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I have always been a fan of the Peanuts specials like a Charlie Brown Christmas for it's great humor and creative stories. When I heard of this film, I really had high hopes for this film and the trailers were hilarious. OK, now lets go to detail on the film.

The story is about Charlie Brown trying to become a winner to redeem himself and impress a new red haired girl. It may not sound engaging, but once you watch it, it's really a good story even if it's at times predictable. As for Snoopy's subplot with fighting the red baron, I've got to admit, it may be filler, but it's really funny and even creative but it doesn't have to do with Charlie Brown. In this subplot, Snoopy has a love interest as well. As for the humor, I didn't think that the jokes in the trailer were as funny as the ones you see in the movie. They are just hilarious. There are also great references to other specials. So overall, this is a good enough screen play for a Charlie Brown film.

The animation in this movie may've bagged the 2-D and made 3-D instead, it is just amazing. The backgrounds are just breathtaking in the red baron scenes because it showed it unlike the Charlie Brown Halloween where the flying scenes only showed the sky. Charlie Brown and his friends may look a bit simplistic, but it's OK. The animation showed that they could bring peanuts to Computer Animation. It looks almost flawless and maybe even a bit hand drawn. So you've got to look into this great texture of hair and backgrounds, it's that amazing.

The characters in this movie are unforgettable just like the classics. The side characters like Lucy and Snoopy are just hilarious and fun to watch even if they are just 2-D. The main character, Charlie Brown is 3 dimensional and he try's to accomplish his goals. He's also lovable because he shows helpfulness and honesty. Then there's the little red haired girl whose face was revealed for the first time since the 1977 Charlie Brown short, "Its your first kiss, Charlie Brown". Even though they revealed her unlike the comic strips, she's still really cute, and uses her very few lines in the movie to tell Charlie Brown about how she liked him for who he was, which was sweet.

If you're a fan of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, go watch this film, Even people who never watched the Peanuts cartoons or read the comics should watch it. The only people I don't recommend it to are those who hate Peanuts because even though its modern, its still Peanuts. One additional detail I would like to make is the fact that we never see one cell phone nor computer in the movie. This shows that the environment stayed around the 1960s era. So go watch it, it's a treat.

Story: 7/10 Animation 9.5/10 Characters: 8.5/10 8.5/10

A little red-haired girl has moved across the street from Charlie Brown. He sees her and falls in love. He wants to ask her out or impress her but everything he tries fails. Meanwhile Snoopy is in his doghouse plane fighting the Red Baron for cute little poodle Fifi.

I was expecting the worst when this was announced. I'm glad to announce that I was wrong. This is a charming, amusing and excellent update of the Peanuts. Actually there's no updating of the characters and their world. They still use phones and typewriters, No computers, cells or such exist here. The animation is now all CGI but manages to retain the charm of the hand-drawn originals. The aerial battles between Snoopy and the Red Baron are VERY well-done. The voices are now done by actual children and not adults like the previous ones did. Also there's no crude humor or violence--this is VERY G rated. Even better it has messages that say be yourself and don't give up no matter what. And of course it has a big old happy ending! Warm, amusing and perfect for the whole family. Recommended.

While a film based off the beloved "Peanuts" comic strip in 2015 will appear a desperate cash-in for money-hungry Hollywood at a time where $1 billion grosses are now reasonable goals for some films, thanks to the participation of Bryan and Craig Schulz, the grandson and son of the late "Peanuts" cartoonist Charles Schulz, respectively, the humor and original spirit of the original product is still very much in tact. With warm animation that delightfully mimics the look of the comic, while bringing computer animation into the picture.

"The Peanuts Movie" is a beautiful little film, one that doesn't predicate its existence entirely on the nostalgia and warmth provided by the original comic strip and one that doesn't get so blindsided by the glitz of Hollywood excess that it abandons its roots. Our story focuses on Charlie Brown, everyone's lovable blockhead, who is usually found attempting to get his kite off the ground or avoiding being the laughingstock of his whole neighborhood. He also spends a great deal of time with his friends, such as Linus, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Sally, and of course, Snoopy and Woodstock.

Charlie's whole world is turned upside down, however, when a beautiful new girl, known only as "Little Red-Haired Girl," moves into the neighborhood and is placed in Charlie's class. As usual, Charlie finds himself overcome with his klutzy nature and personal insecurities to make any kind gesture towards the apple of his eye. In effort to make himself hipper and more admirable, Charlie begins to read a book maps out the ten ways to be successful.

