If you grew up watching The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, you probably remember the dry, professorial tone of a white beagle who happened to be a Nobel laureate. When DreamWorks decided to bring "Peabody’s Improbable History" to the big screen in 2014, the stakes were weirdly high. You can’t just replace a legend like Bill Scott without people noticing. But somehow, the cast of Mr. Peabody and Sherman managed to pull off a modern update that didn't feel like a cheap cash grab.
It’s been over a decade since the film hit theaters, yet the voice work remains the glue that holds that frantic, time-traveling plot together. Honestly, finding the right balance between "intellectual dog" and "relatable father figure" is a tall order.
The Core Duo: Ty Burrell and Max Charles
Ty Burrell was essentially at the peak of his Modern Family fame when he stepped into the role of Hector J. Peabody. It’s a bit of a shock if you’re used to him playing the bumbling, well-meaning Phil Dunphy. In this movie, he had to pivot completely. Peabody is the smartest being on the planet—a business titan, gourmet chef, and two-time Olympic medalist.
Burrell has mentioned in interviews that he initially tried to just imitate Bill Scott’s original 1950s delivery. It didn't work. His natural voice is much deeper, so he had to find a middle ground that felt "erudite but less glib." He nailed that specific "pun-heavy" cadence that makes the character so annoying yet lovable.
Then you have Max Charles as Sherman.
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Max was only about ten years old when the movie came out, but he already had some serious credits, including playing a young Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. What's interesting is that while most of the cast of Mr. Peabody recorded their lines in isolation—which is standard for animation—Max and Ty actually got to record some of their early scenes together in the same room. It helped build that father-son chemistry that usually feels a bit sterile in cartoons. Max later went on to voice Sherman again in the Netflix series, making him the definitive voice of the character for an entire generation.
The Supporting Players: More Than Just Cameos
One thing people often forget about the cast of Mr. Peabody is how deep the bench of talent actually was. They didn't just hire "voice actors"; they hired comedic heavyweights.
- Ariel Winter as Penny Peterson: Another Modern Family alum. She played the "bully turned best friend" with a perfect amount of snark.
- Stephen Colbert as Paul Peterson: Before he was the undisputed king of late-night, Colbert was a DreamWorks regular (remember the President in Monsters vs. Aliens?). He brings this high-strung, overprotective energy to Penny’s dad that is just hilarious.
- Allison Janney as Ms. Grunion: She’s the villain. A child services agent who basically wants to prove a dog can't raise a boy. Janney is a legend for a reason; she made a bureaucratic antagonist feel genuinely threatening.
The Historical Cameos
Because the movie involves the WABAC machine, we get a revolving door of historical figures. This is where the casting gets really fun and a little bit "nerdy."
Stanley Tucci shows up as Leonardo da Vinci. It’s a small role, but Tucci gives him this manic, creative energy that makes the Florence sequence a highlight. Then you have Patrick Warburton as King Agamemnon. If you’ve ever heard Joe Swanson on Family Guy or Kronk in The Emperor's New Groove, you know that voice instantly. He plays the Greek king as a boisterous, muscle-bound bro, which is a genius subversion of the "epic hero" trope.
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Even Mel Brooks makes an appearance as Albert Einstein. Having a comedy god play the world's most famous genius is the kind of meta-casting that keeps the movie fresh for adults.
Why the Voices Changed for the Netflix Show
A lot of fans got confused when The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show premiered on Netflix in 2015. While Max Charles stayed on as Sherman, Ty Burrell didn't return. Instead, Chris Parnell took over the glasses and bow tie.
Parnell—known for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock—is basically the human equivalent of a dry martini. His voice naturally fits the "smartest guy in the room" vibe. The show was more of a late-night talk show parody than an adventure epic, so the shift in the cast of Mr. Peabody actually made sense for the format. It allowed the show to be weirder, more improvisational, and frankly, a bit more chaotic.
The Legacy of the 2014 Cast
Looking back, the 2014 film didn't just reboot a franchise; it humanized a dog. In the original 1960s shorts, Peabody was almost purely a vessel for history facts and puns. The movie gave him an emotional arc.
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You see this most in the scenes where Peabody is afraid of losing Sherman. The way Burrell softens his voice when he says "I'm a dog" at the end of the film—it's a far cry from the robotic perfection of the early 60s segments. That’s the power of good casting. You take a character that is essentially a caricature and give them a soul.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Peabody and Sherman, here are a few ways to appreciate the work of this cast:
- Watch for the "Modern Family" Easter Eggs: Since Ty Burrell and Ariel Winter are both leads, look for the subtle ways their character dynamics in the film mirror (or flip) their TV personas.
- Check out the Netflix series: Even if you loved Ty Burrell, Chris Parnell’s take is worth a watch for the sheer absurdity of the writing.
- Compare with the 1959 originals: You can find the original "Peabody's Improbable History" segments online. Listening to Bill Scott next to Ty Burrell really highlights how much the "voice of intelligence" has changed in American media over sixty years.
The cast of Mr. Peabody proved that you can respect the source material while still making it feel like it belongs in the 21st century. It's a rare example of a "celebrity voice cast" that actually works because they were chosen for their timing and tone, not just their names on a poster.