The Peanuts Movie
Year: 2015
Rating: G
Length: 88 minutes / 1.47 hours
Adaptations of classic animated IPs always face the challenge of either re-designing the aesthetic that made them popular in the first place or trying to mimic the original style in a way that still appeals to modern audiences. With The Peanuts Movie (2015), Blue Sky was able to both recreate that original Peanuts visual style while also giving it a CGI polish that made the whole thing pop. Mix in well-known musical cues from past animated Peanuts specials and a heartwarming plot that gives Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp) a happy ending.
My only qualm with The Peanuts Movie is that, even at a brisk runtime, there isn’t a big enough story to maintain the focus for the entire film. Sure, the little vignettes with Snoopy are cute and align with the expected antics of the beagle, but it almost felt like the overarching Charlie Brown storyline was made thinner to account for other call-outs to famous bits from the series. I’d almost like to see a mini-series done in this visual style so there can be more focus on the stories of the characters.
All this being said, I absolutely adored The Peanuts Movie. Perhaps my nostalgia for A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) fueled my feelings about the film—especially the soundtrack—but the kind of clean and charming film like this is surprisingly rare, and it’s one of the reasons I love it. It doesn’t focus the jokes on bathroom humor; instead, it has the laughs come from a place of childhood naivete. And considering all the bad luck Charlie Brown has had to endure, I definitely cried (and still do during re-watches) when things finally work out for him. For me, this film is an instant classic.
A visual update that keeps all the classic charm, I give The Peanuts Movie 4.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
