Cinema review: Mr Peabody & Sherman

The big problem with this time-travelling romp is that it already feels dated.

A scene from Mr Peabody & Sherman. Courtesy DreamWorks Animation / AP Photo

Mr Peabody & Sherman Director: Rob Minkoff Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Allison Janney ⋆⋆

This 3-D, CGI upgrading of the 1960s American TV series about a genius time-travelling canine and his adoptive 7-year-old human son is aimed squarely at pre-teen audiences. Parents accompanying their children will likely be bored, despite the clear similarities and nods to Back to the Future, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and The Matrix. The time-jumping is fun, taking in King Tut, Leonardo da Vinci and Marie Antoinette, as well as the Trojan War, but the story flashpoints involving family disputes, a mean social worker and time machines breaking down are all too predictable. The visual element is flashy and well rendered but, like the narrative, it's competent rather than top-notch. Mr Peabody & Sherman lacks the post-modern touches of Pixar and The Lego Movie, and that's the big problem with this time-travelling romp – it already feels dated.