[Review] The Peanuts Movie
In case you were unaware, we're in the midst of an animation renaissance. While the bulk of the new animation landscape is predicated by TV shows like Bob's Burgers, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and more, animated films have found steady crossover success with films like The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the standard fare from Studio Ghibli and Pixar. The success of such properties has been a mix of great writing, memorable characters, and the creators' penchant to adapt new trends in modern humor to make them feel more timely.
The Peanuts Movie, however, follows the classic standard established by creator Charles M. Schulz more than 65 years ago, with everything ranging from the Red Baron, Joe Cool, Lucy's psychiatric help, and more, without having to rely on pop-culture references, one-liners, and hyperactive quick cuts. What results is a brand new Peanuts story that feels just as timeless as every time Charlie Brown missed the football.
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The Peanuts Movie
Director: Steve Martino
Rating: G
Release Date: November 6, 2015
Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp) is well-liked by his peers, despite not being very good at... anything. His chance for a clean slate is presented, however, with a new kid moving into town - the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Capaldi). All of his initial attempts to talk to her end up in typical Charlie Brown fashion; however, he suddenly finds some luck that results in him becoming the most popular kid at school. Meanwhile, his pet dog Snoopy (Bill Melendez) embarks on dog fights against his long-time arch-nemesis, the Red Baron, in his quest to rescue his love interest, Fifi (Kristin Chenoweth).
The biggest strength of The Peanuts Movie is its simple plot. So often, many franchise reboots/remakes try too hard to add unnecessary exposition or complicated stories in misguided attempts to "modernize" them for contemporary audiences. The Peanuts Movie, however, relies on the simplicity that made Peanuts so timeless. While the audience at my screening were mostly quiet, I did find myself chuckling more than my peers as Peanuts staples found their way subtly worked into the plot.
The animation style also stayed true to the characters' 2D images, albeit modernized into a faux-3D style. It was fun to see little things like Pig-Pen's dust cloud, Charlie Brown's iconic single hair, and their simple, yet fun facial expressions. The style is similar to South Park's cardboard cutout-style of animation that truly benefits when the characters are on a flat plane, but don't look that awkward when they have to interact in 3D.
The Peanuts Movie is an ode to Schulz and his long-lasting franchise. You can tell that the crew for the film, from producer Paul Feig to director Steve Martino, truly love and appreciate Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, and the entire Peanuts crew. The Peanuts Movie will be a great addition to the Peanuts animated canon alongside A Charlie Brown Christmas and the other Charlie Brown specials.
The Peanuts Movie Celebrates Franklin's Birthday
On July 31, 1968, Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz broke down barriers by introducing the strip's first African American character, Franklin. Now, 47 years later, The Peanuts Movie is celebrating his first appearance with a social media campaign illustrating the character's background.
Following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a teacher by the name of Harriet Glickman wrote a letter to Schulz expressing the importance of adding an African American character to Peanuts, the country's most popular comic strip at the time. As stated earlier, Franklin Armstrong made his debut on July 31st, 1968, and represented the importance of desegregation and equality.
Nearly 50 years later, America still struggles with racism and racial inequality, especially in light of the rampant reports of police brutality and hate crimes recently, something fun like #FranklinDay is a way to celebrate and promote something positive. And hey, it works as a very smart and creative marketing tool for The Peanuts Movie.
Re-live Franklin's first appearance in Peanuts below, and Happy #FranklinDay!
The Peanuts Wish Mothers a Happy Mother's Day
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What better way is there to wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day than by sharing a special message from the Peanuts gang? From all of us here and those working on The Peanuts Movie, we wish all of you Moms out there a very special Happy Mother's Day!
[Trailer] The Peanuts Movie
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With Thanksgiving a little more than a week away, it's not uncommon to see a whirlwind of holiday-related advertising campaigns. Considering how The Peanuts' most popular special is A Charlie Brown Christmas, it makes sense that marketing for next year's The Peanuts Movie would begin just around the lead-in for this year's festivities.
As the kayfabe storyline goes, Snoopy "leaked" the latest trailer for The Peanuts Movie earlier this morning following yesterday's release of images from the film. It's fitting, considering the focal point of the trailer is on Snoopy continuing the endless dogfight against his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. As if yesterday's images from the film weren't gorgeous in their own right, the art style looks even better in motion. For those that aren't exactly the biggest Snoopy fans (myself included), fear not: the film will be equally focused on both Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
You can read the film's official synopsis below.
In PEANUTS, a 3D, CGI animated comedic adventure, Snoopy, the world’s most lovable beagle – and flying ace! – embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.
First Images of The Peanuts Movie
Last March, a teaser trailer was released to indicate the type of art style being employed for the upcoming Peanuts film. As Alex indicated in his post from the spring, the art style is the perfect combination of Schulz' classic designs with modern CGI. I, for one, am very happy they decided to keep true to the classic Peanuts style rather than go down a more modern route like other modern adaptations Alvin and the Chipmunks, Underdog, etc.
Earlier today, USA Today released a few more images from the upcoming The Peanuts Movie, which is being produced and overseen by Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, Ghostbusters 3) and directed by Steve Martino (Horton Hears a Who!). In the aforementioned USA Today article, Feig and Martino make it clear that The Peanuts Movie will tap into the timeless style of storytelling many past Peanuts specials and strips have followed rather than attempting to modernize the gang's stories, which is especially uplifting to hear as we see more gritty, "updated" adaptations of classic franchises and properties hitting theaters.
The Peanuts Movie is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 5th, 2015. To help with the wait, check out the newly-released images from the film in the gallery below.
[via USA Today]
