A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Peanuts Movie by Schulz -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

The Peanuts Movie is another film, among the first 4k UHD releases, that I would never have viewed had it not been...

In any case, Mr. Schulz has done a wonderful job with his first foray into the world of 4k digital filmmaking, inclusive of his selection of director Steve Martino.

I can tell you that between 4k and UHD and HDR, and what seems to be Fox's first 4k Atmos release, this is THE reference disc. Animation seems to do that...

Resolution, color, black levels -- did I mention color -- are all superb, and while I'm unaware if the film was finished as 2 or 4k, the resultant 4k UHD is stunning.

As a film, at least for me...

Meh.

This is all about impressing your friends with your new 4k system.

I'd love to comment on the addition of Atmos, but for this one, it's rather hard to define.

Image - 5

Audio - 5

4k - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

RAH

 

[Oblivion138]

As a lifelong fan of Schulz's creation, both in print and animation, I loved the movie. Unlike Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry, which have changed so drastically over the decades, becoming ever more geared toward the under-10's, Peanuts remains as bittersweet as ever. True to the characters, and even the template of the voices from the '60s TV specials (which are every bit as iconic as the original strips), The Peanuts Movie brings that lovable blockhead Charlie Brown...always depressed, yet eternally optimistic...and the rest of the gang, in all of their often neurotic, sometimes casually cruel, glory. The highest compliment I can give this movie is that within ten minutes, I forgot that I was watching CG animation. There are some very nice elements, including a leathery "dog nose" texture on that little oval that passes for Snoopy's sniffer, but the character designs and backgrounds are so faithful to the strips and specials, the shiny newness of the ultra-modern animation is absolutely transparent, and through it, one can see Schulz's original creations quite clearly.

Peanuts may be the only intellectual property spanning decades, over multiple media, that has yet to be really screwed up. I don't think the Schulz estate will allow it. If it isn't true to the spirit of the original, they don't sign off. And that's a wonderful thing. Schulz's legacy remains intact, and this movie is great entertainment for Peanuts fans of all ages.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Brad here. I remember reading somewhere that the 1950s era rock n roll group The Coasters were looking to try and tie in their 1957 hit song Charlie Brown with the just introduced Peanuts character of the same name. I don't believe anything came of it but I'll have to go check back with Uncle Google. As a very young boy back in the day, I did get to hear the song on a number of occasions on the oldies station of the day (about 15 years after Charlie Brown charted) and Peanuts being my favorite comic, I of course tried to compare the two.

It would be difficult conceptually to tie in a late 1950s era "daddy O" girl-chasing greaser with our beloved blockhead (I remember trying to picture Peanuts character Charlie Brown in a leather jacket, blue jeans and cool sunglasses but just kept breaking out laughing).

I'll have to seriously consider this film, might make nice viewing when our close friends bring their kids over.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

Not a terrible film, as it has much charm. However, it has serious structural problems that hit me over the head quite early.

At first I felt like the movie was babbling ceaselessly, which I sensed was a simple pacing problem. But as I sat through the remainder of it, bored, I realized the entire story consisted of 3x5 index cards thrown together haphazardly.

Worse, the entire B-plot consisted of a Snoopy dream! That's like the first sin in creative writing (It was all a dream!). So basically, a huge chunk of this movie had no dramatic impact whatsoever, nearly derailing the film. Snoopy's popularity has been lambasted before for "ruining" Peanuts in the comics, and here it's painfully obvious why some would think that.

Finally, the super-detailed backgrounds run counter to the very spirit of the comic. Sparse backgrounds were a conscious creative choice by Shultz. Seeing a version of Peanuts (a title Shultz always disliked) rendered otherwise highlights why the original artistic choice was the correct one. You are wholly distracted from the nuanced character moments that Peanuts was noted for.

All in all, a predictable, paint-by-numbers, forgettable adventure.

 

[bruceames]

This is the best looking UHD disc I've see so far. The colors are amazing with HDR and their glow adds a 3 dimensional quality to it. I'm really looking forward to more animation as it seems UHD is going to make it look much better than ever before. This does make me more optimistic about the format than before (this and the fact that explosions in action movies look freakin' awesome).