Just last week, we told you that Robert Downey Jr. had signed on to star in DreamWorks Animation‘s forthcoming CG Animated film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, voicing the floppy eared, bespectacled canine Mr. Peabody, who uses The WABAC Machine (pronounced Wayback ) to travel through time. The machine was constructed by Mr. Peabody as a birthday gift for his “pet boy” Sherman, so that they could visit famous historical events.

Now, thanks to CartoonBrew we get a look at the first piece of concept art from DreamWorks’ forthcoming Mr. Peabody and Sherman, of Mr. Peabody himself (to be voiced by Robert Downey Jr.)

Director Robert Minkoff says,

“Mr. Peabody is this genetic anomaly, He does have brothers and sisters, all of them non-speaking, no super-smart dogs. He’s an outcast, but has overcome it by being so great at so many things.” Sherman, on the other hand, is not dimwitted, but admittedly wide-eyed and naive. That role hasn’t yet been cast.

Mister Peabody and his pet boy Sherman appeared in a cartoon segment entitled “Peabody’s Improbable History”, which was an ongoing feature of the 1960′s cartoon series The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

Peabody’s Improbable History – Ponce De Leon

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is slated to hit theaters in 2012.