I wanted to love this because the wonderful "primitive" TV specials were staples of my childhood (and hold up beautifully as do most of the animated features that enriched and broadened the PEANUTS world without losing the simplicity, clarity, and sweetness of the Schulz universe).I was hoping that using line drawn details on the otherwise CG 3D characters and settings would work and that the delicate wit and even more fragile wisps of humanity that make this property so lovely would come through.
To my eyes it just doesn't quite gel.
I think the distracting hyper-real backgrounds might have been less of a miscalculation if the writing had not flattened and broadened the characters and plot to the point that charm (and coherence) went out of the picture in favor of very loud and very frenetic action scenes. I know Snoopy is one of the most popular characters in the canon...but there is entirely too much of his "heroic journey" and far too little of Charlie Brown's growth and coping with life's travails
There were also problems with characters being distorted almost out of recognition (Peppermint Pattie and Marcie are horribly treated...as is the subtle quirkiness of their interplay.
If this serves as an introduction to the Schulz canon for a new generation...great...if they can go on to accept the subtlety and delicacy of the comic strips and earlier adaptations.
My fear is that this over blown and over simplified treatment may make them expect nothing but over frenetic mischief and under wrought writing...neither of which Mr. Schulz would have approved of.
To my eyes it just doesn't quite gel.
I think the distracting hyper-real backgrounds might have been less of a miscalculation if the writing had not flattened and broadened the characters and plot to the point that charm (and coherence) went out of the picture in favor of very loud and very frenetic action scenes. I know Snoopy is one of the most popular characters in the canon...but there is entirely too much of his "heroic journey" and far too little of Charlie Brown's growth and coping with life's travails
There were also problems with characters being distorted almost out of recognition (Peppermint Pattie and Marcie are horribly treated...as is the subtle quirkiness of their interplay.
If this serves as an introduction to the Schulz canon for a new generation...great...if they can go on to accept the subtlety and delicacy of the comic strips and earlier adaptations.
My fear is that this over blown and over simplified treatment may make them expect nothing but over frenetic mischief and under wrought writing...neither of which Mr. Schulz would have approved of.