When Charlie and the Little Red-Haired Girl get paired up to do a book report together, and the Little Red-Haired Girl is out of town visiting her sick grandmother, Charlie motivates himself to do the book report by himself to impress his crush. Peppermint Patty informs him one of the greatest books of all time is a book called "Leo's Toystore" written by "some guy" named "Warren Peace," to which Charlie tracks down the book, reads the behemoth of a novel, and emerges determined to write one of the greatest book reports ever.

This should give you some sort of idea of what you're in for with "The Peanuts Movie." Also thrown into this charming story are many scenes involving Snoopy flying on his airplane with two goals in mind - taking down the infamous Red Baron fighter jet and winning the heart of the gorgeous poodle Fifi. It's a tireless pursuit, and it's one that is interjected in the film prolifically enough to really feel like a diversion to the fact that this is a story that would've probably been better suited for basic cable with a runtime of about seventy minutes. These are the scenes that really appear to be filler and work to distract from the more interesting and relatable story at hand. However, the "Peanuts" strips and specials were always cut from a rather slight cloth, so perhaps these sequences do indeed work to serve the better part of the spirit.

Nonetheless, I'm not one to complain when a product of the past gets its fair treatment on the big screen and that's precisely what "The Peanuts Movie" gets: a very fair, very funny, thoroughly charming revitalization of characters that, to many, feel like old friends, created with unique animation that effectively blends styles of the past and present thanks to Blue Sky Animation. This film would be an ideal pairing alongside Disney's "Winnie the Pooh" from 2011, both of which together would make for a lovely introduction to film for young audiences thanks to their warmness and genial spirit and humor.

I should start off by saying I didn't grow up loving the Charlie Brown films. We were shown the films and shorts every once in awhile before winter or thanksgiving break in school, but I don't have as many films with these characters in my repertoire as I would like. So I may not have liked it or felt as much nostalgia watching The Peanuts Movie as much as some, but man is this a fun little movie.

This film felt just like every single clip or film I have seen with these characters. That's what this film did best, it captured the exact tone and feel of the comic, cartoons, and films. Charlie Brown is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and you get exactly that from this film. The music is there, this time from one of my favorite composers, Christophe Beck. Beck did a great job at setting the mood with the wonderfully simple piano theme.

Comparing this to another animated film this year that was aimed towards kid, The Spongebob Squarepants film, The Peanutes Movie outweighs in it every category. It's a smart, sweet, and relatively simple story line that never tries to outreach it's grasp. Plus, this is the perfect time of year for this movie to come out. I think my only complaint would be that the red baron sequences didn't fit as well into the story as I think the writers were hoping. But the animation is surprisingly fantastic, the characters are exactly who they should be, and the story has a really heartwarming touch to it.

7.6/10

I watched this movie without knowing anything about it. I've seen Snoopy art on little kids things such as pencil cases, backpack and water bottles. But I didn't have the pleasure of seeing the cartoons or the comic strip. I got to say that the movie is very funny especially on the first half. There are so many crazily funny scenes that reminds me of the old Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes style cartoon jokes, yet minus the hyperbolic violence. After the mid point the movie felt kind of strange as it constantly changes perspective from Charlie's to Snoopy's story and vice versa over and over again. The movie has such a speedy pace that I' sure it will feel confusing for kids. The voice acting is quite alright in overall. If the second half could only balance the fun level from the first half, I think this movie would have been a great comedy for the family.

I saw "The Peanuts Movie" last night, and I thought it was superb! I grew up in the 80's, and so I was familiar with the Charlie Brown gang, but only through vague recollections. I had of course read a few of the comic strips over the years, and I'm confident that I saw the TV specials a few times, but I was still a bit fuzzy on the details of things like Snoopy and his battles with the Red Barron, the names of certain characters, and the gist of how different aspects of the series fits together into a competent narrative.

I'm crystal clear on that now, as this movie does a wonderful job of weaving together the many separate concepts of the Peanuts series. I really fell in love with the franchise by watching this film, and I can see how it will be very rewatchable.

My only criticism is that the film does cram a bit too much into its ninety minutes. It all comes together nicely, but it was clear that the script was trying to accomplish a LOT in this movie. It felt almost as though nothing was left for a sequel, but I suppose the idea was to introduce as much of the series as possible. The slightly crammed feel of the film is the only reason I didn't give it a perfect ten stars. But it's fantastic, even if a bit overdone!

