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Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a 2014 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and based on characters from the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments of the animated television series Rocky & Friends. It was directed by Rob Minkoff, written by Craig Wright, and features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Allison Janney. In the film, Mr. Peabody and his adoptive human son Sherman use the WABAC, a time machine, to embark on time travel adventures. When Sherman accidentally rips a hole in the universe by taking the WABAC without permission to impress his classmate Penny Peterson, they must find themselves to repair history and save the future.

Plot
Mr. Peabody is a highly intelligent anthropomorphic dog who lives in a New York City penthouse with his adopted human son, Sherman. Peabody uses a time machine called the WABAC to teach Sherman history. On Sherman's first day of school, he corrects classmate Penny Peterson about the historicity of the George Washington cherry tree anecdote, resulting in a fight where Penny calls Sherman a dog and puts him in a chokehold. After Sherman bites Penny in self-defense, Peabody is called in for a meeting with Principal Purdy and Ms. Grunion, a child protective services agent. Grunion plans to investigate Peabody's home and remove Sherman from his custody if she deems Peabody unfit to parent. The next evening, Peabody invites Penny's family over for a dinner party. Sherman takes Penny on an unauthorized trip to the WABAC, and she stays in Ancient Egypt to marry a young King Tut. Sherman enlists Peabody's help to retrieve her, and Penny agrees to leave after learning that she will be entombed with Tut after his death as they escape. On the return journey to the present, the WABAC loses power, forcing an unplanned stop at the home of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Florence, where Sherman and Penny test da Vinci's flying machine and crash it into a tree. Afterwards, he learns of Ms. Grunion's intentions from Penny and argues with Peabody as they try to get away from a black hole. A further WABAC malfunction lands the trio in the middle of the Trojan War, where Sherman joins Agamemnon's army. Peabody saves Penny and Sherman from falling off a cliff within the Trojan Horse, appearing to die in the process. Sherman and Penny use the WABAC to time-travel back to earlier that evening, seeking help from the past version of Peabody, but this led to an encounter with Sherman from that timeline. Just as Grunion arrives, the original Peabody returns from Troy, having survived the fall. Grunion attempts to collect both Shermans, but they and the two Peabodys merge, generating a cosmic shockwave. When Grunion persists in her efforts to take Sherman away, Peabody bites her in anger, and she calls the New York Police Department. Peabody, Penny, and Sherman race to the WABAC and go back to their timeline again, but cannot initiate time travel due to a rip in the space-time continuum caused by the merging. A portal opens above New York and unleashes a deluge of historical figures and artifacts onto the streets as Peabody, Penny, and Sherman trying to time-travel back with the WABAC as the police helicopters chase them, meaning his time travel exploits with Sherman have been exposed to the world at large. When the WABAC crashes in Grand Army Plaza, Peabody faces arrest, but Sherman, the Petersons, and the historical figures rally to his defense. As the rip worsens, Sherman proposes travelling to the future to repair the damage, and they do. The historical figures are taken back to their respective eras and Agamemnon, smitten with Grunion, takes her with him. Sherman returns to school, having befriended Penny and strengthened his bond with Peabody. Meanwhile, history is contaminated with modern culture, while Agamemnon marries Grunion. ==Cast==
Cast
and Ty Burrell at the film's Australian premiere in Sydney • 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, • Ariel Winter as Penny Peterson, Mr. and Mrs. Peterson's 7-year-old daughter and Sherman's classmate. • Allison Janney as Edwina Grunion, a stocky and corrupt agent from Bureau of Child Safety and Protection and school counselor. • Stephen Tobolowsky as Principal Purdy, the principal of Sherman's school. • Stanley Tucci as Leonardo da VinciZach Callison as King TutSteve Valentine as Ay, King Tut's Vizier. • Dennis Haysbert as a judge who grants Mr. Peabody the custody of Sherman. • Leila Birch as the WABAC and Spartacus (Walt Dohrn). ==Production==
Production
Development at the 2014 Annie Awards Plans for a film starring Mister Peabody and Sherman had existed for several years with director Rob Minkoff. His first attempt to make a feature film dates back 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 Minkoff as the possible director. 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?". The process of perfecting their adaptation took a long time, but she was pleased with the result, which stayed "very true to the original cartoon". but in March 2012, he was replaced by Ty Burrell. 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." Animation The visual development process began in 2011 with production designer David James, visual effects supervisor Philippe Denis, and art director Tim Lamb collaborating to establish the film's aesthetic. The team drew inspiration from mid-century modern design, the UPA animation style, and visual trends from the 1950s and 1960s. These influences guided the creation of environments, character poses, and textures, emphasizing clean silhouettes and simple, readable designs to retain the essence of the original show. Translating the minimally designed 2D cartoon characters into 3D posed significant challenges. The soundtrack was released by Relativity Music Group and Green Bay Records on March 3, 2014. Peter Andre wrote and performed for the film a song titled "Kid", which is played during the British version of the end credits, instead of Grizfolk's "Way Back When". ==Release==
Release
Mr. Peabody & Sherman was initially scheduled for November 1, 2013, but was pushed back after Relativity Media positioned Free Birds for that date. It was rescheduled several times, taking its release date from another DreamWorks Animation film, Me and My Shadow. In the United Kingdom, it released a month earlier, on February 7, 2014. Home media Mr. Peabody & Sherman was released in digital HD, 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. Rocky and Bullwinkle short 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. Almost Home, a short based on the DreamWorks Animation film Home, played before the film instead and plans for a Rocky and Bullwinkle movie was ultimately scrapped. ==Reception==
Reception
