Movie Review: The Peanuts Movie

Charles M. Schulz and his family did not want anyone to destroy his vision. With that being said, there is great news to report. The Peanuts Movie does a fine job at not messing up a successful comic strip.

There is a cartoon short that precedes the feature film. This caught me off guard and left me slightly frustrated. But I got over it once I thought about it and figured out what was going on. The short is entertaining. Then the movie begins.

As usual, the Peanuts’ main protagonist is a kid named Charlie Brown. He is a good person at heart that is always misunderstood. Charlie brown is obsessed with flying a kite, but is never successful. He is a lovable looser on the baseball diamond that suffers from low self esteem, depression, and anxiety. Also, his parents’ guidance is virtually nonexistent.

Lucy messes with Charlie Brown’s head on a regular basis by moving the football when he tries to kick it. But at the same time she is the neighborhood psychiatrist, so she’s his only hope for mental salvation.

Even though there are ‘no dogs allowed,’ Snoopy and Woodstock give us our money’s worth. They take us on an adventure with the Red Baron using only their imaginations and Snoopy’s type writer. In fact, the Peanuts do not use a single electronic device throughout the entire movie. Not a single computer, video game, tablet, or cell phone. (Bravo!)

The Peanuts TV specials leave us wondering if Charlie Brown needs Lexapro. But all the kid really needs is some good coaching from a father figure to help build his confidence. The problem is that the adults in this universe all sound like a trombone covered with the rubber end of a toilet plunger.

Charlie Brown never got a break back in the day. However, this movie does a good job at updating classic characters, while sticking to the script. The ending is awesome.

Peanuts cartoons are targeted to six-year-olds, so the pace is slow and the plot is simple. This movie could have very easily been ruined in so many ways. If you can get over the CGI animation, it does a fantastic job of not messing up. Charles M. Schulz did not want anyone to destroy his vision after he passed away. He would be proud of this movie.