Life has always been complicated for Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp), the boy who always tried his hardest despite seemingly insurmountable odds. When a little red-haired Girl (Francesca Capaldi) moves in across the street from him, Charlie Brown finds himself completely smitten with her. Meanwhile, his best friend Snoopy (Bill Melendez) embarks on an epic adventure in a fantasy world. As a World War I flying ace, the lovable beagle pursues his nemesis, the Red Baron, while also trying to win the heart of a beautiful pilot named Fifi (Kristin Chenoweth).

I have always been a fan of the whole Peanuts series since I've been a kid. I've seen some of the old cartoons and read some of the comic strips. I haven't seen much of the cartoons in a while since they now seem a little outdated to me but I was willing to give this one a try since it had a new story and the animation looks much different. I chose to see this film in 3D but I don't believe that it is necessary in order to have a good experience. As with most animated films, another short film proceeded this one. It involved Scrat (Chris Wedge), the squirrel from the Ice Age films. He was in a spaceship, then in space for some reason (don't ask me why). I didn't find it funny but the people (mostly kids) in the theater seemed to like it. The plot of the main film consisted mostly of Charlie's pitiful attempts at getting with the nameless, faceless (at least until the end) little red- haired girl who just happens to move in across the street. All of it was very Charlie Brown-like as he tried many different things in order to become the kind of person that he thought the red-haired girl would have wanted and failed but was cute while doing it. To do these things, he had the help of his dog Snoopy. He had his moments during this and laughs were to be had. He did some funny things on screen and had some funny interactions with Charlie Brown, Woodstock (also Melendez), and the other kids (too many to name here) in the film. These all worked for the most part. During all of this Snoopy finds a typewriter (for some reason) and starts creating his own story in a fantasy world where he was a flying ace and along with Woodstock was just flying around during some sort of war and when a beautiful pilot Fifi (Chenoweth) (and also a dog) gets taken by the Red Baron (who we never see). These scenes were entertaining on their own but I felt like they took away momentum from the main plot. I preferred the scenes with just the kids as I thought the voice acting was very good. I did say the voice acting was good but I felt like it was a little sleepy. I don't know if it was because of the script or just the style of the film but it just wasn't exciting. Maybe that's what the show really was but I just don't remember it that way. Of course being a kid's film it has a moral, "if you see yourself as a winner or a loser in life, you are probably going to act like one. If you think you are a winner, act like one and others might think so too." It's a good message but a rather predictable one. It doesn't happen very often to me but this is the second film I've seen this year that has gotten a round of applause at the end, the first being War Room. Overall, this is a decent animated film with a decent story that kids and adults should enjoy (probably as long they are Peanuts fans).

Score: 7/10 keithlovesmovies.com

Source of my comment: hitfix.com Review By Drew McWeeny.

When we live in an age when everything, no matter how pure the intent of the creator, is simply IP to be farmed, it is right to be suspicious of a "Peanuts" movie. After all, Charlie Brown and the rest of the characters created by Charles Schulz have been huge business for decades, and it makes sense that they would put something together if for no other reason than to keep the characters active in pop culture.

Thankfully, it appears that the people behind "The Peanuts Movie" take the legacy of these characters very seriously, and the result is a gentle, charming movie that seems far less frantic than much of what is created for young audiences these days. Blue Sky, one of the two major producers of CG animated films for Fox, has produced ten feature films now, and while the majority of their efforts have been originals, it was clear from "Horton Hears A Who" that when they adapt someone else's property, they try to do so from a position of authenticity and respect.

One of the things that makes "Peanuts" such a broad target is all the different versions there have been. Even in our editorial meetings at HitFix, as we talk about the films or the specials that we think of when "Peanuts" is mentioned, we all have our own take on what that means. For me, the old school TV specials and the first few movies were the defining version. Louis Virtel told me he always thinks of "Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown!" first. My kids have been exposed to some of the specials, but Toshi took it upon himself to read the Fantagraphics collections of all of the strips that I have on my shelves. And to any of those people, I would say, "You'll recognize the 'Peanuts' you love in this movie, and you'll be happy." That could not have been an easy task, so for that alone, Blue Sky and Fox deserve some accolades.

