The Peanuts Movie Review: Is it Deserving of a “Good Grief”? – LightTrain

Bonjour, I am your conductor Gavin Nowak yet again returning to my helm of reviewing movies for your information and entertainment. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Peanuts comic strip or are just familiar with the holiday specials, I would recommend its first feature length endeavour [since 1980s Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!) that is] to viewers of all ages, including you. But you did come here to note my opinions on the movie, did you not? So, did Charlie Brown and Co. manage to integrate the classic’s melancholy charm or do the complete opposite? Well you’re in luck ’cause I’m prepared to answer all your questions that you may have. Let’s get this show on the road!

In a collection of straightforward vignettes, the all-around determined yet unlucky “blockhead” Charlie Brown has his heart melted by a little red-haired girl who has recently moved into his neighborhood. With the advice of his tormenting friend Lucy, Charlie Brown attempts to impress his newfound crush through many a means. Meanwhile, Brown’s loveable pet beagle Snoopy uncovers a typewriter and writes a tale of action and romance in which he falls for a fellow British poodle pilot named Fifi and gets tangled in a high-flying adventure to rescue her from his lifelong nemesis The Red Baron.

When it comes down to an essential element of Peanuts, the tone takes the cake. They always have that solemn innocence that aren’t afraid on touching upon human feelings, most notably failure. However, this is the age of fast-paced cartoons that constantly urge to crack in as many jokes as they can, does The Peanuts Movie do this? Well, yes and no. The humor is centered like one of Shultz’s strips, and is never over-the-top or obnoxious. It also never fully commits to the idea of defeat in the way other TV specials and comics do, mostly toning down its major themes into a feature more light-hearted than usually portrayed.

And what’s a Charlie Brown and Snoopy to do without any of the supporting ensemble of children! Their personalities are perfectly capsulized in a sundae that have the strength of being relatable to represent a cherry topping it off. Returning to the humor The Peanuts Movie displays, a collective sum of the viewer’s hearty chuckles come from jokes that are character-based. In the end, Lucy panicking after attaining very discomforting “dog germs” will always score over a pratfall for me. In the case of The Little Red-Haired Girl, her facial appearance is left anonymous which I thought was a decent detail. On the matter, I am very much pleased that she grows to like Charlie Brown because of his selflessness, honesty and kind nature, which I would enjoy to see more of.

Speaking of this beloved cast, their transformation to 3D is a rather clever middle ground that respects days of old while also providing audiences with the current cartoon treatment. In addition, they stand out against the simplistic backgrounds as do some pretty great traditionally drawn animated pieces like the falling snowflakes in the opening scene. In my opinion, I genuinely believe that Charles Shultz himself would be quite proud of his relatives and the team at Blue Sky Studios work on this testament to his classic work.

The Peanuts Movie is a welcome surprise recognizing Charles Shultz’s quaint comic classic, even more so doing what has never been accomplished before, cleanly transitioning from its hand-drawn nature to CGI without updating and sucking the charm. It probably won’t satisfy devoted fans cravings of melancholy magic Mr. Shultz accomplishes so well, but when the final result is this, what’s there to peck?

RATING: 8/10

~originally written by G.H. Nowak on February 17th, 2020~

What’s This? Another Update!

Yes indeed folks, more news on my comic is here! The title has been settled, and it is ‘VOLT VULTURE ‘. I also have something of a teaser for you, so here it goes…

Thanksgiving. A time where family and friends gather to chat, make ends meet and eat from a wide selection of meat, sauces and stuffings. But this holiday season, step aside turkeys because there’s a new bird in town. Behold, “Volt Vulture” . What do a kung fu kingpin, a stunt man mercenary, a trio of golf and milkshake junkies, a cop couple, a remorseless vigilante, and a slow-witted gun runner all have in common? They’re all featured in the most obscure and zippy series of the year! From Gavin Nowak comes of loyalty, betrayal, action, and the bizarre. Coming November 14 is…”Volt Vulture” : Any questions?

Special thanks to all my Passengers

• Adhdlifeforever
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• Todd Russel
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• Matt Kaster
• Cathy Sirvatka
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• The Ebook Way

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