Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Blu-ray Movie Review

Mr. Peabody doesn't always watch Blu-ray. But when he does, he watches, er, himself.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 13, 2014

Harvard graduate. Inventor. Dancer. Musician. Historian. Chiropractor. Canine. Mr. Peabody, by all counts, may be called "the most interesting dog in the world." And what does every most interesting dog do? Adopt a human boy, of course, an orphan who reminds him of himself, hearkening back to the days when his puny bark and disinterest in a simple game of chase kept him from finding a happy human home. Peabody did what so many gifted do, and that's turn the tables on society by outclassing everyone else with off-the-charts brainpower and talent aplenty. But sometimes even the best laid plans of dogs and boys often go awry, and away, as in far, far, away not to another galaxy but to another time and place. Based on characters from the old cartoon series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, the latest DreamWorks film is, at its center, a typical representation of modern digital family fare, featuring likable characters, conflict covered in comedy, and that end-movie tenderness that's a genre staple. It's on the outside where the film distinguishes itself with a fun rhythm, quality little kid-centric take on history, gorgeous animation, big sound, and a real sense of adventure that's made for kids and suitable for adults, too.

Together we can rule the galaxy as father and son!

Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell) is a brilliant and multitalented high society high rise dweller -- and a dog, by the way -- who lives with his adopted human son, Sherman (voiced by Max Charles). It's Sherman's first day of school, and it doesn't take long for him to get into trouble. He's bullied by a classmate named Penny (voiced by Ariel Winter) who doesn't take Sherman's superior knowledge base very well. Ultimately, Sherman bites Penny. In an effort to patch things up, Peabody invites Penny and her parents over for dinner. While Sherman and Penny are alone, he lets slip that he and Mr. Peabody are time travelers. He and Penny set off in the WABAC machine, travel backwards in time, and embark on a journey that will take them to different places and allow them to meet a number of historical figures. Meanwhile, Sherman worries that the incident in school will be the final straw in one social worker's quest to separate him from Mr. Peabody forever.

While it may not be a bastion of originality, the air of familiarity isn't a major hindrance. Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a joyful, full-throttle animated film, a fun little time travel flick in the tradition of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in which various historical persons, places, and scenarios are at the center of attention, not as a requirement to get a passing grade in high school history but as something of a propellant to build relationships and a reaffirm a familial love. And to generate a lot of laughs, too. Indeed, the picture travels around to several interesting historical locations, including ancient Egypt, revolutionary France, Da Vinci's Italy, and to the battle of Troy (Skylanders fans, listen for a familiar voice in the role of "Agamemnon"). The movie doesn't do anything hugely unexpected at any of the places beyond maintaining a fairly linear dynamic that's just as much revolved around the subplot involving Sherman's status as Mr. Peabody's adopted son. There are times when the movie borders on feeling like little mini-adventures rather than a cohesive whole, but it does a nice enough job of bringing it all together -- literally -- in a final act that is itself rather straightforward but satisfactory given the body of work to come before it.

