Rob Minkoff Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Cast: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Allison Janney, Stephen Colbert, Stephen Tobolowsky, Mel Brooks, Leslie Mann, Stanley Tucci, Patrick Warburton
Director: Rob Minkoff
Genre: Family, Animation
Rated: PG
Running Time: 97 minutes

Synopsis: The dazzlingly brilliant Mr. Peabody – who happens to be a dog – and his adopted boy Sherman embark on a comical time travel adventure through the defining moments of world history. But even a transcendent genius like Peabody must grapple with the most daunting challenge of any era: figuring out how to be a parent.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Release Date: March 27th, 2014
Website: www.mrpeabodyandsherman.com.au

About The Production

 

Like Father Like Son

Rob Minkoff says that Mr. Peabody and Sherman are a classic movie team, 'like Laurel and Hardy, Batman and Robin, Holmes and Watson."   That's heady company, but Mr. Peabody isn't your typical beagle: he is nothing less than a business titan, inventor, scientist, Nobel Laureate, gourmet, Olympic medalist, and genius – who just happens to be a dog.

 

Peabody possesses the genius of Einstein, the wit of Oscar Wilde, the daring of Indiana Jones, the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes, the sartorial style of James Bond, and the culinary skills of Mario Batali.  The one thing that challenges Peabody is keeping up with his adopted boy Sherman. Peabody devotes himself to Sherman, from whom he learns the one thing even a genius has to figure out – parenthood.

 

Ty Burrell, who voices Peabody, brings additional shadings to an already richly conceived character.  But initially, says Minkoff, the 'Modern Family" star wasn't an obvious choice.  'Ty Burrell is famous and beloved for playing put-upon dad Phil Dunphy in -Modern Family,' and Phil Dunphy isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.  But when we put his performance together with the character of Peabody, it really locks into Peabody's personality."

 

'When you think about it, Mr. Peabody and Sherman were the original -Modern Family,'" Rob Minkoff jokes.  'What could be more modern than a dog as a parent?"

 

Producer Alex Schwartz ('Journey to the Center of the Earth") notes that Ty Burrell 'brings humanity and warmth to Peabody, as well as tremendous humor and a unique vocal cadence." 

 

Ty Burrell certainly had his work cut out for him; after all, he's playing a character that, he describes as 'essentially perfect, which is a very interesting kind of character to play because I am so imperfect.  Peabody makes almost no mistakes, expect in fatherhood, as all dads do.  He can think himself out of any situation or problem, except when it comes to dealing with Sherman."

 

Ty Burrell prepped for the role by watching the classic television shorts upon which the film is based.  'From that, I would find my way back into my own voice," he explains.  'Peabody speaks with such precision; his consonants are always very clear."

 

Ty Burrell's on-screen son is voiced by young actor Max Charles (ABC-TV's 'The Neighbors," 'The Amazing Spider-Man"), who, says Alex Schwartz, brings an authentic 'kid's voice" to Sherman.  'Max is very funny, has fantastic timing and an adorable voice that sounds like he's chewing on marbles." 

 

Rob Minkoff adds: 'Max performs with emotion, depth, heart and humor.  That's not easy to find in a young actor."

 

Charles' Sherman is open, enthusiastic and over-curious.  Growing up with his adoptive dad – the time-traveling super-genius Mr. Peabody – gives Sherman many opportunities for adventure.  Like most youngsters, Sherman has a penchant for trouble and sometimes finds himself in over his head, but Sherman always makes certain to fix even the most difficult problems he creates.  

 

'Sherman is a genuine kid," says Rob Minkoff. 'He's quite naïve at times, but he's actually a terrific student of Mr. Peabody's because one of the special things they do together is travel through history. Peabody has taken the time to introduce Sherman to many of history's greatest events."    

 

'Sherman is a kid through and through," Alex Schwartz elaborates.  'He's intelligent and a quick learner, but at the same time, he doesn't always think things through and tends to leap before he looks."

As any parent knows, those kinds of 'leaps" can lead to breakage – and for Sherman, breaking the rules of time travel has extraordinary consequences.  Says Max Charles: Sherman is 'a normal kid who gets to do some unusual stuff, like travel back in time."

 

Sherman learns a lot about everything from Mr. Peabody, and as Charles sees it the reverse is also true.  'Peabody also learns a lot from Sherman, like how to be a little more laid back, and a little more trusting." 

 

'Peabody realises that Sherman's imperfections are what make him so wonderful," adds Ty Burrell, 'and that it's really worth trying to make himself more vulnerable."