Box office Mr. Peabody & Sherman grossed $111.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $164.2 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $275.7 million. With a budget of $145 million, In the United States and Canada, Mr. Peabody & Sherman was released alongside 300: Rise of an Empire, and was projected to gross $30 million from 3,934 theatres in its opening weekend. The film earned $8 million on its opening day, and opened to number two in its first weekend, with $32.2 million, behind 300: Rise of an Empire. Forbes attributed the underperformance to lackluster marketing and lack of interest for the youngest moviegoers, In its second weekend, the film moved up to number one, grossing $21.8 million. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $11.8 million. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number four, grossing $9.1 million. Mr. Peabody & Sherman completed its theatrical run in the United States and Canada on August 14, 2014. Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned Mr. Peabody & Sherman a score of 59 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian felt that the film "takes a little while for the audience to get up to speed, but once this is achieved, there's an awful lot of unexpected fun to be had," while Mark Kermode of the sister paper The Observer declared, "DreamWorks' latest offers a fairly consistent stream of sight gags and vocal slapstick, even as the plot veers wildly down a wormhole in the time-space continuum." Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club gave the film a C+, saying, "Unlike the whimsical, slapstick-driven shorts on which it's based, this feature-length adaptation adds an obligatory emotional arc that feels at odds with the zany spirit of historical time-travel tales." A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying, "This DreamWorks Animation production, directed by Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King) from a screenplay by Craig Wright, is not perfect, but it is fast-moving, intermittently witty and pretty good fun." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a B, saying, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a whip-smart, consistently funny and good-natured film with some terrific voice performances and one of the most hilarious appearances ever by an animated version of a living human being." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman is lively, educational and intermittently amusing. The fun, however, grows strained and formulaic as the movie goes on." Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two out of four stars, saying, "The film's animation design is strictly generic in its rounded edges and dutiful 3-D IN YOUR FACE!!! gimmicks. And the story gets off to such a sour start, it takes a long time for the comedy to recover." Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying, "It retains the main characters, the WABAC machine, the trips through history – but not the sense of nuttiness that made the TV cartoon so delightful." Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "What a relief to see that while Mr. Peabody's visuals are enhanced to sleek 21st-century standards, the essential charm of the series survives more or less intact." Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Burrell doesn't quite capture the wry deadpan of the original, but then, neither does the movie. That's okay." Bruce Demara of the Toronto Star gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Kids of all ages are sure to enjoy this visually splendid, fast-paced blast through the past." Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying, "For all the ways the film reflects its earlier TV incarnation, the shadings have been softened. Mr. Peabody could use a bit more bite." Soren Anderson of The Seattle Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Frantically paced by director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and making very effective use of 3D – Hey! Get that sword out of my face! – the movie will surely appeal to kids." Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "The movie has trouble stitching together disjointed episodes into a coherent narrative. Thanks to a strong voice cast, however, the characters retain their charm throughout." Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying, "The film's saving grace is its character design and use of 3D techniques to speed things up in every sense when the plot starts to flag." Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Mr. Peabody is fast-paced and jammed with rib-poking historical references, but it couldn't be called witty, even on the broadly winking level of the original cartoon." Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Fifty years ago, animated entertainment was a lot quieter. But that was my Mr. Peabody & Sherman. This is someone else's. And it should give them, and even a few open-minded parents, almost just as much giggly fun." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman has a zesty time mixing and matching historical figures, from Marie Antoinette to George Washington. Yet the movie never, to my mind, conjured quite the quirky effervescence of such brainiac animated features as the Jimmy Neutron or SpongeBob SquarePants movies." Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film one out of four stars, saying, "By visual standards alone, the characters, rendered in eye-popping 3-D, resemble nothing so much as Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats. They're just as lifeless and inexpressive, too." Sean Daly of the Tampa Bay Times gave the film a B, saying, "Before getting sucked into a what-the-wormhole ending that will scramble young brains, time-travel romp Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a fast, fun 3-D getaway." Tom Huddleston of Time Out gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "This feature-length Mr Peabody & Sherman is by no means unbearable: there are a few decent gags, and the episodic plot just about manages to hold the interest. But there's little here for any but the most easy-to-please youngsters." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying, "The film spent roughly a dozen years in development, and the moronic, corporate detritus from that long time warp is strewn about like so many improbable history lessons." Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman has a cool, midcentury-modern look (dog and boy live in a populuxe Manhattan penthouse) and a voice cast that may not be A-list but fits the bill nicely." David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "It's sweet-natured and amusing, with a story to captivate kids; yet the script has enough witty touches to keep adults laughing too." Accolades ==Television series==
Television series
An animated television series featuring Mr. Peabody and Sherman, titled The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show premiered on October 9, 2015, on Netflix. The series is based on the 1960s short film segments that aired as part of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, and it also takes some elements from the film. ==Notes==
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