Film Preview: Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

Poster

Additional posters can be found below.

Trailer Link

Release Date:

March 7, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Using his most ingenious invention, the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events first-hand and interact with some of the greatest characters of all time. They find themselves in a race to repair history and save the future.”

Poster: C+ / C+ (6) / B (4) / B+ / B / B- (5)

Review: (#1-#7) We start off with a fairly traditional design that attempts to conjure images from childhood for all the kids who watched the Rocky & Bullwinkle Show while highlighting the film’s modernity. The remaining five are a set of character posters positioning Mr. Peabody in the garb of several historical figures who also appear in the film. None of these designs electrify and other than being somewhat cutesy, they are bland and lacking in detail.

(#8-#11) The holiday-themed designs are an interesting touch, putting Mr. Peabody and Sherman into historical-esque concepts. They aren’t perfect, but they’re more interesting than the prior few. (#12 & #13) The next two are the designs that will be most prominent during the campaign. Both are fitting and give the film’s premise its rightful attention, but the first of the two is better focused on the titular characters and less on the supporting cast.

(#14-#18) The last five are all foreign posters, four from France and one from an Asian nation (I don’t recognize the kanji). They are similar to the ones released in the U.S. but are more akin to the holiday-themed designs in terms of quality than the white-background bunch.

Trailer: D

Review: If you are at all familiar with the classic Mr. Peabody cartoon shorts from Rocky & Bullwinkle, you will likely be appalled at what you see. Ty Burrell’s voiceover work is atrocious, the premise is far more action-oriented than the cartoon’s simple smartness. If you’ve never heard of Mr. Peabody & Sherman, then you might be interested; however, since the decision to make a movie out of these characters is rooted in fond childhood memories of the cartoon, this film has disaster written all over it.