'Mr. Peabody and Sherman' Talkback (Spoilers)

[Rhaynebow]

"We must rewrite history in order to save the universe!"
​

Release Date: March 7, 2014
Studio: Dreamworks Animation
Director: Rob Minkoff
Written by: Jay Ward, Craig Wright, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon

Staring:
Ty Burrell as Mr. Peabody
Max Charles as Sherman
Ariel Winter as Penny Peterson
Stephen Colbert as Paul Peterson
Mel Brooks as Albert Einstein
Stanley Tucci as Leonardo da Vinci
Patrick Warburton as Agamemnon
Lauri Fraser as Marie Antoinette

Plot: A standard dog and his boy story, with a WABAC machine.

Comments?

I didn't see a thread for the actual movie, so here it is. Please stay on topic, please be respectful and let's have a great discussion!

 

[trance2009]

Saw it earlier, it's actually pretty accurate humor wise. They have to give some pathos to stretch out the premise though. I like how they actually showcase the ramifications of a human being raised by a dog.

 

[Aquadementia]

What short are they showing with this movie, if any?

 

[CoolEric158]

What short are they showing with this movie, if any?

Last time I checked, they're making a Rocky and Bullwinkle short for the movie. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Anthonynotes]

The showing I saw yesterday had a short called "Almost Home" (not a Bullwinkle short).

I enjoyed "Peabody"... there's some callbacks to the original series (some of the pilot episode's lines), plus the usual expected updates; a few more minorities seen in the historical eras visited, such as what I assume's Jackie Robinson's first major-league baseball game. Also more emphasis on time-travel paradoxes (what drives the plot) and, particularly, accepting the nature of "unusual" families (analogy for same-sex parents?).

From today's box office, "Peabody" pulled in $33 million, for second place behind "300: Rise of an Empire""s $45 million. I was hoping it'd come in first place (having disliked the original "300"), but suppose competition from "The Lego Movie" and "Frozen" didn't help. At least "Peabody" seems well-liked, from its RottenTomatoes score (77% critics, 80% audience). I assume this won't discourage Dreamworks from pursuing an all-CGI Bullwinkle movie (or one of "Dudley Do-Right")...

 

[marklungo]

I assume this won't discourage Dreamworks from pursuing an all-CGI Bullwinkle movie (or one of "Dudley Do-Right")...

Which would be nice, but I'd love to see a second Peabody movie and/or a TV series. I think Mr. Peabody, Sherman, Penny and the other characters have a lot of potential.

 

[SaneMan]

better than expected

 

[Ed Liu]

GWOtaku's review of the movie is live now, with a mixed verdict.

Also, it seems like a generally disappointing box office weekend, but as of now, Mr. Peabody has beaten out two of DWA's worst-performing movies, but comes in well behind its last two March premieres (The Croods and How To Train Your Dragon), both of which pulled in about $43 million. The only visible upside right now is that it's getting a really positive response from critics and audiences, so it might turn into something like HTTYG, with surprising legs sustaining it. HTTYG's open wasn't too impressive at the time, but it had surprising legs.

 

[GWOtaku]

Just for emphasis, the final point near the end of my review regarding Sherman's alleged character development is my #1 problem with this movie by far. If the story was to be in part about Sherman getting more confident and independent and assertive, they could have pulled that off in some measure notwithstanding that this is a movie with a kid just starting elementary school as a main character. But for that to work, you just can't have Sherman clearly and firmly stand up for himself in one relationship (his bond with Peabody) only to not do it in another (vs. Penny), especially when it's understood that Peabody was just trying to look out for Sherman while Penny's pressuring him into doing what she wants with words.

The reason this stops being a problem is because Penny learns to quit being a jerk and rather quickly develops Sherman's respect for Peabody in the climax, she admits she was wrong. But that doesn't address that by film's end I have no assurance whatsoever that Sherman wouldn't jump off a proverbial bridge if this girl were to pressure him to. As I reflect on this, I'm astonished that apparently nobody at the studio picked up on the unfortunate implications here.

