Here's a likable, surreal and often funny animated feature written by Craig Wright and directed by Rob Minkoff (noted for The Lion King). It's derived from a recurring segment of the old 1960s US TV show Rocky and Bullwinkle – a segment that I have to admit was absolutely unknown to me until now. Mr Peabody is a super-intelligent beagle (voiced by Ty Burrell) resident in a spectacular New York apartment who has been granted the right to adopt a human boy: this is seven-year-old Sherman (voiced by Max Charles). Mr Peabody is a finicky and precise but very caring foster parent, with a slight resemblance to Dr Niles Crane in the 90s TV show Frasier, as played by David Hyde Pierce. He wants to complete young Sherman's historical education with a time-machine he has invented, allowing them both to visit various important eras. It's a headspinningly wacky premise, and it takes a little while for the audience to get up to speed, but once this is achieved, there's an awful lot of unexpected fun to be had, boasting zany adventures with various historical figures. A twist on the Trojan Horse episode is inspired.