Press Bits

Ariel Winter, one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents with notable roles both television and film who currently stars on ABC’s critically acclaimed and Emmy winning hit series, “Modern Family” stars in DreamWorks’ wild-action-family-adventure “Mr. Peabody & Sherman (3D).”

Mr. Peabody, the world’s most accomplished dog is parent to Sherman who uses his most ingenious invention, the WABAC machine, to hurtle back in time to experience world-changing events first-hand. But when Sherman breaks the rules of time travel along with his friend Penny (Ariel Winter), our two heroes find themselves in a race to repair history – and save the future.



 From the animation dream team of DreamWorks and the director of blockbusters “The Lion King” and “Stuart Little,” director Rob Minkoff puts together a talented voice cast in “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” including Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbet, Leslie Mann, Patrick Warburton and Allison Janney.   The movie’s time travel is a compelling notion that lends an intriguing dimension to an exciting, adventure-filled story.  The film’s contemporary characters interact with equally entertaining famous figures from history – a dynamic that provides surprising fish out of water moments and myriad culture clashes.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman’s entrée to the infinite folds of history is a wondrous contraption called the WABAC, which is the singular creation of the world’s greatest inventor, Mr. Peabody.  The perspicacious pooch built the device so Sherman could experience history up close and personal.   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

 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,” producer Schwartz explains.  “But we soon realize 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 Winter’s connection to Burrell, says it was “a great coincidence that they came to work together on MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN.  Ariel 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.”

But even with that o f any 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.

Travel through time in a wild ride with the trio when “Mr. Peabody & Sherman (3D)” opens March 6 nationwide, a DreamWorks Animation presentation from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. (in Phils. Cinemas).

Max Charles, a young actor with an impressive resume at just nine years of age, who played the young Peter Parker in the hit movie “Amazing Spiderman” stars and lends voice to a genius dog’s adopted boy named Sherman in DreamWorks’ upcoming adventure-packed 3D animation “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.”

“Mr. Peabody & Sherman” is an adventure-comedy featuring science fiction, time travel, outlandish characters and clever dialogue, all of which are bound together by the unexpected relationship between the titular heroes – a dog and his boy.

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.


             
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 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.”        
             
As any parent knows, there are children’s “leaps” that 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.”

As for Sherman’s animation design, 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 – Schleifer calls it “ginormous” – head, which adds to the character’s appeal and fun.  “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 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.”

 “Peabody realizes that Sherman’s imperfections are what make him so wonderful,” adds Ty Burrell who voices Mr. Peabody, “and that it’s really worth trying to make himself more vulnerable.”  Director Rob Minkoff adds: “Max performs with emotion, depth, heart and humor.  That’s not easy to find in a young actor.”

A DreamWorks  presentation, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” (available in 3D and 2D) is a DreamWorks Animation SKG presentation and a PDI/DreamWorks production, opens March 6 in Philippine cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

 Check out the film’s localized site here http://www.peabodyandshermanthemovie-ph.com/ for more updates, videos, mobile apps and lots of games and downloadable fun stuff.