Shadow Reviews #14: The Peanuts Movie (2015)

Instructions

My Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Peanuts Movie is a fantastic tribute to a more than wonderful series, it is a film that translates the wonder of Peanuts into a 3D world, a movie that revives an unforgettable cinematic phenomenon without betraying the essence of Charles Schulz’s oeuvre. In other, simpler words, it’s a great movie that DOESN’T sell itself as an obligatory cash-making homage, and even if it did make a lot of money, it still had a lot of heart. First of all, as a massive fan of the original Peanuts features, this movie plays very similarly to one of those movies. Evidently, there’s some inevitable differences that accompany the transition to 3D, but the style of Schulz is translated to a point of near perfect accuracy. If he were still alive, I do believe he would approve of this film. A solid 9/10 I could see him giving it. Likewise, it’s a very beautiful film to watch, one of those Blue Sky movies that have a charming animation style. The characters have a real personality to them, and they reflect the characterization established in the comics and the old movies. Personally, I liked that they kept the weird trumpet “wawa” sound for the adults in the movie, a very nostalgic creative decision by the filmmakers. In fact, there’s a lot of nostalgic references in the movie, little decisions and lines that only Peanuts fans would truly understand. The plot is simple yet enjoyable. Seldom I find a G-rated film that actually engages the viewer. While Charlie Brown never enters any real danger, he grows as an individual and learns to win over the heart of his love, which is a pretty common dramatic need, but there’s something about the execution of it that’s smart, funny, and genuine. In fact, the plot points of the movie are some of the most defined plot points I’ve ever seen; if I were to create the paradigm of a plot structure – specifically regarding a character’s journey from loser to legend – this film would be a fantastic example to learn from. Obviously, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but is that always a necessity? One more word: Snoopy. Snoopy :3 I freaking love Snoopy so much, he’s one of my favorite comfort characters. Snoopy Come Home (1972) was my childhood movie, I must have watched it at least 2 dozen times. And every watch was a treat, a special experience. With this in mind, Snoopy sets some important expectations for the filmmakers. And fortunately, they stay true to his character by using archival recordings from Bill Melendez. In this way, they never deviate from Snoopy’s personality. In the movie, his subplot wasn’t perfect but it tied nicely with the main plot of Charlie Brown’s struggles. And it captures the wild imagination of his piloting escapades, which provides a nice break whenever the film feels like its sagging. And yes, the film does sag sometimes. This is perhaps the only shortsighted aspect of the film; there are most certainly times where I’m bored and I don’t really care about the action going on because there is no action. Nevertheless, it is important to note that once the film picks itself back up, it will definitely recapture you excitingly, so definitely keep watching. Oh, and in all honesty, some of the nostalgic references were a wee bit unnecessary; they didn’t play a part in advancing the story or revealing more about the main characters, and as per the general rule of thumb in dialogue, they aren’t necessary. Some are cute and make you feel warm inside as you recall the charm of the comic strips; others seem a little forced. Oh well, you never get a perfect tribute to a legendary series, especially with such a high bar to hit. And when the movie does it right, it does it RIGHT. Anyway, this is a must watch for Peanuts fans and a great movie for the non-fans as well. It’s not AS good as the classic films, but tributes never are. This is a film about humanity. And isn’t there a little part of Charlie Brown in all of us? What I watched it on: DVD Other critics: Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Metacritic: 67, "generably favorable reviews"