 

[trance2009]

Its basically the trope that boys fo anything for a girl they find hot.

 

[TheVileOne]

GWOtaku mentions in the review that Peabody adopts Sherman from a nasty orphanage, which isn't really accurate. In the film, Peabody finds him abandoned in the streets in a box.

 

[GWOtaku]

Ah, that is right, I'll fix that. That was a mental hiccup where I crossed the situation with the way things happened in the classic toon.

 

[TheVileOne]

Gotcha. Very good review though Otaku, and I agree with pretty much all of it.

I didn't think it was a bad movie, but overall I found the story pretty weak and the motivations flimsy.

The "I'm a dog" speech was especially weak. Though I will admit, Spartacus popping up and saying "I'm Spartacus" was funny, since that's exactly what I was thinking at that point.

 

[Anthonynotes]

"Peabody" has come in this weekend as the #1 film at the box office. (Something they might want to mention in TV ads before "Divergent"/"The Muppet Movie" come out next weekend.)

A discussion of this week's top-grossing films here: Weekend Report: 'Mr. Peabody' Races Past 'Need for Speed' - Box Office Mojo (And just a list of the top grossing films: Weekend Box Office Results for March 14-16, 2014 - Box Office Mojo )

 

[ILuvToons]

So, I finally came around to watching this at probably the latest time I've ever seen a film, 9:30p. (The first theater I tried to go to was for 8:30, but it was sold out. "Must be that good," I thought at the time.) Looking back, I think it was an ok film that made some great references to the cartoon, like the intro sequence, Peabody making puns and Sherman not getting it, the design of the WAYBAC door, the historical figures acting kooky, even a nod to the original ending with the sweeper guy. The parts I didn't like though:

--Penny: I really think the crew at DW could have used her a bit more; she didn't seem to have a purpose other than the bully-turned-love-interest.
--The origin of Sherman: I know this seems like a nitpick, but in the original show, Peabody finds Sherman getting beat up in an orphanage and feels so much sympathy for him that he adopts him. In here, he just finds him as a baby in a box. Seems pretty generic to me.
--The whole "I'm a dog, so I can't take care of a boy" element: That kinda seemed unnecessary. Peabody is the smartest dog in the world, why would people be afraid of him taking care of a kid? That's like saying, "Oh no, a talking moose and squirrel. They are freaks of nature! We must rid of them!" or something like that. It's like they're putting cartoonish elements in a realistic light.

Other than that, good movie that's stronger than previous Jay Ward adaptations. (PS: What happened to the Rocky and Bullwinkle short?)

 

[Anthonynotes]

"Peabody" fell to third place this weekend, behind "Divergent" at #1 and "Muppets Most Wanted" at #2. The film took in $11.7 million for a total to date of $81 million:

Weekend Box Office Results for March 21-23, 2014 - Box Office Mojo

 

[Surreal Kangaroo]

I saw it yesterday and I just thought it was alright. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

 

[ShadowBeast]

--The whole "I'm a dog, so I can't take care of a boy" element: That kinda seemed unnecessary. Peabody is the smartest dog in the world, why would people be afraid of him taking care of a kid? That's like saying, "Oh no, a talking moose and squirrel. They are freaks of nature! We must rid of them!" or something like that. It's like they're putting cartoonish elements in a realistic light.

Yeah that whole dog thing was about the only problem I had with the movie (as well as Mr Peadody's so many talents getting annoying a little) but other than that I thought the film was great.

 

[Anthonynotes]

"Peabody" has finally crossed $100 million, earning $5.3 million this weekend for a total to date of $102.2 million domestically and $238.7 million globally. On the low end for a Dreamworks film, but it hopefully won't be considered disappointing/discourage an all-animated effort about, say, the moose and squirrel.

Weekend Box Office Results for April 4-6, 2014 - Box Office Mojo Box office figures

 

[marklungo]

it hopefully won't be considered disappointing/discourage an all-animated effort about, say, the moose and squirrel.

Or a Peabody sequel and/or TV series.