By: Daniel Chadwick-Shubat
Charles Schulz is a name most people would know as the creator of the popular Sunday comic book strip Peanuts. Now 35 years after the last appearance of the Peanuts gang on our television screens, Blue Sky Studios gives us The Peanuts Movie in 3D.
Nostalgia is in high supply and the spirit of Charles Schulz’s comic book strip is alive and well, giving us a faithful adaptation of these timeless characters.
It features an unknown voice cast, who perfectly capture the personalities of the characters they are voicing. Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and co. all feel and sound like they should.
The Peanuts Movie revolves around Charlie Brown and his quest to win the heart of the little red headed girl. During this journey he has to overcome his insecurities and work hard to prove to not only everyone in the Peanuts universe but to himself that he is not worthless but actually special.
Straight away we’re getting lessons that can not only teach kids about having faith in yourself and doing your best in everything that you do but it also teaches about how integrity is one of the most important things in life, which kids and adults alike should know. Who knew that going to see a movie about kids cartoon characters would actually teach you important life lessons?!
This movie is also full of laugh out loud moments mostly courtesy of Snoopy and his little companions (the chicks). As Charlie Brown’s story goes along, Snoopy is writing his own imaginary story that riffs off from Charlie Brown’s troubles. In it he’s a famous fighter pilot who’s tasked with taking out the Red Baron, the most notorious enemy fighter pilot of World War I. This character is brought to life onto the screen exactly how I imagined he would be and it causes some serious nostalgic moments on my part. I still have a shirt with Snoopy and the chicks on it saying; “Where are all the chicks?” That shirt got a lot of smiles, so I owe Snoopy a lot.
The reason this movie works on so many different levels is because of it’s stellar writing by the son and grandson of Charles Schulz. They were deeply involved in the making of this movie and it turned out brilliantly. Once again it proves that the best people for the job of adapting a book or literary piece into a movie are the ones who were directly involved in the process of writing or close to the ones who did write these literary pieces.
In essence this movie is a deeply nostalgic experience for all the people who grew up with the Peanuts gang and for kids this is a funny, heartwarming movie with a lot of important lessons to be learned. The animation is impressive and while the story is not out of this world, the simplicity is calmly assuring and good in a world where complicated stories rule. Sometimes you need a funny, joyful movie that teaches you a couple things but is mostly there for you and your kids’ enjoyment.
The Peanuts Movie is a perfect adaptation of the comic book strip by Charles Schulz. It delivers on everything it promised and gives the audience a really enjoyable 100 minutes in the theater. This is a comic book universe that I definitely want to return to.
Rating: 8/10
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