Ty Burrell is now on my (normally secret, very exclusive) favorite dad’s list. Obviously my husband is at the top, and my own dad is on the list too. There are a few select others as well, but I’ll keep those to myself.

The reason Ty has risen to such esteem in my mind is based on a ten to twelve minute conversation we had at the premiere of his new movie ‘Mr. Peabody and Sherman.’ I covered it for the syndicated show THE INSIDER! AWESOME! Ty plays Mr. Peabody, the most accomplished dog in the world. The theme of the movie is that all families are families. It’s really the ultimate ‘Modern Family.’ Ty thoughtfully and happily discussed the theme of adoption in the movie (Mr. Peabody, a dog, adopts Sherman, a little boy.) This family works through issues- although their issues involve “time travel-” just like any other family might work through hardship or difficulty. And Ty can authentically speak to adoption, as he and his wife are adoptive parents to two children.

Beyond the real talk about adoption on the red carpet, Ty is funny and fun and well, a little like Phil Dunphy (to me), the real estate agent who sees himself as the “cool dad” on ‘Modern Family.’ He just makes me (all of us) laugh. Here’s one quote from ‘Phil’ that exemplifies his character: “I’m cool dad, that’s my thang. I’m hip, I surf the web, I text. LOL: laugh out loud, OMG: oh my god, WTF: why the face (Episode 1.1, “Pilot”)

So how does Ty rate his new movie on the “Mommy Meter?” Broccoli is at the bottom, carrots next, apples, pizza and the ultimate, ICE CREAM? Well, it’s Ice Cream for Ty. He thinks kids everywhere are going to love the relationship between Peabody and Sherman. Time travel is going to resonate with all those kids dreaming of adventure and the King Tut “butt” joke is sure to have kids bursting into laughter.

Where do I rate “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” on the “Mommy Meter?” I give it a…. PIZZA! I Ioved the family theme and the humor. I also liked the historical references, but because my boys are five and six some of it went over their heads. They are only familiar with George and Abe at this point. Still PIZZA is way up there!


But Ty’s got a good chance to earn that ICE CREAM rating from me. Maybe his next film, “The Muppet Movie,” will garner a double, chocolate-chip… in a waffle cone! YUM!

Here’s a look at the piece airing on The Insider!