[Movie Review] The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Director: Steve Martino
Writer: Bryan Schulz, Charles Schulz
Runtime: 93 min
Main Cast:
- Noah Schnapp as Charlie Brown (voice)
- Rebecca Bloom as Marcie (voice)
- Anastasia Bredikhina Patty (voice)
- Alexandre Garfin as Linus (voice)
- Noah Johnston as Schroeder (voice)
Review: by Marie
My son and I were super excited to see The Peanuts Movie. Being that I am a huge Charlie Brown and Snoopy fan, I was definitely happy that my four-year-old was interested as well. I do believe that the late Charles M. Schulz would have greatly appreciated the result of this full-length film, which presented a wholesome, goody-goody view of childhood emotional challenges barely advanced since his “lil folks” first graced the big screen in 1969’s “A Boy Named Charlie Brown.”
Over the course of the movie, Charlie Brown develops a crush on a new neighbor, otherwise nameless (and until now, virtually faceless), Little Red-Haired Girl, while his high flying beagle falls for a little pink-haired poodle named Fifi, an entirely new character he imagines rescuing from “The Red Baron.” Both Charlie Brown and Snoopy set their goals extremely high; although Snoopy has the self-confidence to follow through, while Charlie Brown suffers from near-constant insecurity; feelings exacerbated by longtime rival Lucy, who gladly enumerates Charlie Brown’s shortcomings, only to turn around and offer psychiatric help from her makeshift lemonade stand at a nickel a session.
What I Liked:
“The Peanuts Movie” maintained its traditions through and through. It is definitely a movie for all ages and I love that each and every character stayed fun and exciting, just how Charles Shultz created them to be. I was also happy that the writers, producers, and directors did not disrupt the gentle timelessness of the TV cartoons. Schroeder doesn’t play Beethoven in Garage Band, no one has a cellphone, Snoopy still composes his purple prose on a manual typewriter, and the children still fill their days with ice skating and baseball. And since every 3D cartoon seemingly must include a flying sequence, Snoopy and Woodstock are there to oblige with some lengthy fantasies about a doghouse-mounted beagle facing off against The Red Baron over the French countryside.
What I Didn’t Like:
I did love how they stayed within the parameters of how the characters were originally, however like most classic jokes, “Peanuts” isn’t so much funny as mildly amusing, which is evidentially one of the many aspects of Schulz’s legacy that his son Craig and grandson Bryan fought to protect as screenwriters and producers of the film. A little modernization would not have hurt, especially in diversity. While Franklin remains Charlie Brown’s only brown friend, a non-white love interest would have been as progressive as Schulz’s tomboyish depiction of Peppermint Patty was back in the day.
Summary
For those of you who know “The Peanuts Crew” well, this movie should feel like the first day of a new school year, reunited with a classroom full of familiar faces. With the exception of Fifi (who looks like Snoopy with pink pom-pons stuck to her head and ears), everyone here is a member of the Peanuts ensemble, and though their personalities came across slightly different, the kid characters were performed by actual kids. The grown-up’s still speak via muffled trombone while Snoopy and Woodstock’s voices have been resurrected from archival recordings by Bill Melezdez, who directed all “The Peanuts” features and TV Specials. This movie was well done and truly a delight for all ages to watch.
User Review
( votes)Images Courtesy of IMDB
