In case you weren’t aware, there is a new, computer-animated, 3D “Peanuts” movie coming to theaters next November, and we now have the first significant look at the film, thanks to a trailer “leaked” 10 days early by “Snoopy” on Twitter.
I put those words in quotes because of course an animated dog can’t run a Twitter, and “leaking” the movie is just part of the film’s marketing hype. But all that matters is what’s in the trailer, namely Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang. Here are 5 things you need to know about the film itself.
1. It’s Computer Animated, and will be in 3D
In an effort to modernize the Peanuts aesthetic, the film will be computer animated and in 3D, but will retain the hand-drawn look of the classic cartoon thanks to careful rendering by Blue Sky Animation, who also handled the hand-drawn to computer transition for 2008’s Dr. Seuss adaptation “Horton Hears a Who.”
2. There will be pop music
Though the trailer opens with the classic Peanuts theme by compose Vince Guaraldi, the tunes quickly transition to a pop song as Snoopy’s alter-ego the Red Baron flies his doghouse/fighter plane perilously close to the Eiffel Tower. This might be the most distressing part of the trailer for classical music enthusiasts, but hopefully it will be done right.
3. The film is “By Schulz” (but not Charles)
In the final shot of the trailer, the title screen mentions the film is “by Schulz.” This doesn’t mean that the strip’s creator Charles “Sparky” Schulz had anything to do with the film, but his son Craig and grandson Bryan are producers. And in case you were worried that Sparky’s lack of involvement means the new film will be a modernized monstrosity…
4. There will be no twerking
In an interview with USA Today, “Peanuts” producer Paul Feig assured readers “Peanuts” would concentrate on what made the comic strip and its associated cartoon shorts timeless.
Producer Paul Feig promises that Charlie Brown won’t twerk, wear a baseball cap backwards or try to “break the Internet” a la Kim Kardashian.
“I don’t think his butt’s big enough,” Feig says with a laugh.
5. “Peanuts” is scheduled to Hit Theaters November 6, 2015
So you have over a year to worry about whether the new film will live up to the lofty expectations set by “A Charlie Brown Christmas” or “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” In the meantime, let’s just be happy for something with Snoopy in it that isn’t a MetLife commercial.
