CREDIT: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION (2015)
"It's not often you get the opportunity to start over with a clean slate. This time things will be different," said Charlie Brown, immediately before things are exactly the same.

Good grief. After so long, it’s almost nice to see a Charlie Brown movie, especially one with so many nods to the original.

Now, between the traditional viewings of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Christmas, is probably the best time to put on your nostalgia goggles and sit down to watch everyone’s favourite failure.

Failure is definitely a recurring theme in the movie, as Charlie Brown and all his friends focus again and again on how often everything he does goes wrong. This constant failure makes him unworthy of even talking to the Little Red-Haired Girl, who, according to IMDb, actually does have a name, Frieda.

This theme gives The Peanuts Movie a vaguely depressing feel despite the bright colours and relatively happy events that occur. Every good thing that happens seems to be overshadowed by Charlie Brown’s own sense in inadequacy. While this attempts to speak to our own insecurities, the truth is it’s overdone to the point of absurdity, ruining the connection the audience may have made.

Impressively, almost every character is voiced by a child actor; hardly anyone in the cast appears to be older than 14. The fact that the casting director was able to achieve the feat of casting age-appropriate individuals while also finding people who have the perfect voices is both surprising and amazing.

While everyone will have their own favourite character, either because it’s whom they identify with or favouritism carried over from childhood, every character is portrayed perfectly. The only real complaint may be that Lucy is a bit more domineering than previous incarnations, and hardly any character seems to get enough screen time.

The major exception to this is, of course, Snoopy, who is featured prominently throughout the film. From the first scene, The Peanuts Movie makes sure to give at least as much attention to the loveable beagle as to all of Charlie Brown and company. The film regularly switches between the events of the gang and the story that Snoopy is writing, loosely based on the primary plot.

The movie has some nice touches, including many nods to old storylines from the comic strips and older movies. For those familiar with the old shows and plot points, these nods give a lot of tongue-incheek humour, as well as having a lot of value as pieces of nostalgia. A newer audience, however, may feel lost as Charlie Brown talks again and again of times long past.

This is the main complaint about the movie; it adds nothing new to an old story. The movie has a decent number of entertaining moments, but is ultimately a bit boring. Nothing surprising or unexpected happens, and no new characters or story elements are added.

Lost between trying to appeal to audiences both old and new, The Peanuts Movie ends up being more of a metaphor for Charlie Brown himself than is likely intended. Despite having its heart in the right place, and making a good effort, the movie is, ultimately, nothing special.