The Peanuts Movie Director: Steve Martino Starring: Francesca Capaldi, Bill Melendez, Kristin Chenoweth, Trombone Shorty
Four stars
Maybe the Peanuts gang didn't make the leap to the big screen before now because they enjoyed so much success (albeit infrequently) on the small one, with TV specials such as It's The Great Pumpkin and A Charlie Brown Christmas, which have been broadcast around the world each year since the 1960s.
Thankfully, The Peanuts Movie isn't just a television special writ large. The filmmakers take visual advantage of their cinematic scope to tell a bigger story, with more sophisticated animation and effective use of 3-D that gives new depth to the Peanuts world.
But at the heart of it all, the characters so beloved by generations of fans – Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock and that beloved blockhead, Charlie Brown – are as charming and timeless as ever.
The Peanuts Movie, co-written by the son and grandson of Peanuts creator Charles M Schulz, doesn't cover new thematic territory – but it doesn't really need to. Relying on 50 years of comic-strip character development, the Peanuts gang stay true to their original selves – there's no new edge or postmodern snark in the mix.
The central concepts – be honest, be yourself, do your best – are as gentle as the curves of Charlie Brown’s silhouette.
There are two stories at play in the film: one is set in the "real world" of Charlie Brown and his friends, the other is a more fantastical tale of Snoopy as his alter-ego, the Flying Ace.
The Peanuts Movie opens during wintertime, and a snowy introductory scene with Woodstock sets viewers up for the 3-D experience. Charlie Brown and the gang are excited about a new kid moving into their neighbourhood. She turns out to be the Little Red-Haired Girl, and Charlie is instantly smitten.
School starts up again, bringing a series of challenges. First of all, the Little Red-Haired Girl is in Charlie’s class.
“I just came down with a serious case of inadequacy,” he says.
Then there’s a talent show, school-wide tests, book reports and other kid-sized hurdles to overcome. The story follows the gang through the school year, focusing on Charlie’s foibles, with his sister, Sally, playing a supporting role. Everything looks as colourful and round as the comic strip.
Meanwhile, Snoopy creates a high-flying adventure from atop his doghouse as he battles his nemesis, the Red Baron. These sequences are distinguished by more realistic background animation – snowy mountains and grassy landscapes that look more like the world outside the movie theatre.
Snoopy’s Flying Ace, aided by a team of Woodstock mechanics, flies off in pursuit of his love, Fifi, just as Charlie Brown tries to work up the nerve to say ‘hello’ to the Little Red-Haired Girl.
Director Steve Martino cast child actors to voice the Peanuts gang, and used vintage recordings of late actor-producer Bill Melendez to realise Snoopy and Woodstock’s inimitable expressions. A catchy new song contributed by pop star Meghan Trainor is a bouncy bonus.
While The Peanuts Movie might lack the wink-wink wisdom aimed at adults that is found in many Pixar releases, it retains the wholesome appeal of those stalwart TV specials.
The 3-D makes it look modern – but underneath, this film’s sweetness is satisfyingly old-fashioned.