 

New Friends

Next to Mr. Peabody, the person who becomes closest to Sherman is his classmate Penny Peterson.  Penny is a double threat – cute and smart. Penny rules her elementary school until she encounters Sherman, who is even more of a 'brain" than Penny is.  But her natural charisma and daring nature, as well as her caring and loyalty, draw her into a friendship with Sherman that truly stands the test of time.

 

'Initially, Penny is at odds with Sherman," Alex Schwartz explains.  'But we soon realise there's a lot more to her, and as soon as she's able to put aside her initial jealousy of Sherman, she begins to see that he's a pretty interesting kid.  The great thing about Penny is that we really see her grow over the course of the movie."

 

The character's dynamism, smarts and fearlessness made it a tough part to cast – until Ariel Winter, who plays the teenage daughter of Ty Burrell's Phil Dunphy in 'Modern Family," auditioned.  Minkoff, who was initially unaware of Ariel Winter's connection to Ty Burrell, says it was 'a great coincidence that they came to work together on Mr. Peabody and Sherman.  Ariel Winter brings tremendous energy to Penny.  She is a witty and wry teenager, and though Penny is younger [than the actress], Ariel brings some natural sparks and understanding of the character."

 

Penny, Sherman and Mr. Peabody share some high-velocity and fateful journeys through time, but the film's first WABAC expedition is a father-and-son trip to the French Revolution and a meeting with that country's queen, who loses her head – literally – after her encounter with the guys.  Sherman and Peabody run afoul of the peasant uprising that will forever change France, and Peabody winds up with his neck on the guillotine.

 

'We loved the idea of opening the film with a big action sequence," says Alex Schwartz.

 

To turn Peabody into a master swordsman, the filmmakers brought in sword fighting and jousting experts, who taught the animators how to hold the weapon, attack with it, and keep their center of balance. 

But even with that period's danger, action, adventure and a dash through the Paris sewer system, the duo's (and Penny's) biggest time traveling adventures lie ahead.  A Sherman-Penny time traveling joyride takes them to Ancient Egypt, where Penny finds herself betrothed to a nine-year-old King Tut.

 

Soon thereafter, Peabody, Sherman and Penny pay a visit to Peabody's old friend and the original Renaissance Man, Leonard Da Vinci, portrayed, hilariously, by Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci. Our trio finds the famed artist/scientist/engineer/inventor/scholar/etc. in a creative crisis and at wit's end: he can't get Mona Lisa (voiced by Lake Bell) to smile for her portrait.  As Peabody elicits her killer grin, he discovers that Sherman and Penny are off on another joyride, this time in Leonardo's way-way-way-ahead-of-its-time flying machine.

 

Later, it's off to ancient Troy, where the Trojans learn to beware of Greeks – and Sherman – bearing gifts, especially if the gift is a gigantic wooden horse housing a phalanx of battle hardened and fun-loving warriors.  Sherman finds himself inside the storied Trojan Horse, where he makes fast friends with Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek armed forces during the Trojan War. 

 

The latter was one of Rob Minkoff's favorite characters.  As played by Patrick Warburton, whom Rob Minkoff calls, 'one of the funniest actors working in any medium," the Trojan Horse sequence is played as a mix of historical fact and lots of fun and fantasy. 

 

Encounters with other historical greats are also in store for our intrepid time travelers, including Van Gogh, Einstein (voiced by legendary funnyman Mel Brooks), Lincoln and Shakespeare. And as befitting a visit to such mega-luminaries, Peabody, Sherman and Penny travel in style and comfort, via the WABAC.  The device is a gleaming red sphere that floats above the ground.  Inside is a 21^st century high tech egg with bucket seats that glide around the glowing control panel, floating touch-screens and a holographic globe that functions as the WABAC's GPS system. 

 

While the WABAC is the product of extreme leading-edge technology, something about the clicks, whirrs and humming sounds emanating from its computer system can make one wonder if it has its own opinions.

The WABAC's high-tech components include an array of power-monitoring knobs; and retractable, magically appearing chairs.  The WABAC is such an advanced technological marvel that even its creators – the Mr. Peabody and Sherman filmmakers – aren't always certain what some of the controls do. Take the 'synchronic fundibulator," which is some kind of ignition device, according to Rob Minkoff. Then there's the 'hemidemisemiquavatron," whose official and rather mysterious function is: 'It does exactly what it sounds like." 

