Apparently, this is old news – the original article about it was over a year ago – but there’s going to be a Mr. Peabody and Sherman movie. Yes, even after the train wreck that was the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie, they feel it’s a good idea to take a classic 5 minute short and turn it into a 90 minute movie, full of what I’m sure will be dozens of pop culture references that don’t work in the film. Do I really have to explain why I’m frustrated by this? Why can’t you just leave my childhood alone? You can call me a cynic, but I’ve seen The Smurfs … I know what Hollywood is capable of, and it is horrifying.

Now, some good news … or at least less bad news. The article above features a decent looking piece of conceptional art that looks very similar to the style of the classic show. My worry is if they will decide to “modernize” him up in either looks or personality. I also worry they’ll go live-action with CGI elements, which would be disastrous. The only way I could see them doing anything good is making it an almost Time Bandits-like story, with Peabody and Sherman jumping from era to era. With that kind of pacing, you can easily keep in the great elements of dry wit and over-the-top situation that made the cartoon one of the best parts of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. I’m just not holding my breath that Dreamworks will do this right after they’ve royally screwed up Dr. Seuss … a few times.

Robert Downey Jr. was slated to play our stiff-upper-lipped canine hero, but he’s been replaced recently with Modern Family‘s Ty Burrell. I don’t really watch Modern Family, so feel free to let me know how you feel about the casting if you’re a fan of the show. As for me, I’m going to go in the corner and be sad that Hollywood is messing with another fond bit of my childhood. Please stop it already.