TheGreatDirector
Banned
I has smile throughout this movie. Everything was just so sweet. They nailed the character personalities to a tee. Yet this feels like more than a simple homage to Charles Schulz's work.
I should give a bit of background before I talk about the movie. I used to read Peanut strips in the newspaper every now and then as a kid. I wasn't a religious follower of them by any means but I enjoyed the characters and stories the cast would fall in to from time to time. Several years ago however, I ended up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas in a very crazy and emotional time of my life. It left a lasting impression on me and really just made me fall in love with the world all the more. I had wanted to watch this film for a while and finally had the opportunity to do so.
The Peanuts was written from Charles Schulz own life experiences but it can really describe a lot of people's own situations growing up. This is the story of Charlie Brown trying to finally prove that he is a winner in the eyes of his first great crush, the Little Red Haired Girl.
Charlie Brown is the insecure, lovable, loser you know from the comic strip. Charlie Brown isn't necessarily a hated or bullied person but rather he feels separated all the same. He's an outcast from both his own insecurities and a lack of support all around. That's what makes Snoopy such a great friend and the story all the greater for Charlie Brown finally manages to overcome his fear of who he thinks people want him to be and instead embraces who he actually is, an honest and good-natured kid willing to help others even if it's not in his best interest. That's what makes the climax so nice because finally someone sees him as just that person and the rest of the neighborhood rallies behind him for that.
This is such an endearing tale and it's told in such a way that the film never dragged. If anything I wanted more out of the world and the characters as some of the interactions and dialogue in scenes felt like completely new 4-panel strips written by Schulz himself.
The side story with Snoopy was interesting to me in that it both completely separate in tone from the rest of the movie while still feeling analogous to Charlie Brown's own situation in a few ways. Woodstock and Snoopy were both adorable though and they definitely added the light touch to keep this story from going too dark.
Speaking of light and dark, there is one major difference this movie has from the old Peanut specials. It's a really bright film. Lot's of the old Peanut specials and strips always had this undertone of depression in how realistic and dark situations ended up being. Case in point, the Christmas special detailed the modern day commercialization of the holidays while losing their original meaning. Sure it ended on a happier note but it left a kind of darker afterthought about human nature.
This movie however, manages to deliver a message about the realities of the world but in such a lighter manner without making one feel sad or disheartened.
As a side note it's nice seeing the creators behind this movie bring back long lost characters like Violet and Patty.
As another side note and somewhat off-topic question: I read a comment on Youtube talking about an interview with Schulz that said in the future Charlie Brown wouldn't end up with the Little Red Haired Girl but with Peppermint Patty instead. Is there any source for this?