One of the most interesting choices they made in approaching the movie was how to design the characters. They are 3D CG objects, but the faces are "drawn" onto the heads in a way that always feels like there's a physical brush stroke, a pencil mark. I assume the entire thing is CG, but it connects the characters to the long hand-made tradition that started with the comic strip itself. It's a strong stylistic decision, and it makes sure the characters feel like the characters we already know. Steve Martino, working from a script by Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano, touches on any number of familiar jokes and scenes and set-ups, with a number of references to the long history of the characters. Snoopy spends most of the movie working on a book on his newly-discovered typewriter, the story of a flying ace and his battle against the infamous Red Baron. Sally's got her crush on her sweet baboo, Linus, who nurses his faith in the the Great Pumpkin. Lucy gives advice at her sidewalk psychiatric stand while making passes as Schroeder every chance she gets. Peppermint Patty and her assistant Marcie both play their familiar roles as well, with Charlie Brown at the center of everything, constantly put upon, constantly taking one on the chin. If this is going to be true to the original strip that Schulz created, then Charlie Brown has got to be suffering, a kid who can't catch a break.

What surprised me was the way they took a quiet approach to finding something else to say about Charlie Brown. I was worried that this was going to be a film where they had to turn him into something he wasn't just to tick some demographic checklist, and instead, the film makes some very strong and interesting points about what is heroic when you're just a kid trying to define yourself. In this case, there's a new kid in school, the Little Red-Haired Girl, and Charlie Brown is determined to reinvent himself in a way that will win this girl's attention and approval. This being Charlie Brown, things are not that easy, but I thought the way they eventually bring it together was unexpectedly honest. At this point, these characters have been playing the same beats for so long that it is genuinely surprising to see them do something new that doesn't feel like a violation of the characters, but rather a natural extension of what we already know about them.

The cast of young voice actors all seem appropriately chosen, and it's interesting to hear how they've gone out of their way to find kids who naturally sound like the voices that have been connected to the characters for over 40 years now. One of the reasons I don't ever want a "Calvin & Hobbes" adaptation to happen is because I don't want to hear anyone else's take on how Hobbes should sound, but with these characters, they've had the same voices for so long now that it's kind of like a magic trick. It's a cast of real kids here, but they sound like the "real" Charlie Brown, the "real" Lucy, the "real" Linus.

Frequently very funny, undeniably aimed at younger audiences, and true to the source material, "The Peanuts Movie" is too mild-mannered to win over brand new audiences, but it's going to please people who were already fond of the underlying property, and it should be a big nostalgia-driven hit for the studio.

charlie shulz made classic charlie brown... now this is too. the reason its so good is because of this... also because of more. the cjaracterizations all pay reference to teat one thong charlie brown and peanis were in... now the others. a lot of the major thongs were referenced.

now... does that make it good in itself? no. this and other reasons. its good because it was a coordinative. i really liked it. now... this is a personal opinion... but, whatever works!

the animation was traditional 2d like the peanut... this is good for one thing bit bad for... Tue movie didn't work as a 3d. traditionally... i pay the extra surcharge.... but for this, now i would recommend not to ppr this one. joist one of the reasons i liked.

original songs ARC food and the voices sound simolar. the voices are is-ed from Tue orogonal cartoon. the director is the perennial director. the writer is too. the original is practically based on Tue movie. i like teat one of the things about it too.

i have heard what people think about the movie... wow IMO kind of mad about that... its really true. this mp-vie is what one of Tue best is... as far as following peanits is. there's the cartoon... the cosmic strip, and this. i like this and the origina' cartoon better.

I will say up front I am not familiar with anything regarding Charlie Brown and the Peanuts. I have no emotional or nostalgic attachment to the property. Yet, I was actually eager to go see the movie solely based on the animation preview I saw and on the great reviews, what I was expecting and what I wanted was just for my heart to be warmed for 90 minutes and the film really delivered on that, but might I add solely so.

Lets get this out of the way: the film is a little too one note and unfortunately uninsightful. It really lacks that edge of depth that could have sky-rocketed it towards "Lego Movie" territory. A couple of more running gags, a wider variety of emotional beats and a deeper character, if not characters, arch are all elements this film is lacking and that make it fall short in being called delightful.

But still, there are many adjectives that this film deserves: funny, sweat and heartfelt are only some of those. Not knowing anything of these characters it was incredible how quickly did I manage to identify them, distinguish them and relate to everyone. It really speaks to the potential of this property. It is fascinating to see how they dissect many ordinary social situations with the characters and what comes out of it. That also being lots of comedic moments, many of which noticeably work thanks to really good work from the music and the sound.

Not to mention the animation which is absolutely gorgeous and intelligent too. Many, many smart touches are added in and they are a pleasure to notice. But before that, a thing that really struck me is some of the shot composition and visual storytelling: this is definitely the area where the movie shines the most. There are shots that hit me right in the heart and added layers in one instant. It was absolutely wonderful to see people have so much trust for the power of the frame and actually deliver goods from them.