 

The Petersons, Miss Grunion and Principle Purdy

While Peabody, Sherman and Penny are off gallivanting around the space-time continuum, Penny's parents, Paul and Patty, remain ensconced in Peabody's swanky apartment.  They have no idea what their daughter and her new friends are up to, because Peabody has ensured that time stands still for the clueless couple.  (Peabody had invited the Petersons over for dinner to smooth over a rocky first encounter between the kids at school.) 

 

Mr. Peabody certainly has his work cut out for him: Paul's work and hobbies distract him from his responsibilities at home and elsewhere, which frustrates Patty.  Moreover, he is slow to warm to strangers, especially Mr. Peabody.  But Mr. Peabody's insight and irresistible skills as a host gets Paul to lower his guard and join the party.

 

Stephen Colbert, the Emmy-winning anchor of the acclaimed faux news show 'The Colbert Report," portrays Paul, and Leslie Mann ('Rio," 'Knocked Up") voices Patty Peterson.

 

For Stephen Colbert, giving voice to Paul was rewarding on several levels, not the least of which is the actor's insistence that 'Paul Peterson is really the hero of the movie. I think it's his love for his daughter Penny that precipitates the entire plot, because if he wasn't so angry that Sherman and Penny were feuding, there'd be no movie!"

 

The actor says that the film's time travel elements were a particular attraction for him, and led to his own dreams of making it big via journeys across time.  'If I had a time machine I would go back and invent the zipper and become incredibly wealthy," he deadpans.

 

Stephen Colbert notes that working on Mr. Peabody and Sherman brought happy memories of clandestine viewings of the 'Mr. Peabody and Sherman" television shorts, when he was a child.  'It was on later than my bedtime, and I remember sneaking in to watch it and hiding between my brothers to lie in front of the TV with a bolster pillow behind me, so my parents couldn't see me."

 

Director Rob Minkoff was thrilled to be working with Stephen Colbert and with comedy actress Leslie Mann, who voices Paul's better half, his wife Patty 'Leslie has incredible charm and a great and unexpected attitude in her voice," he says.

 

While Paul and Patty enjoy an evening at Peabody's home, and while unbeknownst to them, their daughter is breaking, and then trying to repair the space-time continuum, the film's villain, Mrs. Grunion hatches a plot with even more dire consequences. 

 

Miss Grunion works for the Bureau of Child Safety and Protection, and her bark is as painful as her bite.  While Grunion insists she cares only for the welfare of youngsters, she is actually a rules-obsessed bureaucrat who believes that most parents, especially Peabody, lack the necessary sternness to raise their own children.  Her narrow-minded world view is inflamed when she learns that Peabody – a dog! – has been permitted to adopt Sherman.

 

'Miss Grunion believes a canine, no matter what his I.Q., is an unsuitable parent for a young boy.  She believes she's doing the right thing in trying to take Sherman away from Peabody, which of course is the most insidious kind of villainy," says Alex Schwartz. 

 

'Miss Grunion doesn't like Peabody," adds Rob Minkoff.  'She doesn't like what he stands for and most of all, doesn't like the fact that a dog would adopt a boy."

 

The character is voiced by Allison Janney, a multiple Emmy-winner for her work as White House press secretary C.J. Cregg on the landmark series 'The West Wing."

 

Allison Janney relished the opportunity to portray her first villainous character.  'Miss Grunion is deliciously evil," she says.  'She is bigger than life and a tough lady who doesn't suffer fools.  Like any great villain, she's someone you love to hate."

 

Rob Minkoff appreciated Janney's full-throttle commitment to expressing Grunion's less appealing aspects.  'Allison Janney can put a villainous spin on anything," he notes.  'She really gets under the skin of this nasty character."

 

Animation, Design - and Origins

 

The actors and their performances are critical elements in shaping the characters and the relationships, but Rob Minkoff and Alex Schwartz also give huge props to their team of animators.  Their unheralded work, says the director, really turns them into 'actors with computers."

 

'They're true performers," he continues.  'They take the three dimensional character models and bring them to life.  They have to get into the heads, hearts and souls of the characters, to understand who they are and how they should behave."

 

Alex Schwartz echoes this idea, stating that the animators 'are all actors themselves, and that was one of the film's greatest gifts.  They really fell in love with these characters and made them real."

 

The animators ensured that Peabody, befitting a super-genius, is a biped who carries himself with supreme confidence.  The animation team saved quadruped behaviors – those of a typical canine – for a few special instances where Peabody has a more instinctive, less intellectual response to his situation.

