MR PEABODY & SHERMAN

Basically…
Mr Peabody, a dog with an IQ through the roof, builds a time machine to teach his adopted son, Sherman, about history. But when Sherman shows The Wayback to the school bully Penny, he realises how big a mistake he has made. Having tampered with history, the trio have to go back and make amends to make sure their entire future isn’t at risk.

In other words…
Back to the Future meets DreamWorks.

The main men and leading ladies…
If someone told you Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock had transformed into a dog you would look no further than Mr Peabody to find him. With the same arrogance, intelligence and sarcastic wit, the detective has competition on his hands to remain the most irritatingly delightful character on our screens. It isn’t Cumberbatch doing the voice though, as hard as that is to believe, it’s Ty Burrell, known best for his role as Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. And his on-screen daughter, Alex, played by Ariel Winter, joins him as the voice of Penny, Sherman’s enemy/love interest. Sherman is voiced by the hugely adorable Max Charles, who plays young Peter Parker in The Amazing Spiderman remakes.

In the chair…
Director of The Lion King, Rob Minkoff, has never really managed to, and probably never really had to, top his 1994 Disney classic. But with the likes of Stuart Little coming in the aftermath, his latest contribution to cinema is his best in two decades.

So…?
In terms of box office sales, this spin-off from the 1960s' US cartoon Rocky and Bullwinkle might not rival The Lego World which opened the same day, but it’s one of the better DreamWorks productions of late. In saying that, that isn’t hard to achieve, and yes it does still lack the warmth of Pixar, but it’s been long enough now to accept the two will never be on a par with each other. That didn’t stop this being surprisingly charming, funny and entertaining though. It’s billed as a children’s film but with trips back to the French revolution and the da Vinci era few kids will appreciate the historic references. It was indeed an education, but more so for me, a 26-year old, than the primary school children sitting around me. It’s hard to believe many of them will have got the Mona Lisa or Einstein jokes but for the adults who love clever animation they went down a treat.

Worth the money?
If you’re going for yourself yes, but if it’s a day out for the kids then don’t bother. It’s yet another film that just doesn’t require 3D as well, so don’t waste the extra pennies as you won’t gain anything.