Talking strictly from a stranger of Charlie Brown perspective, I was smiling all the way through, I had a fun theater experience and actually look forward to an eventual sequel.

I have seen all of the Peanuts TV shows and prior movies and I read a lot of Peanuts comics and this one is not greatly different from those TV specials. In fact, a major theme of this movie steals one of the plots of Peanuts TV show and then expands it a little. However, it drags out over 1.5 hours, when it could have been much shorter.

We get an interesting and new sub plot with Snoopy and a female dog, we get another little twist on Charlie Brown usual story when he becomes a form of a celebrity in his school. But beyond that, we get a lot of slap stick with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Woodstock that after a few minutes, I found very boring, and not in the least bit funny or even interesting.

It was as if they wanted to fill time.

I believe it is still worthwhile, in spite of that, and even if you have seen all of the Peanuts TV shows, as I have, just because of the ending. The ending is almost identical to the ending one of those TV shows, (when you see the ending you'll know/remember which TV show I am talking about, in fact when you see one of the characters, you might even be capable of guessing the ending of this movie) but this movie explains that TV specials ending a little further with a particularly good maybe even great message.

The Peanuts are a rightfully beloved American fable that have permeated the culture so deeply that one needs not to have ever read a single strip to know of and adore the ill-fated antics of Charlie Brown, his over-achieving dog Snoopy, and their childish gang. The Peanuts Movie is a film version of a smile, capturing with such reverence what we as culture have always loved about Schultz's creation. At its worst moments, it's a passable nostalgia trip for families to take together. At its best, however, it's a cute and gently funny little-kids film with strong morals and a giant heart. It plays very much like a compilation of the daily comic strips strung together by a somewhat loose narrative of Charlie Brown trying to impress the ever allusive Little Red-Haired Girl. It's magically fun spending time in this world, free of adult cynicism, focusing instead on Charlie Brown's own good-natured and childish neuroses. His predictable but sweet arc is like a first coming-of-age story for preshoolers. Each of the other main Peanuts (Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Pigpen, etc) get their moments, all appropriately charming and faithful. All of this is animated with beauty and such respect for its own history. That respect, at times, is the main real downfall of the whole, at times retreading and calling-back some of the classic jokes and references we all know in a somewhat clumsy way (Does Linus really have to talk about the Great Pumpkin so out of context?). Mostly, though, Peanuts is a truly funny all-ages romp that refreshingly never resorts to cheap innuendos to keep parents engaged. Timeless and absolutely adorable.

Like a lot of people I grew up on the Peanuts specials, and the one or two feature films that hit the theatres in the early 80s. So when this film rolled around it was fun to see the old gang again doing their thing.

The director got the character nuances right for the animation, but the script, though having a good premise, was pretty vapid in terms of what gags and jokes made peanuts appealing.

There was a bit of Lucas-Spielberg influence here in the form of Indy- Jones kind of stuff, which felt mildly out of place given the kind of emotionally-cerebral strip Peanuts is.

When all was said and done I observed that the production team relied heavily on mining past glories of Peanuts, and then combining that with modern CGI-toon joke-convention. That is we the audience would see classic poses, motions or routines from past Peanut's specials, but then beyond that there wasn't much originality as the creative forces then injected a lot of contemporary humor.

Charlie Brown is about heavy angst, and some pathos, not about doing the remarkable, even if it is shown in a Peanuts joke kind of way.

In short, I didn't mind seeing Joe Cool, nor Sally and her sweet Baboo all over again, nor the kite eating tree, Snoopy going for Linus's security blanket and everything else. Nor did I mind the film being in 3D, nor did I mind the use of 3-dimensional models as opposed to flat 2D cel animation.

What I did mind was a script that had little originality to it in terms of giving these characters the intellect that we knew they had from the previous 50 or so years of the stip, books based on the strip, and the ABC specials that used to air.

It's my conclusion that the production team relied a bit too heavily on the appeal of the Peanuts' gang, and then woefully invoked modern cartoon formulation in terms of jokes. Example; Sally is supposed to be this sweet young girl who has a crush on Linus, and is savvy in a very small way, but is otherwise pretty innocent. But here she isn't so innocent.

You be the judge. It's not a movie that I would willingly go see again, nor add to my DVD collection come next Christmas.

But watch it yourself and see what you think. You may like it.