Indeed, the final act hits on all the usual dramatic and thematic suspects, ending with an uplifting message on friendship and family, a higher connection built on challenges that see the characters -- Sherman in particular -- metaphorically sinking to new lows before metaphorically swimming back to the top and reaching higher than ever before. In that regard, the movie lacks creativity, but it's capably satisfying, anyway, even as it wears out long-covered ground in the guise of new (old) environments. Thankfully, the variety of historical locations allows the filmmakers to stretch their creativity by building a basically faithful replication of what one might expect centuries old-Italy, among other locales, to look like while still taking some fun creative liberties in character and environmental design. Every new location opens up a new world of possibilities that are sometimes realized, sometimes not, but the broader scope and greater variety of interesting historical characters at least helps the movie to cover up its otherwise linear, noncreative side. The film is also the beneficiary of some solid voice performances. Ty Burrell is particularly good as Mr. Peabody, blending nerdy and authoritative quite well. Sprinkle in some heart at just the right time, and Peabody turns out to be one of the best-voiced characters in recent animation movie history.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mr. Peabody & Sherman looks expectedly terrific on Blu-ray. There are a couple of very brief, barely noticeable occurrences of banding, representing the only trouble spots on an otherwise faultless presentation. Colors are bold and visually intoxicating. It's not garish in a Barbie sort of way but instead a pleasing selection of evenly balanced hues all coming together to create a magically colorful world of past and present, from regal old revolutionary France to sandy Egypt, from modern New York to stony old Italy. Colors leap off the screen with rich presentations of basic shades and offer an equally toned-down balance across a number of nuanced background colors as well. Details are exacting. Mr. Peabody's textured nose and fine fur look terrific in close-ups. Support details -- hardwood floors, classroom backgrounds, sandy old Egypt backgrounds -- are equally well defined. The Blu-ray proves capable of bringing out the finest big and little textures alike, pushing out, it seems, detail for detail everything the filmmakers painstakingly created on the studio hard drives. Black levels are deep and accurate. This is a finely tuned animated presentation that ranks amongst the finest on the digital market.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mr. Peabody & Sherman arrives on Blu-ray with a dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. It's everything audiences expect of a modern blockbuster with exacting sound design. The audio presentation is big yet focused, offering a wide, enveloping soundstage and presenting various musical, environmental, and action-specific effects with striking clarity and presence. Music is robust and rich throughout the entire range, from the top all the way down to deep and penetrating yet balanced bass. Surround support is perfect across all four back channels, and front end spacing is wide and smooth. The track is home to a large number of unique and distinct sound effects from various points throughout history. Each one is well defined and precise, from sewers underneath France to Da Vinci's paint studios. Action effects are potent and invigorating. The track produces a large number of directional and location-specific sound effects that are not only very well placed but also richly clear and purposefully defined, certainly a little large and emphasized for effect but nevertheless fun in context as sound effects stretch all over the stage. Dialogue delivery is unsurprisingly another strength, offering clear, focused words from the center. This is a reference-quality track in every regard. Fans will love it.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mr. Peabody & Sherman contains the following supplements. Note that the disc proved incredibly glitchy on a Sony BDP-S700. Audio frequently dropped out when returning to the menu from a supplement, and once the disc froze to a gray screen during the DreamWorks Presents: Mr. Peabody & Sherman, A Journey WABAC supplement. Fast-forwarding on the PlayStation 3 caused playback to freeze on a black screen and reset to the main menu after several seconds.

• Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: Original cartoons that inspired the film. Included are both Rocky & His Friends: Premiere Episode (1080i, 22:53, 4x3) and Mr. Peabody & Sherman -- Segments (1080p, 4x3) which include Robin Hood (5:09), Leonardo Da Vinci (5:09), Louis XVI (5:10), William Shakespeare (5:10), and Luwig Van Beethoven (5:09). Now here's something you really won't like: all come complete with the same annoying eleven-second advertisement for DVDs at the end of each segment.
• A Tour of the WABAC Machine (1080p, 2:51): Mr. Peabody shows off his incredible invention.
• Time Travel: Mad Science (1080p, 5:58): Real-life Physicists Ken Wharton and Anthony Aguirre discuss a number of time travel related paradoxes and the science behind them with emphasis on details from the movie.
• DreamWorks Presents: Mr. Peabody & Sherman, A Journey WABAC (1080p, 21:50): Patrick Warburton leads viewers on a tour through the film and the franchise's history, including origins, the people who made it happen, story universe details, clips from the old show, the film's details that reflect the source material, and much more.
• History's Greatest Mystery -- A Dog and His Boy (1080p, 2:33): A fun little Documentary style look at Peabody and Sherman's depictions in history.
• Peabody's Paw Print on History (1080p, 3:52): Mr. Peabody is at the center of a real-life Los Angeles ceremony.
• The WABAC Jigsaw Puzzle (1080p): Players use their remotes to assemble any of four puzzles.
• Time Travel Memory Match (1080p): Players use their remotes to play a 20-square game of "memory" by flipping over two cards at a time in hopes of making a match.
• Gallery (1080p, 2:03): Still images from the film. Viewers may select to advance through manually or automatically.
• Mr. Peabody & Sherman Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:26).
• Sneak Peek (1080p): Previews for additional DreamWorks titles.
• World of DreamWorks Animation (1080p): Music videos from Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, and Turbo.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

They still make 'em like they used to. Mr. Peabody & Sherman is everything one expects of a big modern animated movie. It's zany fun wrapped around a far-fetched yet not particularly unique story of time travel and the bonds of family that grow ever stronger through strain and hardship. It's polished and pretty, a perfect example of the modern digital family film landscape. Sure it's sourced from older material and borrows quite liberally from other movies, but it works as quality, albeit somewhat mindless, entertainment that's as much a hit thanks to its color and sound as its core story details and themes. In short, it's predictably solid family fun that won't replace that hefty history text but that should keep everyone in the family entertained. DreamWorks' Blu-ray release of Mr. Peabody & Sherman features tip-top 1080p video, a legendary lossless sound, and a nice assortment of extra content, even considering the glaring absence of a filmmakers' commentary track. Recommended.