The Peanuts Movie
Christian Movie Review
It’s been four years since “The Muppets” staged an epic comeback on the big screen, so it’s only fair that now it’s Charlie Brown’s turn. While “The Muppets” had moments of breaking the fourth wall and making fun of themselves and their legacy (and that worked for that kind of movie) we have a purer and truer comeback in the new Peanuts movie. The gang isn’t back; they never left.
While they are visually refreshed in many ways in beautiful 3D rendering, that’s where the change ends. It’s a subtle, respectful 3D rendering. The animation retains all of the classic elements of the 2D newspaper drawings — even down to the little lines behind Woodstock when he flies around. Whether you loved the comic strip in the Sunday papers or the holiday TV specials, this is the real deal.
In many ways this movie presents itself as a love letter to both the creator Charles Schulz and to his many fans. It has been rumored that before he passed away, his wish for Charlie Brown was that he would never have any new adventures that hadn’t already been written in his comic strips. Perhaps this is why they’ve never graced the big screen with dramatic “reboots” that add new information like so many reboots do today. But somehow this new movie pulled off classic Peanut gags and lines while presenting the most rounded look at who each of the characters truly are; and it did it without boring us. The story felt fresh and warmly familiar all at once — as if 20 years of our favorite comic strips had been time-lapsed and molded into a 90 minute story.
The movie beautifully reminded us why we’ve been fans for so long.
While new kids had to be found to be the voice talent behind the Peanuts gang, I was happy to see the name Bill Melendez as the voice of Snoopy and Woodstock, which were achieved using archived soundbites. It just wouldn’t be right without him. Somehow they found kids who sound for the most part exactly as they always have. Lucy van Pelt (Hadley Belle Miller, “Sofia the First”), Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp, “Bridge of Spies”) and the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Capaldi, “Dog with a Blog”) have the timeless kid voices that help bring this sweet story to the big screen. I doubt it was an easy task for director Steve Martino to get that perfect mix of helping them get the right inflection and sound while not coaching them out of their childlike voices. I was quite impressed.
Parent Guidance Content at a Glance for this G Movie…
Violence/Gore/Scary Content: None.
Sexual Content/Nudity: None.
Language: None.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: None.
Entertainment Value & Film Craft
The biggest adjustment to make to seeing the Peanuts gang on the big screen is the new computer-generated rendering, but they stayed true to the comforting simplicity of Schulz’s classic hand-drawn look. In several scenes we even get to see them in comic strip black and white. It’s a visual feast and the cinematic equivalent of the most nostalgic, heartwarming comfort food you’ve ever eaten. Somehow the simple hand-drawn elements just add that perfect ingredient. It’s not as lavish as “Toy Story 3,” but no animated movie ever made looks anything like this movie. It really feels like you’re watching something new and exciting — a new style of movie that’s never been done before. It’s totally unique and a fitting tribute to The Peanuts.
Worldview & Themes of Redemption
Morals such as honesty and integrity are presented as character traits you should have even when they cause you personal loss. Friendship and family take high priority. Childhood is presented here in its simplicity. While the children often make fun of Charlie Brown, it never ventures into anything that could be construed as bullying, which is a hot-button topic nowadays. A friend or certain beagle is always around to lend a helpful hand or kind word just when he needs it.
Conclusion: Possibly the Perfect Family Movie
If there were just one movie that you would take your entire family of all ages to see (which is an expensive venture, for sure), “The Peanuts Movie” would be it. It is one of the most family friendly movies to hit the big screen — on a level similar to the latest “Winnie the Pooh” movie that came out four years ago in the same year as “The Muppets” reboot. If your child can handle sitting through one and half hours, you don’t have to worry about curse words or scary images. It’s quite refreshing: no pushing the bounds of morals or culture, no edginess. Just the smooth little head of our favorite underdog, Charlie Brown. Welcome back, kid.
My rating for “The Peanuts Movie”: [usr 9] (See my notes at the bottom of this article about the rating scale.)
[Note: if you’re a fan of C.S. Lewis, please check out our editor Kevin Ott’s new blog Stabs of Joy or his podcast Aslan’s Paw. Both seek to crack open the surprising treasures of Christian belief — the things that Western society has forgotten, ignored, or never encountered — with the help of logic, literature, film, music, and one very unsafe Lion.]
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Note about my rating system for the movie’s film craft and entertainment value:
1 star = one of the worst movies ever made (the stuff of bad movie legends), and it usually (not always) has below 10% on Rotten Tomatoes
2-3 stars = a mostly bad movie that has a handful of nice moments; it usually falls between 10-30% on Rotten Tomatoes
4-6 stars = a decent movie with some flaws, overall. Four stars mean its flaws outweigh the good. Five stars mean equal good, equal bad. Six stars mean it’s a fairly good movie, with some great moments even, that outweigh a few flaws. A 4-6 star rating usually means it falls between 30-59% on Rotten Tomatoes (but not always).
7-9 stars = a rare rating reserved only for the best movies of that year; and a film must have a Fresh Tomato rating (60% or higher) on Rotten Tomatoes to be given 7 stars or higher, with a few exceptions (if I strongly disagree with the critics).
10 stars = one of the best films of all time, right up there with the all-time greats (i.e. Casablanca, The African Queen, Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars Episode IV, Indiana Jones, etc.).
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I loved this movie. The ending was great because it showed that the “little red haired girl” saw virtues through Charlie Brown’s every attempt to be “successful” as he thought that’s what the little girl would see as most important. In the end, all of his attempts ended in failure, but what was not a failure is his character- and she recognized and admired that in him!
BUT…. I thought I saw one scene where there was a sort of homosexual innuendo. I could be wrong. Anyone catch the scene where Charlie Brown came out in a suit and all the girls were kind of “wowed” and saying things like “woah is that Charlie Brown?” And then the little boy dressed as a mime pops up and is “wowed” too and verbally so, then quickly ZIPS his own mouth shut while looking paranoid that someone may have caught on to his attraction?
anyone?
@ KSH- The scene where the kids go ” Wow, hat Charlie Brown?” is a result of them being shocked and suprised that Charlie Brown has the confidence and courage to even be in the Talent Show. he young man dressed as the meme (Shermy) “zipped” his mouth because he had “broken” his character. If you look at how Memes act, whenver they speak it is considered a break in their character and they “zip” their lips, neverspeaking again (that is until their day is over 🙂 ) I do not believe that Craig and Bryan Schulz would implement something that goes against what they believe and they most certaintly would not conform Peanuts to how the world is. I agree on the ending, it is something that really touched me. As a guy, I always thought it is about looking cool and slick in order to impress Ladies. But this however, is a lie; Our hearts, who we are, never dies and never grows old. Our bodies grow old and wrinkly, despite the “anti-aging cream”. The Little Red-Haired Girl sees Charlie Brown’s heart, and does not see his failures, how popular he is, or his looks. She admires him for the person he is and the compassion, honesty, and kindness. If the Little Red-Haired Girl and Charlie Brown were real, they would be people that this world desperately needs. In my own opinion, I see the love of Christ in both of them, even if they are animated characters. Have a blessed day Miss/Mr.