The animation of this film stood out, as it 3D but also true to the style of the original comics and cartoon. I think this is the best screen adaptations of Peanuts because it gets the pacing and story length right, rather than taking a small comic strip story and stretching it out to feature length. The characters and gags were all well done and memorable as always.

As someone who grew up watching the Charlie Brown animated specials as well as reading the comic strip "Peanuts" in my local paper and also in various book compilations, I highly enjoyed this movie immensely. What's to like? Well, how about an adult "voice" being represented by a trombone doing that "wah-wah" sound? Or Vince Guaraldi's music score occasionally being sprinkled throughout like the unofficial theme of "Linus & Lucy"? And then there's the various unrequited love pairings of Sally & Linus, Lucy & Schroeder, not to mention both Peppermint Patty and Marcie liking Charlie Brown who doesn't even notice? Speaking of whom, here he once again has a crush on a Little Red-Haired Girl who's depicted here as the new kid in town and school. Creator Charles Schulz never had her drawn in his strip nor given her a name though I remember one of the animated specials-"It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown"-had her animated and called Heather there. I don't think she spoke there, though. Here, she's not named but she does speak and is seen quite a bit. Since Schulz' son and grandson wrote the screenplay, I don't think he would have objected one bit especially when we hear what she says to Charlie Brown at the end. Also enjoyable was Snoopy's active imagination when playing the World War I Flying Ace and his battle against the Red Baron and his attempted rescue of Fifi. In summary, The Peanuts Movie is a wonderful tribute to the comic strip and the animated specials produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez whose vintage voice tracks as Snoopy and Woodstock were provided here as well. Really, all I'll now say is go see The Peanuts Movie if you like entertainment that is both funny and touching and makes you look fondly back at your own childhood.

For 65 years, "Peanuts" has managed to dominate, sustaining life through its original comic strip form before graduating to television and feature films. However, the Charles M. Schultz creation hasn't flexed its pop culture muscle in quite some time, with "The Peanuts Movie" attempting to revive the brand name for a new generation. The basics are tended to with passable care by director Steve Martino ("Ice Age: Continental Drift," "Horton Hears a Who!"), delivering all the mild thrills and homey charms of the franchise, but the latest adventure isn't out to break new ground with its community of idiosyncratic characters. While it's respectful to the Schultz legacy and periodically winning, "The Peanuts Movie" feels a tad stale at times, burning through established highlights instead of creating fresh ones.

In the dead of winter, the "Peanuts" gang gathers for a snow day, with Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp) trying to muster up courage to become the community hero he wants desperately to be. Instead, mishaps follow his every good intention, making him the laughing stock of the town. Discouraged, Charlie's spirits are lifted by the arrival of The Little Red-Headed Girl (Francesca Capaldi), a new neighbor the habitual loser has fallen in love with. Trying anything to impress her, Charlie learns how to dance, deconstructs "War and Peace," and masters a magic act for the school talent show, with support provided by loyal dog Snoopy (Bill Melendez). Failing his mission of woo, Charlie struggles to define his self-worth, while Snoopy's imagination becomes all too real when he works on an adventure story featuring the feared WWI German fighter pilot, The Red Baron, while trying to save true love Fifi (Kristin Chenoweth) from harm.

"The Peanuts Movie" is in a hurry to remind audiences of what they love about the series, devoting the opening ten minutes of the film to a blast of callbacks that deliver the essentials when it comes to the personalities that populate the franchise. Linus (Alexander Garfin) is a thumbsucker beholden to a blanket, Lucy (Hadley Belle Miller) is a bossy know-it-all who's in love with pianist and Beethoven admirer, Schroder (Noah Johnson). Pig-Pen (AJ Teece) is blurred by a cloud of his own filth. Charlie's sister Sally (Mariel Sheets) is all heart and opportunism, and Peppermint Patty (Venus Schultheis) is a tomboy ringleader, aided by pal Marcie (Rebecca Bloom). Their known quirks, interests, and varying degrees of hostility are cemented right away, while familiar Vince Guaraldi music plays in brief bursts. It's a welcome mat, but one that connects the feature to a flow of nostalgia, offering older audiences an immediate trip to the "Peanuts" of their youth while CG-animation brings the whole shebang up to 21st century standards.

