Movie Promotion 102

I passed a sign for the movie, I, Frankenstein today.  The ad line read something like, "After 200 years, he's still alive."  I assume the he they're referring to is that monster is on the loose and that it's I, Frankenstein.  After all, for the doctor scientist to still be alive after 200 years would be quite something, though we can believe that a scientifically-created creature could still be alive.

If so, then I think it's worth nothing that, in fact, the monster is not named "Frankenstein," no matter how many "I's" they put in front of his name.  The doctor who created the monster is named Frankenstein.  (Victor Frankenstein, for those keeping notes.)  The monster is named...the monster.  Or the creature.  Or the being.  Or any variety of such names. 

I know that a lot of people know this.  Though I suspect far more people don't.  And I know that this is sort of quibbling (sort of...), since at this point people do refer to the monster incorrectly as Frankstein.  I only bring it up because of the title, I, Frankenstein.  Call the movie what they want, it'll happen.  Call the monster what they want, that'll happen, too.  That's life.  But have the good grace not to shine a klieg light on your inaccuracy.  After all, "I not Frankenstein."

More annoying to me are the early promotional posters for the upcoming Mr. Peabody & Sherman movie.  This is of course based on the classic segment of Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle series, called "Peabody's Improbable Adventures"  You've perhaps seen the posters around town, wherever your town may be -- a picture of the brilliant, erudite dog, Mr. Peabody, in costumes looking like different historical figures.  Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, and such.  And the ad-line is "Making his mark in history."

I understand what they're trying to do.  Show that this is about traveling through time and coming across different historical figures.  After all, that's what Mr. Peabody did and his boy Sherman did in the Wayback Machine that the genius dog invented.  And I get their pee-pee joke about a dog making his mark.  Tee-hee.

But I hate the line.  There is nothing in Mr. Peabody about him as a dog peeing on fire hydrants or anything.  In fact, I have a hard time recalling if there ever even was any reference that he's a dog.  I wouldn't swear that there wasn't, I just can't think of one.  The joke is that he is a dog but that it's never addressed.  He's just a brilliant and sophisticated and he just happens to be a dog.

So, either they've changed that for the movie (which I'd dread, though I would think they didn't), or they're just pandering with a cheap joke.

(By the way, I saw the French version of this above-poster.  It read, "Ils Vont Revolutionner Histoire."  They are going to revolutionize history.  Far better.)

To be clear, it's a challenging movie to promote, especially in this preliminary advertising a few months early.  But they did a good job with the costumes idea.  And the image is very good.  But I just hate the ad line.

Mind you, that's the ad line.  I just now watched the trailer and...well, Mr. Peabody annoyingly sounds nothing like Mr. Peabody, which was so memorable and wonderful and had character  (Voiced by the great Bill Scott, who also did Bullwinkle J. Moose.) They just simply came up with a completely different voice, and a very generic, only-semi interesting one.  And squeaky Sherman not only didn't sound like Sherman, but he sounds half the right age.  And clueless.  (Sherman on TV was a kid, but old enough and smart enough to know to say on occasion, "Gee, Mr. Peabody, I don't think we should...)  None of this is to say that the movie won't be fun -- the trailer looks like it has some enjoyable things in it, though not really Mr. Peabody, but rather something close with a different dynamic.  The TV cartoon was sophisticated, as much for adults as little kids, and when you weren't laughing you might accidentally realize afterwards that you actually learned something, even if it wasn't totally accurate.  This just looks rambunctious.  That doesn't mean fun.  It just means it looks like it's going for a much younger, juvenile audience.

But why they changed the voices is pathetic.