Charlie Brown's return to the big screen, 25 years after the last Peanuts feature, is sure to charm and delight newcomers and fans of Charles M. Schulz's comic strip.
Schulz' son and grandson were on the writing and production team, so it's no surprise The Peanuts Movie respects Schulz' 50-year legacy.
It's a touch more upbeat than Schulz may have been comfortable with, but Bryan and Craig Schulz have otherwise retained the spirit, humour and language of the Peanuts world, and Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age) have done an incredible job recreating the 2D characters in a 3D CGI world.
The animation is beautiful. Director Steve Martino has created vibrant characters that pop off the screen with their expressive, single line features. They retain Schulz's hand-drawn quirks and 2D quality, especially in profile, but feel fresh and contemporary.
The tone is also faithful to the original comic series. Charlie Brown (Noah Schnapp) is still one of life's punching bags, but when a new red-headed beauty arrives at school, he sees the opportunity to re-invent himself for someone who isn't aware he's one of life's losers.
