MOVIE REVIEW: THE PEANUTS MOVIE (2015)

From IMDB:

Storyline

Snoopy 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 to win the love of his life.

 7.7/10 from 7,239 users

From Rotten Tomatoes:

MOVIE INFO

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved "Peanuts" gang make their big-screen debut, like they've never been seen before, in state of the art 3D animation. Charlie Brown, the world's most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron. From the imagination of Charles M. Schulz and the creators of the ICE AGE films, THE PEANUTS MOVIE will prove that every underdog has his day. (C) Fox

Rating: G

Genre: Animation, Kids & Family

Directed By: Steve Martino

Written By: Brian Schulz, Cornelius Uliano,Craig Schulz, Charles M. Schulz,Bryan Schulz

US Box Office: $126.3M

Runtime: 1 hr. 32 min.

20th Century Fox - Official Site

TOMATOMETER 85%

Average Rating: 7/10 | Reviews Counted: 123

Fresh: 105| Rotten: 18

Critics Consensus: The Peanuts Movie offers a colorful gateway into the world of its classic characters and a sweetly nostalgic -- if relatively unambitious -- treat for the adults who grew up with them.

AUDIENCE SCORE 82% liked it

Average Rating: 4/5 | User Ratings: 57,049

That's the Charlie Brown we know so well. ©20th Century Fox

So finally another Peanuts Movie!

Yes after 35 years there's finally a Peanuts movie featuring everyone's favorite comic strip dog who is a budding writer and imagines himself a WWI ace pilot forever battling the Red Baron, also along with him is his owner and good buddy Charlie Brown, who still isn't the luckiest kid in the world. The only other movie that's opened recently and one that a lot of people have been waiting around for for the last 30 years is Star Wars. Although I'd have to say only real hardcore Peanuts fan will go see this whereas everyone and their grandma has gone to see Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

So after over 30 years since the last Peanut Animated Special came out and 6 years after the passing of Charles Schulz the creator we get another movie, a movie that is a loving tribute to the comic strip creator by his son and grandson. And I'd have to say it's a fitting tribute. Charles Schulz would be proud.

He still ends up almost naked on the pitcher's mound. ©20th Century Fox

I'm not going to go into the story because a true fan would already know what it's all about and it's been out for awhile now so if you wanted to see it you probably already have. So I'm going to go right in and tell you what I like about it.

I love the animation style. It's beautiful. They've struck a perfect balance between 3D animation and the style that we've all come to love when it comes to the much beloved comic strip and animated specials. All the characters are instantly recognizable yet look so completely fresh and new. And then throughout the film we get little snippets of animation based on the comic strip and that and that's a nice little visit down memory lane.

Lucy still thinks she's better than everyone else especially Charlie Brown. ©20th Century Fox

The music is back too. Schroeder on the piano and the jazz in the background. Very cool. But of course to keep it current Charlie Brown gets a nice little pop tune to highlight his little moment. Also back are the familiar sounds of Snoopy and Woodstock and of course when the adults speak all you hear are the Wah-Wah's of a trombone.

Then there's the story. It's familiar to fans of the franchise. Charlie Brown is still the unluckiest kid in town and almost never gets a break. He still consults Lucy at a nickel a session and Snoopy in between his battles with the Red Baron and writing on his typewriter tries to help out Charlie Brown when he can. The pacing of the story is a tad slow and the main story by side stories and gags that anyone who grew up on the comic strip will recognize but then the Peanuts animated specials have always been like that.

And of course Sally's sweet babboo still walks around with his blanket. ©20th Century Fox

And that's why although it was fun and beautifully visualized it was also an unambitious film. It sort of reminds me of The Force Awakens, that film too pretty much recycles everything that we loved about the original trilogy. The story is pretty much the same, the scenes are set-up pretty much the same and of course the original has shown up to add to that much sought after return to nostalgia and connection to the original. But everything has been given a nice glossy finish and a few tweaks to keep things interesting. 

The Peanuts movie doesn't have all that. All it has is a nice glossy finish but everything else is pretty much the same. Where the new Star Wars will attract a new generation of fans and have them clamoring for more Star Wars alongside the hardcore fans, The Peanuts movie will probably not do the same. It'll please fans but whether it'll make new fans that's hard to say. 

And what Peanuts movie would be complete if Charlie Brown didn't have the football taken away from him. ©20th Century Fox

All in all, it's an entertaining movie. But compared to the other animations that we've seen this year this one falls short. This one is really only for the fans and the kids. A simple familiar story told by characters you know and love who never looked this good. I'm giving this film a decent 3 out of 5. And it's still better than any of those horrible Garfield movies, those Alvin and the Chipmunk movies or those Smurf movies. 

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it.