"The Peanuts Movie" looks terrific, balancing the slickness of computer technology with a jittery movement that celebrates the hand-drawn history of the series. Character designs are recognizable (voice acting is Disney Channel-esque, lacking elementary school authenticity), with subtle shifts from a 2-D origin to a 3-D upgrade, and elasticity remains, preserving twirling slapstick and dances of joy. Martino keeps the picture cozy and unthreatening, but the screenplay doesn't know what to do with all these famous personalities, making a choice to concentrate on Charlie's pursuit of the Red-Headed Girl and Snoopy's battle with the Red Baron. The other kids are around, but never really involved in the thick of things except for Sally, whose bacon is saved by Charlie when her talent show presentation goes pear-shaped. Unfortunately, Charlie's journey of humiliation isn't eventful, with the whole "War and Peace" aside more odd than humorous, while the rest is a repetitive display of public embarrassment. Snoopy's subplot is endless, with "The Peanuts Movie" somehow under the notion that the public is buying a ticket to watch a dog star in an elaborate war film. Snoopy is best served in short bursts of canine aid and moments of mischief with pal Woodstock. The rest is just animated overkill meant to add spectacle to an otherwise mellow feature.

As "The Peanuts Movie" plays out, it's easy to remember why this series is best served in print and televised specials. It works amazingly well in small bites, capturing youthful innocence and comedic timing, while utilizing a wide range of oddballs and short tempers to color a playful world of absurdity. "The Peanuts Movie" understands the material's charm, but it doesn't take the challenge of reintroduction seriously, content to coast on established appeal.

2/5 - Jay

I am a hardcore Peanuts fan and have been looking forward to this movie coming out ever since I found out about it almost 2 years ago. We went on opening day and I will admit, I was hoping that the creators of this movie would stay true to the heart of the characters and the Schulz comic strip. I found it amazing that the voices were spot on and I have no clue how they made them sound so authentic! They even managed to work in the original comic strips and animations into the movie in a really awesome and creative way! I literally did not stop smiling during the entire movie and left with a headache because of it LOL We are going back to see it again this week and cannot wait for it on DVD! :)

Like many moviegoers, I am a longtime Peanuts fan of both the cartoon strip and the made-for-TV specials. When the classic animated features came out on DVD I purchased the entire set, and I relive my childhood Peanuts gang memories by revisiting them each and every holiday season.

"The Peanuts Movie" borrows a lot from the originals but it departs in key ways, too. The first notable difference is the animation. The Peanuts Movie sports a distinctive 3-D appearance in which Snoopy gains a textured coat of fur. All of the characters and scenes are attractively rendered; however, if I had to pick one character that didn't hit me right it is Snoopy, who looks more like a cuddly puppy than the full-grown dog he is in the original strip and the made-for-TV features.

The voice acting is spot on for this film — very similar to the originals in most respects — and the storyline incorporates many of the gags from the original shows, too. The movie, however, falls down on the soundtrack. While the film opens with a winter skating scene, it doesn't feature the "Skating" song but rather the Peanuts theme song, which echos throughout the movie. About a quarter of the way through, the film begins to move away from the jazz ambiance Charles Schulz so faithfully incorporated into the TV specials. I would have preferred to an entirely different genre of music more emphasis on either the original soundtracks or a new interpretation on Vince Guaraldi's jazz piano scores, but instead the movie relies on hip-hop inspired vocalists for much of the balance, not to revisit the characteristic "Peanuts sound" until the final minutes of the credits.

In any other animated movie the soundtrack featured in this film would have been a good fit. However, one of the problems in attempting to modernize the musical accompaniment is that it may date itself that much faster. If you compare Guaraldi's 1960s compositions to the more modern, fast-tempo, synthesizer-heavy music of the 1980s, what ends up sounding more "period" in nature is the '80s music as compared to Guaraldi's jazz piano. The latter, while unusual even for its time in a children's production, imparted a more timeless feel to Schulz' animated features, which in the long run may be lost upon this one. Musically, there's a smattering of everything in The Peanuts Movie. In Snoopy's Red Baron fight-scenes, the music takes a radical departure yet again with a classical-inspired orchestral score. With some creativity, there could have been a jazz fusion influence apparent even in Snoopy's flying ace scenes but it is not to be. Although I would stop short of describing the soundtrack as a "hot mess" — because in any other animated film the soundtrack would not be out of place — in this case key scenes in the film depart too heavily from the musical identity of the originals.

The plot builds steadily throughout the film, with liberal interludes during which familiar gags appear. There's only one point where the continuity breaks down, about half way through. Following a sequence of loosely connected "fast-foward" scenes, the movie's thus-far prevailing winter season abruptly ends and Charlie Brown is asked by a boy — not one of the better-known characters — for advice on how to fly a kite. Although the story attempts to transition between the dead of winter and the lush green of spring, it is not a smoothly connected sequence from a plot point of view because the interlude in which Charlie Brown attempts to show a younger boy how to fly a kite arrives smack dab in the midst of an important turning point for Charlie Brown in the main plot. Just as you are expecting Charlie Brown to pick up where he left off in the previous schoolyard scene, he's transported somewhere else entirely, interacting in a different setting, in a different season and with a different character entirely.

