Review of The Peanuts Movie (2015) by James S — 16 Apr 2016

I loved Peanuts as a kid. It was my favourite comic strip. I found myself strongly identifying with Charlie Brown, the long-suffering, kind, awkward kid who never gives up despite considerable setbacks. This movie is a true-to-form adaptation, filled with childhood wonder and innocence.

Many of the running parts of the strip are present here. Charlie Brown's kite-flying woes, Lucy's advice booth, Linus' security blanket, Schroeder's love of Beethoven, Snoopy's pursuit of the Red Baron, and the little red-haired girl. It is almost impossible to go into this movie not having been exposed to Peanuts, and you feel overwhelming amounts of nostalgia throughout the entirety of the film.

The characters are as pure and unchanged as they could be. This is not an adaptation, this is a continuation of the comic strip in an unaltered form. The characters seem as though they have sprung right off the page. There is no hint of irony, sarcasm, or self-awareness. It is, simply put, the very essence of Peanuts.