Mr. Peabody and Sherman appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a fine presentation.
No issues with sharpness occurred, as the movie offered crisp and detailed images from start to finish. If any softness marred the presentation, I couldn’t find it.
Jagged edges and shimmering remained absent, and only a smidgen of edge enhancement appeared. I also detected no source flaws.
Peabody provided a palette that featured a broad range of colors. While it could lean toward teal and orange, all the time travel adventures opened up the hues to become broader than that, and the tones seemed full and dynamic.
Blacks came across as deep and rich, while shadows presented good clarity and visibility. This was a very satisfying transfer.
I also felt very pleased with the DTS-HD 7.1 soundtrack of Peabody. With all sorts of action sequences, the movie boasted many opportunities to feature all the speakers, and it did so quite well.
Various effects elements zoomed around the room to create a fine sense of immersion. The pieces meshed together smoothly and transitioned well.
Localization was clean and precise, and the score featured solid stereo imaging. The mix turned into a broad, encompassing piece.
Audio quality also was very good. Speech seemed crisp and distinctive, as I noticed no flaws like edginess.
Music appeared warm and full, while effects added a real bang to the proceedings. Those elements showed good clarity and accuracy, and they offered tight, deep bass as well. The track seemed vibrant and dynamic as it accentuated the movie.
This package includes both 2D and 3D versions of Peabody. The picture comments above reflect the 2D version – how did the 3D compare?
In terms of picture quality, it seemed similar. Sharpness, colors and brightness all seemed comparable so I didn’t feel the 3D image lost any visual points.
As for the stereo imaging, the 3D Peabody dazzled. It used a mix of action, sci-fi and airborne scenes to excellent effect, as these delivered a terrific sense of depth and immersiveness.
Plenty of aggressive moments occurred, as well, so the image boasted more than a few fun “pop-out” moments. Peabody became a stellar 3D presentation that brought life to a somewhat dull film and made it more enjoyable.
When we go to extras, two categories show up under Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. First comes the 22-minute, 53-second premiere episode of Rocky & His Friends.
The show offers a Rocky/Bullwinkle adventure along with a “Fractured Fairy Tale” and the introduction of Mr. Peabody and Sherman. It’s a great addition to the disc.
We also find five “Mr. Peaboy & Sherman Segments”. These fill a total of 25 minutes, 48 seconds and cover “Robin Hood” (5:09), “Leonardo Da Vinci” (5:09), “Louis XVI” (5:10), “William Shakespeare” (5:11) and “Ludwig Van Beethoven” (5:09). They become another fun bonus.
Exclusive to the 3D disc, we find an All-New Rocky and Bullwinkle Adventure. Presented 3D, it runs nine minutes, 20 seconds as it gives us another tale in which Boris and Natasha try to kill moose and squirrel. It offers more mirth than the main feature, and the 3D works well, too.
Some featurettes follow, and A Tour of the WABAC Machine lasts two minutes, 51 seconds. Narrated by “Mr. Peabody”, we get a quick view of the device. It’s insubstantial but watchable.
With Time Travel: Mad Science, we find a five-minute, 58-second piece that features physicists Ken Wharton and Anthony Aguirre. They give us thoughts about theories of time travel in this short but interesting overview.
Hosted by actor Patrick Warburton, Mr. Peabody and Sherman: A Journey WABAC takes up 21 minutes, 50 seconds and involves executive producer Tiffany Ward, animation historian Jerry Beck, character creator Ted Key’s son Peter Key, author Darrell Van Citters, director Rob Minkoff, Back to the Future co-writer Bob Gale, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, producer Alex Schwartz, head of character animation Jason Schleifer. Character TD supervisor Lucia Modesto, and actors Stephen Colbert, Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, and Allison Janney.
“Journey” looks at the origins and development of the original Peabody cartoons as well as aspects of the film’s creation. Though promotional in nature, it delivers enough useful material to merit a look.
Another reel called History’s Greatest Mystery goes for two minutes, 33 seconds. It offers a faux-serious look at how Mr. Peabody and Sherman appear in historical art. It’s a cute form of advertisement.
Peabody’s Paw Print On History fills three minutes, 52 seconds and takes us to a ceremony to honor Mr. Peabody. It all exists to promote the movie, and it’s not especially interesting.
Two games follow: The WABAC Jigsaw Puzzle and Time Travel Memory Match. The former presents four different puzzles you can assemble onscreen, while the latter offers a standard game of “Concentration”. Both are moderately fun.
A Gallery brings 24 images from the movie. We get no behind the scenes photos so it lacks much to create interest.
The disc opens with ads for Penguins of Madagascar, Rio 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2. The 3D disc adds 3D trailers for Peabody, Rio 2 and Dragon 2.
Sneak Peek adds promos for Free Birds, The Croods, Shrek: The Musical, and Turbo.
World of DreamWorks Animation adds more promotional material. We also get the 2D trailer for Peabody.
A third disc provides a DVD copy of Peabody. It includes “Tour”, “Time Travel”, the gallery, the trailer and the other ads.
With a broad comedic palette on which to paint, Mr. Peabody and Sherman manages occasional mirth. However, it fails to live up to its potential and seems less engaging than I’d like. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with a pretty good collection of supplements. Peabody winds up as passable entertainment and not much more, though the 3D version adds pizzazz to the proceedings.
To rate this film visit the prior review of MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN