Movies
As someone who is wholly unaware of the old Peabody & Sherman cartoons, it all felt very random. A genius dog as the father of a young boy, going on time travel adventures. It sounds like a random mix of popular things thrown together for a quick cash grab, but apparently there's a bit more history driving the Peabody and Sherman characters. Mr. Peabody is an incredibly wise dog, who earned himself the right to adopt an orphan boy. When Sherman makes a fuss at school on his first day, Peabody's ability to be a real father to the boy is questioned. To make amends, Peabody organizes a party, but Sherman messes things up when he takes out the time travel machine for a spin. The animation looks pretty dated and the plot is a complete mess. It really feels like a bunch of shorts strung together, whizzing by at a pace that hopefully detracts from the lack of direction. Luckily the comedy is pretty decent, with a fun Mr Peabody (thanks to the voice work of Burrell) and some daft puns. Not great, but somewhat entertaining.Read all
Pretty much on par with the first film. That means it's a little better than most US CG animations of that time, but hardly worth recommending, unless you're looking for an age-appropriate film to show your toddlers. Apart from that, I think the target audience for this film is pretty narrow. Stuart and his brother George are slowly growing apart. George has made friends of his own, which leaves Stuart without anyone to play with. Until he meets a bird (an actual one, though she's also female), who literally drops into his little car. The two hit it off, but the bird is hiding a secret. The animation is cute, the designs and colorful and charming, but the rest of it is extremely safe, mushy and clean, to the point where it can get a little sickening. Characters are dull, Stuart's adventures are quite lame and the drama is way too geared at US morality. It's decent for the little ones, I like a bit more edge, even if it's just children's entertainment.Read all
Mediocre children's fodder with at least some charm present. Especially compared to more recent films, Stuart Little isn't all that bad, though I wouldn't really recommend it either. It's just that after a gazillion ADD US CG vehicles, I was happy to find a film that's at least a little easier on the ears and brain. Stuart's a little mouse who gets adopted into a human family. If that makes no sense, don't worry, it's not meant to. It's just a silly premise that launches a story about Stuart trying to adapt to his new family. A process that isn't helped by the fact that his new family have a cat roaming around the house. The story is rather bare bones, the comedy is questionable and performances are mediocre, but at least the film is colorful and short and the animation is pretty okay, especially for its age. A decent option if you have kids and you want to give them something light, though I'd dread having to see this film multiple times.Read all
