'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' gives sci-fi geeks and history buffs a treat

MANILA, Philippines - Proving that underdogs aren't the only adorable dogs, Dreamworks Animation's Mr. Peabody & Sherman tells the story of Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell), a smart, mildly condescending and overachieving talking canine.

Mr. Peabody is a business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel laureate, gourmand, Olympic medalist and an adoptive father to his inquisitive son Sherman (Max Charles).

Mr. Peabody and Sherman's relationship is put to the test after a squabble at school prompts the social services to investigate Mr. Peabody's parenting style and threaten him with taking Sherman away forever.

In an effort to raise Sherman into a genius like him, Mr. Peabody invented the WABAC (wayback) machine to travel back in time and show his son the most important events in history.

Things take a dangerous turn when Sherman breaks the rules of the WABAC to impress his classmate, and the disaster caused characters from history to pop into the present time.

The film is peppered with various historical references and characters that include George Washington, Marie Antoinette, King Tut, Leonardo da Vinci and the Greeks behind the Trojan horse, among others. To fix the glitch in the space-time continuum, Mr. Peabody & Sherman scramble to save present-day Earth and return historical characters to their respective timelines.

The movie attempts to strike a balance between being entertaining and educational for children, although some references probably require a bit more time reading or searching the Internet for kids to totally understand.

The film teaches children the values of obedience, acceptance and believing in one's self, especially in the face of mounting pressure from an overachieving parent.

Overall, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a delightfully educational visual treat, recommended for kids and kids-at-heart who love historical fiction and sci-fi.