Yeah, I guess there is a little bit of Charlie Brown in all of us.

We’re all a boy named Charlie Brown. Once again I have to compare this to the latest special, A Summer Musical, that painted Charlie Brown as such an aspirational figure and gave him such a big win that it felt incongruous with what Peanuts is. We do not aspire to be Charlie Brown- we already are. Our successes carry with us the burden of anxiety to follow through. Sometimes we’re losers, and we lose big. But the world doesn’t end. Life goes on, all the same. We could stand to hear that more once in a while, people big and small. The animation is charming as ever, and there’s some really daring and striking sequences too. And I loved the photos of the staff in the credits, that’s a great touch. Even Snoopy, typically a part of Peanuts I don’t care for as much, works here with an understated bond with Charlie that shows he cares. The first feature length Peanuts film really captured the essence of this series. Patty watch: Just a non speaking role here. A testament to how good this is that it gets your stars any way. It’s funny she’s there cheering Chuck on at the spelling bee at his school despite attending a different one on the other side of town. On one hand it’s a little odd in hindsight the strip’s breakout later addition didn’t feature in its first movie, but I think it’s the right call. She would’ve been too encouraging and chill here, and this film needed the casual cruelty of Lucy, Violet, and the other Patty instead.

Despite an 86-minute run time, the pace never flags. The (melancholy) story is strong, and the visuals are very beautiful. Very impressive, when compared to the TV specials of the 1960s and 1970s. The musical numbers are great, too. 9/10

Apart from the name, I didn't know anything about the Peanuts until now. As an entry point, “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” might not be the worst way to discover them. However, I missed a framework story that was more interesting than a drawn-out spelling bee. At least some of the situations are amusing, especially because the main character, Charlie Brown, is a bit of a moron who is bullied 24/7. But to really relate to Peanuts, you probably have to have grown up with them, and I didn't do that. In that sense, I was rather less enthralled by the movie.