Turning classic cartoon properties into big-budget features has produced films ranging from ‘pretty good’ (Mr. Peabody and Sherman) to ‘kill-it-with-a-pitchfork horrible’ (Alvin and the Chipmunks). These films almost always favour contemporary CGI styles rather than traditional animation techniques, lest they get woefully overlooked like 2011’s Winnie the Pooh. But with The Peanuts Movie, Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Rio, Epic) does both by staying true to Charles M. Schulz’s designs while giving them a fresh coat of visual innovation.
The Peanuts Movie isn’t just faithful in look, though; it’s faithful in character. Snoopy is still a lovable jerk, Linus is still a child prodigy, Lucy is still a quack, and Charlie Brown is still the constant victim of misfortune. But when a new red-haired girl moves into the neighbourhood, our leading lad sees a chance to impress someone who doesn’t think he’s a blockhead… yet.
If that storyline sounds light, that’s because it is – in every single way the show and the comic strips were. That doesn’t stop this film from being a constant pleasure, popping with cute character moments and relatable slice-of-life scenarios that make Schulz’s world a joy to be in. And because the film refrains from “modernising” Peanuts with iPhones, YouTube and T-Pain (thank the Lord), it proves how timelessly entertaining Schulz’s vision of childhood was.
Some things could have worked better. Snoopy’s drab Red Baron moments have very little to do with anything and take up a good fifth of the film while the ending sidesteps a potential tug-on-the-heart with a fluffy pat-on-the-back. But it’s hard to mark down The Peanuts Movie when it does so much so right, and it’s easily the best film Blue Sky has made.
‘Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie’ Movie Times | 3D Movie Times
Other Great Breezy Family Films: Ernest & Celestine, My Neighbour Totoro, Arrietty
