The Peanuts Movie - Review

You know, when I first heard that they were making a new cg-animated movie based on the late Charles Schulz' Peanuts series, I'll admit that I wasn't exactly stoked (to say the least). I won't go into the cultural ubiquity or significance of the comic (and subsequent TV specials, movies, etc), since that pretty much goes without saying, nor will I go too in deep about my personal feelings toward the series... though in short, I am a fan and have been since as long as I can remember. Its just when Schulz retired the strip (and died shortly thereafter), he made it pretty clear that he didn't want anyone else making Peanuts comics... so yeah, for that reason, I wasn't really on board. The thought of a major studio rolling out what (I feared) would be another Hollywood-ized, snarky, 21st century blockbuster family film that completely misses the spirit, soul, or heart of its source material (think the various Dr. Seuss adaptations) left me with some serious concerns. Even though the trailers didn't look all that bad, I still had no interest in seeing the film in theaters. Though now after finally seeing the movie, well... I admit that I might have been wrong... okay I'll say it, I completely and utterly misjudged the film and its intentions, because The Peanuts Movie is in fact good... really good actually.

The Peanuts Movie is essentially comprised of four short cartoons arranged and structured into one feature. You have all of the familiar characters that anyone who's ever read a few Peanuts strips in their lives (or seen at least one of the TV specials) should be able to recognize immediately. Though ultimately the movie's main connective tissue centers around Charlie Brown's pursuit of the newly arrived "Little Red-Haired Girl" who lives next door (okay, I don't know if the way I wrote that sound creepy or not... but gimme a break, its never presented as anything more than a cute and harmless elementary school crush). This girl inspires Chuck to improve himself and to be the best possible person he can be, though since this is Charlie Brown we're talking about, a character whose luck could not be worse, well... yeah you can see where this is going.

Okay, so based on that synopsis, you can probably already tell that The Peanuts Movie isn't exactly a particularly ambitious film. On purely a screenwriting level, its a thoroughly modest effort that relies on familiar and (to the adults watching anyways) predictable story beats. But you know what... it works! For starters, for those who were worried that the film was going to somehow disrespect and/or ignore its legacy, rest assured that it does not. As I learned during the credits, the script was written by Schulz's two sons, and its imminently obvious that they weren't going to let anyone tarnish their father's creation. The film very much feels like a classic Peanuts story, partially because the original content maintains the spirit and tone of the TV specials and admittedly because it also re-uses a variety of familiar story-beats. The movie clearly isn't shy about its nostalgic call-outs and fan service-y moments. Not only does it feature pretty much every familiar Peanuts character (Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, and the rest are all here), but almost all of the classic Peanuts gags are here as well... Lucy's psychiatric advice booth, the kite eating tree, a quick shout out to the Great Pumpkin, and of course what's arguably the strip's most beloved gag... Charlie Brown attempting to kick Lucy's football. I normally don't like it when movies try to distract audiences via constant fan service call-outs instead of delivering a real story (looking at you Star Trek Into Darkness), but I'd be lying if I said that those said moments didn't bring a huge smile to my face. Fortunately though, the script itself holds its own. Charlie Brown is still the good-natured though forever unlucky boy, who learns a series of life lessons via what's essentially eternal Job-like suffering (though it never goes too dark or depressing). And fortunately, the movie ends on an emotional high note and with a genuinely good message. There's also an amusing subplot involving Snoopy's battle with the infamous Red Barron. In the end, these are likable and enjoyable characters, the humorous moments made me laugh, and the movie is just so charming that it just comes together.

In terms of its visual style... this is actually the most interesting thing about the flick. Now obviously the Peanuts specials and previous movies have never exactly been heavy hitters in the animation department, but in a way that became one of its biggest strengths. The low-key (and at times rough) art style really fit with the specials' relaxed tone and demeanor, and created a very unique aesthetic. The Peanuts Movie, knowing that it needed to scale up its production values for the big screen, found a unique solution to both keep the classic Peanuts aesthetic with a bit more of a 21st century edge. It still keep the 2D look though via CGI with a emboss-like and frame-dropping effects. Its a nice update, but still manages to keep the classic Peanuts style animation in tact. Though special praise must be given to the Red Baron scenes for still keeping with the general style but offering a little more variety. Say what you will about the rest of the film, but there's no doubt that Blue Sky Studios did excellent work bringing the Peanuts to life in such unique yet familiar form.

As for what didn't work... honestly there's not that much. As I mentioned before, the Peanuts Movie isn't aiming particularly high in terms of ambitious storytelling. That's not in itself a bad thing but a film made up primarily of familiar tropes and themes without exactly shooting for the moon can't help but feel lesser compared to better and riskier family films like Pixar's recent Inside Out. Also, while Snoopy's Red Baron subplot is cute and a nice change of pace from the talkier bits (for the kids anyways), it doesn't contribute a whole lot to the overall story and does go on a little longer than it needed... but only a little. There's no incredible voice acting, but the young performers all do a solid job. The only celebrity voice, Kristen Chenoweth, gives a cute performance as Fifi the beagle, but its a such a short role that it feels like her talents could have been given a bit more. So overall The Peanuts Movie isn't perfect, but any flaws it does have are minor and easy to forgive.

So wrapping up, The Peanuts Movie isn't a masterpiece nor is it anything incredible. Its a cute, modest, and very old-fashioned animated film with a few modern touches. Honestly, aside for a few pop songs in the soundtrack, this film is about as old-fashioned as you could expect from a modern Hollywood family blockbuster. Not many celebrities voices, no massive conflict, not much action, no glib self-aware Robot Chicken-style asides... just a cute, sweet, and good-natured family film with enough content to appeal to both kids and adults. Is it a great movie? Yeah, I think it gets there. Its not aiming super high, but between its adorable story, endearing characters, and good messages, it ends up becoming something pretty special.

I give The Peanuts Movie 4 stars out of 5!