I was curious about the new animated Peanuts movie: Snoopy and Charlie Brown because it was getting good reviews. I grew up reading compilations of Peanuts comic strips in book form and thought it would be fun to see how Hollywood rendered the characters using computer generated imagery. Being the film buff that I am, I went to see it on its first weekend.
Initially I had low expectations thinking that I probably have since outgrown the storyline and wouldn’t be able to relate to it anymore. It turns out the movie was just what I needed after the frantic Christmas festivities were over – light and humorous. Even Snoopy’s antics made me laugh out loud. I actually wish I had the dog’s wild imagination or, to be precise, the scriptwriter’s imagination. What seemed to be a simple plot had turned into a goldmine and made for feel-good entertainment for the young and old.
Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang came alive in CGI and it was good to see them behaving the way they did in Charles Schulz’s comic strips. Charlie was still his insecure self and Lucy was there to make sure Charlie remained that way, tormenting him with put downs every chance she got. Schroeder still played Beethoven on piano perfectly.
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The movie reminded me how Schulz was so good at portraying life’s ironies along with its ups and downs through his simple drawings and storyline. I recall it was in the Peanuts world that I first came across the concept of post-Christmas let-down. Something a lot of people feel after the Christmas season is over.
Schulz also highlighted the reality that most people are obsessed with winners or even just the perception of being a winner. But being treated like a celebrity after a mix-up that made him receive a perfect score in a school exam didn’t change good ol’ Charlie Brown’s character. He remained humble and conscientious. This was what got him the girl in the end. I liked how the movie showed that persistence paid off for Charlie. He never gave up even when it looked like all the odds were against him.
The Peanuts movie may have been subtly sending a message to bring back the old ways. While the movie was made with the latest technology, the characters were still stuck with 1960’s technology. It was a time when children went outside the house to play with their friends and did not have mobile devices to distract them.
What made an impression on me was how a boy like Charlie Brown had to work hard to think of a way to impress the little red-haired girl he had a crush on. Back in those days, it took a lot to impress a girl. Compare that to today’s world where sending a simple emoticon to a girl from a mobile device is enough to get her attention. In other words, the courting process is shorter nowadays. It is not necessarily a good thing. Technology may have helped evolve courtship into something detrimental to developing relationships with substance.
Indeed, the thrill of the chase makes a boy realize how much he likes the girl and vice versa. If the girl sees that the boy will go the extra mile to impress her, then he might be worth the trouble. You definitely know a boy is into you when he does a lot more than send you a character from his electronic gadget. It should actually serve as a warning to girls – that boys who take the easy option could be up to no good.
Who would have thought I’d pick that up from a Peanuts movie? 😉
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Nice review. =)
Thanks, Tomas!
I haven’t seen the movie but will comment on the “post-Christmas let-down.” Normally I enjoy Christmas but in The Philippines I am immensely relieved when it is over. The crappy music stops blaring in the malls and on the streets and once New Years has come then the fireworks and ever present videoke seems to let up somewhat.
In other words I start to get some relief from the damn noise and can actually get some sleep for the first time in months. Fortunately where I live now no beggars come by screeching carols for money. After a year in this house I have finally scared off the Jehovah’s Witnesses but yesterday the damn Baptists found my house so now a new strategy to get rid of them will have to be developed. Hopefully once they are gone, there won’t be any 7th Days, INCs or Mormons coming around to bother me.
Hahaha!
As an introvert, I know how you feel. I sometimes dread having to go to too many parties. I limit the events I go to.
im not comfortable with crowds, i hate small talks that goes nowhere, im at peace when im at my room alone and raised my hackles when my parents barge into my room. I prefer one or two friends only because of more intimate and sensible conversation, im an introvert and some of my friends thinks it is not a happy life to be like that way.
Wish they could also make a Calvin and Hobbes movie..too bad, watterson’s not as open to these character reinventions as schulz..
Oh really? That’s a shame.
It was Charles’s children who approached the studio to make the movie armed with their script. They also made sure that the animators remained true to the original drawings their father created.
There will never be a Calvin & Hobbs film for the same reason that there is no merchandising either. Watterson has outright refused it and has shown no interest in people like Spielberg or Lucas who have tried to get the rights.
By the way, the C&H Franchise is estimated to be worth 300 Million Dollars. A big chunk of money to turn down on principle. I salute you Watterson!
Just watched The Peanuts Movie earlier (and I was all alone watching it in Robinsons Forum since it’s the early screening lol). Now this is how you make a movie based from an original material to stay true from the original material and not putting too much modernized crap (I’m looking at you alvin and the chipmunks and transformers movies). The movie is beautiful especially it’s animation. It makes me wanna watch it again if only I have a budget.
Yeah, I really loved watching the Peanuts cartoons when I was a kid (back in the 80’s!) My favorite character was Snoopy because of his antics (as well as his common sense.)
I think I’ve discovered the secret of life — you just hang around until you get used to it.
Charlie Brown still remains the guy you’d root for to just keep trying despite his usually coming up short, or in Lucy’s words, “a blockhead”