Mr. Peabody and Sherman, the new animated film released by Dreamworks, follows the story of Mr. Peabody, a Harvard graduate, world-renowned scientist, and unusual dog, and his adopted human son, Sherman. Together, along with Sherman’s kindergarten archenemy, the bratty Penny, they get into wild, risky adventures through time with Mr. Peabody’s time-machine, the WABAC (pronounced way-back). Unfortunately for the two mischievous, adventure-seeking kids, their actions cause a rip in the space-time continuum that serves as the main conflict in the plot of the movie. In this dog-eat-dog world, the fate of the world lies in the hands, or paws, of this dog and his child.

From ancient Egypt to the French Revolution, this movie is bound to make the whole family laugh. Mr. Peabody uses historical and situational pun after pun, some of which may fly over young children’s heads, but the movie still manages to make people of all ages laugh with plenty of funny facial expressions and costumes. The appearances of a young King Tut, Roman soldiers, Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Antoinette, and Robespierre will get older audiences laughing alongside their children due to the clever and amusing dialogue and the crazy situations in which they are placed. Each of the stops along the journey will have the audience recognizing historical figures, places, events, and the puns that go along with them. For an example of one of the comical puns, when the Greeks fail to raid Troy, they must “Troy, Troy again.” Even if the younger viewers do not understand this wittiness, they will be entertained by the exciting chase scenes and typical slightly crude humor.

Adult audience members may be familiar with the classic puns of this movie, recognizing the similarity of the jokes to ones in the segment “Peabody’s Improbable History” on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show that aired back in the 60’s until the 80’s.This modern movie is a new take on that segment and was also inspired by the works of Jay Ward, the famous cartoonist, during the 60’s and 70’s.

Beyond just the chuckles and quips, this movie has plenty of heartwarming, adorable moments. From the father-son moments of affection to the development of friendship between Penny and Sherman, this movie will have the softer members of the audience tearing up and smiling as well. Even the rare, cheesier moments can’t help but make the toughest eggs in the audience crack a grin from the cuteness of the situation.

Overall, this movie deserves four stars. It’s a children’s movie for all ages and will have adults laughing just as much as the children. Although the childish appearance of the trailer may be dissuading, do not miss out on this multidimensional adventure. This is the “punniest” animated movie of all time. *wink wink*