The Peanuts Movie - Review

Sweet, gentle, and nostalgic in tone (there's nary a smartphone to be seen!), THE PEANUTS MOVIE does right by the classic comic strips and TV specials so beloved by fans. While it has a slightly softer edge than the older stuff (fewer disgusted uses of "stupid" and "blockhead," for example, and more optimism on the part of Charlie Brown), all of the touchstones are there: Vince Guaraldi's jazzy music, Snoopy's vivid fantasy life, Lucy's psychiatric advice booth, the classic Peanuts dance moves, Pigpen's dust cloud, Linus' earnest advice -- heck, there's even a zamboni.

A particularly nice touch is the way the characters' eyes are animated; they look and feel hand drawn, which makes them both expressive and reminiscent of the comic strips. That style also comes into play when the characters remember things (their memory bubbles look like the comics) and when Snoopy slurps Lucy's face with a big SMACK! The Peanuts Movie is true to its roots in other ways, too: Its humor is more thoughtful than laugh-out-loud, and there are lines that little kids were never meant to understand ("I just came down with a serious case of inadequacy" and "I'm cashing in on your celebrity," for instance). But while they may not always know why their parents are chuckling, kids will definitely get the movie's core messages about believing in yourself and trying hard.