I was feeling quite conflicted going into “The Peanuts Movie.” The animation company behind the film, Blue Sky Studios, isn’t known for producing the best computer-animated films out there — see all the endless “Ice Age” sequels and “Rio 2.” Their films tend to focus on the annoying kids movie gags, like fart jokes or someone getting kicked in the nuts. There are only so many films that can rely on cartoon characters stepping in poop for laughs.
At the same time, I grew up on Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” television specials and cartoon strips. I have fond memories watching Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy and all the rest of the beloved characters celebrate Christmas, go trick-or-treating and just live their quirky little lives. I remember my elementary school music teacher playing Vince Guaraldi’s iconic jazzy songs on the piano during class and everyone would dance along.
That is why I am ecstatic to say that “The Peanuts Movie” is Blue Sky Studios’ best film to date, and it does a wonderful job capturing the spirit of its source material.
Rather than a single story, there are several segments spanning from a snow day in winter to summer vacation. A new girl moves into town, and Charlie Brown is instantly infatuated. He tries to impress her at the talent show, at the school dance and by writing an incredible book report on “War and Peace.” Splitting up his attempts to impress the new girl are wonderful slapstick action sequences by Snoopy and Woodstock, where Snoopy daydreams about flying his doghouse like a plane in a battle against the Red Baron.
The plot feels like three or four unreleased episodes of a television show, with Charlie Brown learning a life lesson after each section: be honest, be determined, do the right thing, etc. But it would have felt weird to see the Peanuts gang focus on just one story for an entire movie’s runtime. I prefer this episodic nature. Schulz thrives on telling little stories, be it in a couple panels of a comic strip or in a 20-minute television special.
It’s thanks to all the quirky characters that allow this minimalist plot to thrive. I had a wonderful time watching all the classic characters bounce off one another in the little moments between the bigger plot setups. Maybe this is just fan service, but all the classic moments from the cartoon are back in one way or another: Lucy pulling the football out from under Charlie Brown, Lucy giving terrible psychiatric advice for a nickel, and Charlie Brown hopelessly trying to fly a kite.
All the voice actors are actual children, like they were in the past iterations, and they do a delightful job. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something much more funny about little kids saying these mature lines than if they had gotten celebrities to do the voice acting. Philosophical ramblings are just funnier when it’s a 5-year-old giving the lines, and Peanuts products old and new thrive off this juxtaposition. The movie also managed to expertly balance melancholic moments with an overall uplifting tone, which Schulz did masterfully in his prime.
The writing is one of the best parts of “The Peanuts Movie” because it appeals to everyone. These kids do not talk like kids; their dialogue is very mature and in some ways more sophisticated than movies intended for adults. I would describe myself as a “childish adult,” and I found the more sophisticated humor equally as funny as the silly slapstick humor aimed at little kids. Blue Sky Studios had to be careful to make the film both appeal to children and to the adults who grew up on the source material, and it hits the perfect balance.
From an animation standpoint, “The Peanuts Movie” might have struck gold. The frame rate is purposefully low at points, which in any other movie would be a sign of lazy animation since computer animation is usually supposed to be flowing and smooth. But that’s not how the original television shorts were made; they were hand drawn and sketched out frame by frame. In a way, this slightly choppy animation is paying homage to its origins, and I found the style thoroughly enjoyable. The best comparison I can think of is how in “The Lego Movie,” the animation is meant to look like stop motion to match with the idea of building Legos by hand and setting up these scenes with actual Legos in real life.
The animation also gets a chance to shine in Snoopy’s daydream segments, where he is flying against his archenemy the Red Baron. These scenes feature sweeping landscapes, vivid colors and stylish wide angles to show the dogfight happening in the skies. Snoopy’s sections take up about a quarter of the movie’s total runtime and always come at just the right time to add some action in the very laid-back slice-of-life Charlie Brown sections.
Also of note is the wonderful soundtrack. Christophe Beck, who has done the scores for hundreds of films, did a spot-on job capturing the signature jazzy tone of Guaraldi. Slick pianos and soft drums give life and charm to the quieter moments. Some modern music is also included, I assume to appeal to younger kids in the audience, but as far as pop music goes, it’s actually pretty catchy and restrained.
When it comes to complaints, I only have one. The end of the film substitutes the subtlety of everything prior for a very blatant explanation of the moral. The new girl literally explains to Charlie Brown that because of this, this and this, you’re a good person. I got the message before she stated it outright because, before this, the movie was successfully getting their point across with the show-don’t-tell approach. It’s not like it brings the whole movie down, but it is disappointing that the film was in my opinion flawless until the final few minutes. Fortunately, the credits have funny and clever extra scenes that more than make up for the botched ending.
Overall, “The Peanuts Movie” is a film clearly made with love for the source material. Everything from the score to the characters filled me with a nostalgic good feeling, and it does the amazing job of appealing to everyone.
_MOVE gives “The Peanuts Movie” five out of five stars._
