Parents and those over the age of 30 rejoice! Charlie Brown and his trusted pooch, Snoopy, return after a 25-year hiatus since their last big screen outing.
What’s even better the fact that Director, Steve Martino, has stuck to the original format, with a few new added updates, catapulting its older audience back to their youth for a full on trip down memory lane.
When a new girl moves in opposite Charlie Brown and joins his class, Charlie gets his first major crush. But Charlie has a problem; he has no confidence to look at this girl let alone speak to her and spends the whole school year trying to make her notice him. The year see’s Charlie feel humiliated when he kindly steps in to help out his overly zealous baby sister, Sally, at a talent contest to improve her show as she starts to get mocked. He also becomes the school celebrity when he gets a 100 perfect score on a test, much to the annoyance of his arch enemy Lucy.
As the story continues the mishaps and misunderstandings ensue, it’s just Charlie’s luck to get paired up with the cute red-haired girl for a book report just at the time she has to go away and look after her grandmother for the weekend. Not wanting to disappoint his partner he chooses to write the report on his own and hilariously takes on Tolstoy’s War and Peace only for the report to be shredded in front of his very eyes. Poor old Charlie never seems to be able to catch a break but come to the end of the movie he fights his insecurities and approaches the girl to find out she liked him all along because he was kind and honest. This is a scene which is enough to warm the coldest of hearts.
Whilst Charlie struggles with his own feelings and trying to win the girl, Snoopy get’s his own little subplot too, making it feel like we have two different stories in one. Snoopy, inspired by Charlie’s aching heart, takes to the typewriter to write his own story. This does grate a little as we see Snoopy flying the skies in a battle to save his own sweetheart who has been kidnapped. At first it comes across as cute but it soon becomes extremely tiresome.
The great thing about the new adventure of Charlie Brown is the fact it’s exactly how it should be. It’s full of nostalgia, charm and quite frankly really rather sweet. Charlie Brown still lacks confidence, still can’t fly a kite and his friends still laugh at his expense but also stand by him when the chips are down. His faithful dog, Snoopy is always on hand to help and cheer on his pal when Charlie needs that extra boost too. We also still have the original characters with the tomboy Peppermint Patty still referring to Charlie as Chuck. It’s a breath of fresh air that Martino and the studio have decided not to mess with such a classic except to bring it to the screen in 3D and a few little modern touches in the animation here and there.
The Peanuts movie may have certain parts which fly over the heads of its younger audience, but it’s full of charm, nostalgia, and warmth. The fact the filmmakers didn’t mess with its formula makes it even more endearing.
Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie is out in cinema 21st December.
