

### Development

Plans for a film starring Mister Peabody and Sherman have existed for several years with director Rob Minkoff. His first attempt to make a feature film goes to 2003, when it was reported that Minkoff's Sony-based production company Sprocketdyne Entertainment and Bullwinkle Studios would produce a live-action/CG film, with a possibility of Minkoff to direct it.

The live-action film was not realized, but in 2006, Minkoff joined DreamWorks Animation to direct a computer-animated film adaptation. Andrew Kurtzman was set to write the screenplay, based on the pitch, developed by Minkoff with his longtime producing partner Jason Clark. The final screenplay was written by Craig Wright, with revisions by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.

Tiffany Ward, daughter of Jay Ward, one of the creators of the original series, served as an executive producer, whose job was to make sure the film stayed "true to the integrity of the characters." When she was approached by Minkoff ten years before the film's release, she was enthused by his intention to respect the legacy: "What better caretaker for the characters could we ask for than Rob." Lengthy pursuit to make the adaptation "perfect" took them a long time, but she was pleased with the end result, which stayed "very true to the original cartoon."

### Casting

In early 2011, Robert Downey, Jr. signed on to voice Mr. Peabody, but in March 2012, he was replaced by Ty Burrell. Reportedly, Downey's commitments to *The Avengers* and other franchises did not allow him to find the time to record his lines. Initially, Tiffany Ward and others at the studio opposed Burrell, who was then relatively unknown, but he managed to convince them with a successful audition. Ward insisted on someone who sounds like Mr. Peabody did in the original series, while Minkoff saw the casting as an opportunity "to modernize the character." He promised her that Burrell would try to "get there and he started watching the show to nail the cadence. He got the underlying connection and he made it his own."

Max Charles, the actor who played young Peter Parker in *The Amazing Spider-Man*, voiced Sherman. Stephen Colbert voiced Paul Peterson, Leslie Mann, who replaced Ellie Kemper, voiced Peterson's wife, Patty, and Ariel Winter voiced their daughter Penny. Other voices include Stephen Tobolowsky, Allison Janney, Mel Brooks, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton, Lake Bell, Zach Callison, Karan Brar, and Dennis Haysbert. According to Minkoff, Burrell was chosen because his voice "embodied all the different aspects of the character today. Not just the intellect and the suave personality, but the underlying warmth as well."

## Release

*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* went through several release date changes. Originally scheduled for March 2014, DreamWorks Animation's high expectations moved the film to November 2013, replacing another DreamWorks Animation film, *Me and My Shadow*. The last shift happened in February 2013, which pushed the film back to March 7, 2014, reportedly due to a "more advantageous release window", again replacing *Me and My Shadow*. The film premiered a month earlier in the United Kingdom, on February 7, 2014.

*Main article: Rocky and Bullwinkle*
The film was planned to be theatrically accompanied with a DreamWorks Animation short film, *Rocky & Bullwinkle*, based on the Rocky and Bullwinkle characters from *The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show*. The short was directed by Gary Trousdale, who is known for co-directing Disney's *Beauty and the Beast*, produced by Nolan Cascino, and written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Garant. June Foray was set to reprise her role as Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel, while Tom Kenny was set to voice Bullwinkle Moose. The short would have served as a test for a possible feature film based on the characters. *Almost Home*, a short based on the DreamWorks Animation film *Home*, played before the film instead. However, the new CGI *Rocky & Bullwinkle* short was instead released on the Blu-ray release of the film.

### Home media

*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* was released in digital HD on September 23, 2014, and on Blu-ray (2D and 3D) and DVD on October 14, 2014. The Blu-ray release also included a new CGI *Rocky & Bullwinkle* short film. As of February 2015, 3.4 million home entertainment units were sold.

## Reception

### Critical response

As of May 2018, review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 80% based on reviews from 130 critics, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's consensus read: "*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* offers a surprisingly entertaining burst of colorful all-ages fun, despite its dated source material and rather convoluted plot." Another review aggregation website, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 59 out of 100 based on 34 reviews. Furthermore, the CinemaScore audience rating of the film is an "A", indicating they were pleased with the film.

### Box office

*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* grossed $111,506,430 in North America, and $164,191,609 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $275,698,039 With a budget of $145 million, the film underperformed, forcing DreamWorks Animation to take a $57 million write-down on behalf of the film.

In North America, the film earned $8 million on its opening day, and opened to number two in its first weekend, with $32,207,057, behind *300: Rise of an Empire*. In its second weekend, the film moved up to number one, grossing $21,809,249. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $11,832,558. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number four, grossing $9,070,635.

## Soundtrack

*Main article: Mr. Peabody & Sherman/Soundtrack*

## Notes

1. ↑ In 2018, the film's distribution rights were transferred to Universal Pictures via its acquisition of DreamWorks Animation.