Mr. Peabody & Sherman A delightful father-child bonding film

MANILA, Philippines - If given the chance to travel back in time to witness up close a momentous event in history as it unfolds, where would you go?

This is what the kids and their parents would most likely be talking about after seeing DreamWorks Animation’s latest computer-animated 3D adventure, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, based on the popular American cartoon series of the ’60s.

Mr. Peabody, the world’s smartest and most accomplished canine in the world (voiced by Ty Burrell); and Sherman (voiced by Max Charles), the young boy he adopted, use a time machine called WABAC (pronounced “way back”) to go on a thrilling adventure of journeying into the past.

When Sherman and his classmate Penny (voiced by Ariel Winter) break the rules of time travel, they accidentally wreak havoc on important events, which threaten to destroy the space-time continuum. Mr. Peabody, Sherman and Penny find themselves in a race to fix history or forever they alter the past, present and future.

Like the old TV series, Mr. Peabody and Sherman hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time from Leonardo Da Vinci (voiced by the great Stanley Tucci), Marie Antoinette (Lauri Fraser) and Egypt’s King Tut (Zack Callison), to Abraham Lincoln and George Washington (both voiced by Jess Harnell). 

Charles, a young TV actor who made his big screen debut last year as young Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, said Mr. Peabody & Sherman inspired him to know more about pivotal moments and figures in history.

“I learned a lot of historical events and characters featured in the movie that I didn’t know before,” said Charles in a recent press conference at The Ritz-Carlton Central Park in Manhattan. “I learned a lot about different people in a lot of different places and time.”

“It’s actually a cool way of getting to know your history,” he said of the movie that sees Mr. Peabody, Sherman and Penny in a number of hilarious, and sometimes silly situations that are fast-paced and child-friendly.

Director Rob Minkoff, who also megged the blockbuster films The Lion King and Stuart Little, said Mr. Peabody & Sherman entertains and inspires both the young and old alike.

“The whole idea is to have kids exposed to history,” Minkoff said at the same presscon. â€œWhat’s amazing is that in this film, kids will realize that history is just filled with great stories and characters. And if you tell the story well, it can really be exciting and fun like an adventure. Hopefully kids are gonna see it that way.”

But more than lessons of history, Mr. Peabody and Sherman puts the spotlight on parent-child relationship and how Mr. Peabody handles the difficult tasks of fatherhood, especially when his parenting skills, or lack thereof, are challenged by an overeager school counselor, Mrs. Grunion (voiced deliciously by Allyson Janey).

For Burrell, the deep relationship of a father to his child resonates throughout the film.

“That’s the strongest theme of our film, the father-child aspect, and the care you give your child,” said Burrell, the Emmy-winning star of the critically-acclaimed ABC comedy Modern Family.

“Mr. Peabody is not a perfect parent nor am I, but they go from mentor-protégé to father-son relationship when they realized their love for each other. And it’s a very powerful and incredible thing. It’s actually my favorite thing about the movie.”

Burrell, who noted that Charles was not even born when Mr. Peaboy & Sherman’s film adaptation was first conceptualized about 12 years ago, confided that he was moved by a scene when Dr. Peabody drops Sherman off at his first day of school.

“When my eldest daughter started pre-school, I was also terrified,” recalled Burrell. â€œThe first time I dropped her at school, I didn’t handle it well. But it turned out she was fine, totally fine just like Sherman.”

“It’s the first time that Mr. Peabody hasn’t been in control of everything,” Minkoff said of the touching scene. “It’s universal for parents who suddenly have to take their kids and send them off into the world and we don’t know how the world is gonna affect them.”

Mr. Peabody & Sherman will hit theaters across the Philippines on March 6. It’s a DreamWorks Animation presentation from 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.