Mr Peabody and Sherman (2014)

Photo source: FamousFix

Directed by	Rob Minkoff
Starring	Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, Allison Janney
Music by	Matthew Margeson

Short Story:
Mr Peabody, a highly accomplished "renaissance" talking dog (business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmet chef and two-time Olympic medalist - to quote his modest self-assessment) adopted a 7-year-old human son, Sherman. Mr. Peabody is educating Sherman using his own invention, the Wayback Machine. Their travels through time cultivate a real passion for history in Sherman, who is eager to share his knowledge on his first day at school.

The problem arises when Sherman gets in a fight with Penny (a fellow student from history class) over the George Washington cherry-tree anecdote. The highly provocative situation leads to Sherman biting Penny, which in turn leads to a Child Protective Services officer trying to remove Sherman from Mr Peabody and place him in foster care. To rectify the situation, Mr Peabody invites Penny and her parents over for dinner. While the adults are trying to find some common ground, Sherman shows Penny the Wayback Machine and together they go on the most exciting adventure of their lives. They go to Ancient Egypt, where Penny is to marry King Tut, but when they find out that she must follow her future husband in death, make a narrow escape with the Wayback. Unfortunately, the machine runs out of power and they have to make an emergency stop in Renaissance Florence. Here they meet Leonardo Da Vinci and get to try his famous flying machine. We even find out the secret behind Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile.

They manage to power up the Wayback, but on the way home they run into a black hole that forces them to make another emergency landing right in the middle of the Trojan War. Penny gets trapped into the Trojan horse, Sherman rescues her, but must go back to present to warn Mr Peabody that he might die in the past. When those who time-traveled meet with their present-time selves, a rip occurs in the space-time continuum that prevents anyone from traveling back in time. This rip causes numerous historical figures to invade the present and Peabody, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Agamemnon are all trying to figure out how to repair the space-time continuum. Surprisingly, the solution comes from Sherman, who suggests that they travel in the future, rather than the past. Peabody and Sherman take off in the Wayback, fix everything and get back right in time for school, but this time Penny and Sherman are good friends.

Verdict:
I absolutely loved this movie! Can't really understand why it performed so badly at the box office, but if you're into intellectual humor, be prepared to laugh so hard, your cheeks will hurt. Children will love all the history-related fun facts and even without that, it's a really good story, brilliantly executed.


Favourite quotes:
Penny: I'm not Penny anymore. Now, I'm Princess Hatsheput, precious flower of the Nile.
Mr. Peabody: "Precious," perhaps, but if you think we're going to leave you here, you are most definitely in "de-Nile."
Sherman: [laughs] I don't get it.

George Washington: I hereby award Mr. Peabody a Presidential pardon.
Abraham Lincoln: Me too!
Bill Clinton: I've done worse.

Mr. Peabody: Sherman, don't you remember why I told you to stay close to me during the French Revolution?
Sherman: Because after the French Revolution, it was gonna rain?
Mr. Peabody: Close. I said "After the French Revolution comes... the Reign of Terror!"

Penny's father: When it comes to the safety of my daughter, nothing is more important than...Shello? Sure, I'll take a survey.