WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Classic animated cartoons. We’ve all grown up with them in some way, from those who remember the REAL days of Warner Brother’s “Looney Tunes”, to the eras of “Scooby-Doo”, “The Flintstones”, and “Superfriends”, to more modern hits like “The Simpsons”. All leave an indelible mark on us, even in our adult years, and hence when a new effort comes out featuring classic characters, potentially intense scrutiny is bound to come about. So when Blue Sky Studios announced “The Peanuts Movie”, this reviewer had that feeling of trepidation. Thankfully, those fears subsided as Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp) and his loyal, actively imaginative dog Snoopy (voiced by Bill Melendez) come to the big screen and rouse up adventure.
The perpetually self-doubting but to-a-fault well-meaning Charlie Brown finds himself once again at the mercy of his proclivities when the arrival of a new neighbor during a snow day shakes up his world–the Little Red-Haired Girl (voiced by Francesca Capaldi). As he tries and stumbles over his usual array of methods to attempt to even speak with or meet her, Snoopy remains the constant presence amidst it all, desperate to teach his master a thing or two about wooing, while also facing his own battles with arch nemesis, The Red Baron. So as the two stalwart companions once again navigate their respective journeys, Charlie Brown especially learns his worth, the value of honesty, and the power of simply being who you are and achieving your goals.
Next, my Mind:
Director Steve Martino and, of course, writers Bryan Schulz and Craig Schulz, deliver the much needed infusion of classic comedic, good-natured, and innocently fun feel and tone to “The Peanuts Movie”, which creator Charles M. Schulz brought to life in comic strip form all those many decades ago. Not willing to “modernize” (beyond the digital 3D, that is) the story or the characters themselves, what the viewer is presented with is just a wonderful quest through the existence of these kids and all their hilarious eccentricities, focused mainly on Charlie Brown and man’s best friend Snoopy, who alone is worth the viewing with his over-the-top ingenuity and creativeness, just riotous vocalizations, and fantastically “dogged” determination to defeat that pesky Baron.
The voices here are all about as close to the original ones as you could honestly get, at least in this reviewer’s opinion. And having so many of the borderline legendary attributes of all the characters in play just adds to the joy of riding along with the tale: Lucy’s psychiatric “advice” and extreme dislike of Snoopy’s “kisses”, Linus and his blanket, Peppermint Patty’s tomboy-ish ways yet still possessing the unrequited love for Charlie Brown, the kite-eating tree, ice-skating hijinks, and the list goes on and on. And yet, it really is exactly what we wanted to see, regardless of any themes that have been done before. In a world where so many modern cartoon efforts tend to lean towards adult-level material, it was just nice to hear that definitive piano playing, sit back, relax, and be a kid again.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