 

According to Jason Schleifer, the film's head of character animation, Peabody's prominent muzzle was a particular challenge to deal with.  'If Peabody were to look straight at the camera and smile, you wouldn't see it because all the corners of his mouth are wrapped around the ball of his muzzle.  We spent a lot of time turning him just ever so slightly so you could see the corners of his mouth come up when he smiles.  There was a lot of fun and complexity in his facial animation, to make it look really nice and appealing." 

 

'Peabody is a very controlled character who has an answer and plan for any situation," Jason Schleifer continues.  'No matter what's thrown at him, he's never taken aback.  We enjoyed figuring out the most efficient and controlled method for him to respond to a given situation."

 

For Sherman, Jason Schleifer and his team ensured that he feels and looks like a child.  'I looked at my own kids to see how they respond to certain situations, and I discovered interesting kid-like things to make Sherman feel authentic and support the story of his adventures and transformation."

 

A key challenge was dealing was animating Sherman's oversized – Jason Schleifer calls it 'ginormous" – head, which adds to the character's appeal and fun.  But it did make even a simple turn of the noggin somewhat problematic. 'The head is so big and it's attached to a tiny neck, so we had to incorporate Sherman's entire body into even a simple head turn," he explains.  'Or it would look like it would just snap off!"

 

Prominent eyeglasses are a key feature shared by father and son.  The animators had to carefully maneuver the specs and the characters' eyebrows to ensure that Peabody and Sherman were able to convey the necessary expressions and emotions.  'The glasses cover their eyebrows, so if we did nothing you'd never see their expressions change," says Jason Schleifer.  'So when Peabody and Sherman convey excitement, we had their eyebrows go way upon the tops of their heads. And when things get intense, the brows drop straight down and cover their eyes."

 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman is based upon the beloved characters that first appeared in in the late 1950s and early 1960s animated television series 'Rocky and His Friends" and 'The Bullwinkle Show," produced by Jay Ward.  The characters appeared in the 'Peabody's Improbable History" segments created by Ted Key.  Peabody was voiced by Bill Scott, while Sherman was voiced by Walter Tetley (an adult). Ninety-one shorts, each running about four and a half minutes, were produced. 

 

The new film updates the classic dog-and-his-boy team for contemporary audiences with state of the art CG animation and 3D, while retaining the charm of the original cartoon.  'The movie pays loving homage to the show," says Alex Schwartz, 'including the WABAC, and Peabody's wonderful puns, which are woven throughout the movie.  There's a great deal of the show's DNA in the movie."

 

Jay Ward's daughter, Tiffany, is the custodian of her father's legacy, and worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure that Mr. Peabody and Sherman remained true to Jay Ward's vision.  The results, she says, were everything she had hoped for.

 

'The movie, like Jay Ward's short cartoons, never talks down to children," says Tiffany Ward, also the film's executive producer.  'He made them just as much for adults. And now the movie is a dream-come-true for me and my family – to have dad's work, over 50 years later, being produced by DreamWorks Animation and put on the big screen in 3D. It's spectacular.  Jay would have been so incredibly proud.  The movie is a particularly emotional experience for me, because to me, my dad was Peabody – a true genius."

 

Rob Minkoff, in turn, is grateful to Tiffany Ward for her ideas and support.  'Tiffany Ward was a great champion of the film and of me, personally.  It's been a wonderful collaboration."

 

Some of the filmmakers and actors remember, with great fondness and admiration, the original series.  Stephen Colbert has already mentioned his childhood shenanigans in sneaking into the living room to watch the past-his-bedtime show. And Rob Minkoff similarly remembers watching the show and loving the characters.  'I was very happy to get the chance to bring them to life on the big screen and into our modern world."

 

In a stylistic nod to the TV shorts, Rob Minkoff and production designer David James embraced mid-twentieth century design.  'It was important to make the film feel somewhat of that era, and yet make it new, as well," the director explains. 

 

That design aestheticis reflected in Peabody's penthouse, to an extent that seeing the film's rendering of the abode for the first time was, says Tiffany Ward, an eerie experience. 'It's almost identical to my dad's house – to the Eames chairs, arc lamp, artwork and shelving.  It absolutely sent shivers down my spine."

 

For the time traveling sequences, the art of each historical period informed its look.  'In Renaissance Italy, for example, we see a palette that's common in Renaissance paintings," notes Rob Minkoff.  'In eighteenth century France, we used a design that evokes the court of Marie Antoinette, though we did take some liberties with the Parisian sewers, which are much brighter than the actual locales."

 

Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Release Date: March 27th, 2014