Movie Review: ‘The Peanuts Movie’ retains comic strip’s gentle spirit

MOVIE REVIEW: “THE PEANUTS MOVIE” (G)

By way of a healthy dose of nostalgia and a dash of innocence, The Peanuts make the jump to the big screen. Most likely, the biggest question on everyone’s minds is why the heck did it take so long for this iconic property, based on the famed Charles M. Schulz comic strip, take so long to get to theaters? No telling, but after all these years, it’s finally here.

In “The Peanuts Movie,” good-hearted youngster Charlie Brown is convinced that he’s a failure, and while his own awkwardness sometimes tends to get the better of him, it’s quite obvious that he’s a good boy. Adding to all the confusion that comes with youth, Charlie has the added pressure of having just been bitten by the love bug.

Meanwhile, jovial beagle Snoopy is on a mission of his own, one that involves his famed arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.

As is the case with the very popular source material, there are no adults to be found in “The Peanuts Movie.” We hear the occasional mumbled teacher or parent voice, but aside from that, nada. It’s clear, though, that Charlie Brown has great parents, because they’ve raised a great kid. Charlie makes good decisions, and he serves as a wonderful role model for children.

The driving force behind all the goodness in “The Peanuts Movie” are members of the Schulz family, namely Bryan and Craig, and they’re aided here by the creative folks at Blue Sky Animation (“Ice Age“). The very best compliment this film can be paid is that it retains the gentle spirit and sweet-natured innocence and charm of the original comic strips and cartoons.

All of your favorites are here, and all are perfectly voiced. And even though the film focuses primarily on Charlie Brown’s trials and tribulations and Snoopy’s high-flying adventures, each character is given a moment to shine. There are plenty of callbacks to be found, too: a shout-out to the Great Pumpkin, “Christmas Time is Here,” Lucy and Charlie and a little game of “kick the football,” etc. “The Peanuts Movie” is clearly designed to appeal to a new generation of young fans, but it’s also meant to pull at the heartstrings of old-school fans.

This is a pleasant, familiar, altogether cozy CG animated feature with plenty of wonderful moments to speak of, but “The Peanuts Movie” might have been more suited for television, particularly when measured against the masterful efforts produced by the likes of Pixar. Not that Charlie Brown and gang need to reach the technical and dramatic heights of something like “Inside Out“; it’s just this is a property that would feel more at home on the small screen.