Although the storyline is ultimately uplifting, the entire plot is the Peanuts equivalent of Charlie Brown successfully kicking Lucy's football, which as all Peanuts fans know is never gonna happen. As endearing as the story is, The Peanuts Movie does not close on the such-is-life theme for which the comic strip and the made-for-TV specials are best known. This movie, in conclusion, will make it into my Peanuts DVD collection, but I highly doubt I will break out The Peanuts Movie to revisit the gang with the same enthusiasm I reserve for the originals. Although the movie succeeds in eliciting familiar laughs, in the end the main plot and the soundtrack deviations are too liberal. Dare I say, I suspect the gang's creator would agree.

I was unsure at first because of the animation style, it was much more modern than the charming animation style of the 60s and 70s specials. However, despite the 3D CGI animation style, the original charm of the cartoon specials remained intact. I liked how the animation didn't seem as finished just like the original Peanuts specials. In the film, just like in the specials, the trees and other plants in the background remained static. Even when it was supposedly windy. This film, like many of the Peanuts specials, had two storylines: A Charlie Brown storyline and a Snoopy storyline. In the Charlie Brown storyline, the film deals with Charlie trying to work up enough nerve to talk to the Little Red Haired Girl. In the Snoopy story, Snoopy finds an old typewriter and works on writing a novel. His novel deals with the World War I flying ace trying to save his crush Fifi from the clutches of the evil Red Baron.

This movie featured many in-jokes from the specials and comic strips. The typical Peanuts sentimentality was also present as were the lack of adults. The wonderful Peanuts music was present throughout the film. I wish they wouldn't have included a modern song, but it doesn't detract too much from the film. There were also bits of the comic strip that popped up throughout the film and also the fun 60s style graphics that would also appear periodically. It was such a fun film, I will definitely be purchasing my own copy.

I read that this film was written in complete cooperation with Charles M. Schulz's widow and the other members of his family. Schulz' son and grandson wrote the screenplay and apparently the Schulz family had to have approval over all aspects of the film. They also used archive sound recordings of Bill Melendez' Snoopy sounds for Snoopy's "voice" in the film. I did think that the Peppermint Patty voice was slightly off. The other Patty (who normally has brown hair and wears an orange dress) in this film was blonde and wore a green dress. Neither of the Pattys inaccuracies affected my enjoyment of this film.

If you really enjoy theatre popcorn this movie is a good excuse. That concludes my positive points. I'll admit that I didn't watch the whole movie since I fell asleep for about 10 minutes. Something I have never done before in a theatre. I'll also admit my 5 year old daughter said it was OK and she was the only reason we went. Beyond that I can only say that it was very boring and not at all funny. Yes it's a kids movie and I'm not a kid but I have enjoyed every other kids cartoon I've seen lately with her. Inside out - good, Home - very good etc. The funniest thing about the movie was watching a grown man laugh at all the lame humour while his wife and 2 kids were silent along with 98% of the audience. I didn't expect it to be funny but my wife thought she would like it. She didn't last 20 minutes before she fell asleep saying it was the worst movie she's ever seen. My advice save your money and check it out on Netflix instead.

We watched this at home on DVD from our local public library.

I've been alive for quite a long time, I grew up reading 'Peanuts' in the Sunday newspaper. And as I grew into an adult in the daily paper.

This movie uses CGI rather than conventional (old) animation techniques. It works very well and is a very nice animation.

The core of the story here has the 'Little Red-haired' moving to Charlie Brown's neighborhood and Charlie immediately having a crush on her but too bashful to even talk to her. But several of Charlie's actions which demonstrated his integrity won her over in the end.

It also has many of the old familiar themes, like the kite-eating tree, Lucy pulling the football away, and Snoopy sitting on his doghouse typing stories of him chasing down the Red Baron.

Young boys and girls, most seem about 9 to 11, voice the young characters and in many cases the actor has a remarkable resemblance to the cartoon character. Both girls who voice Peppermint Patty and the 'Little Red-haired Girl', have red hair themselves.

It is a cartoon movie, lots of fun and entertaining.

Edit: We watched it again February 2019, on BluRay this time, remarkably good picture and sound.