Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of The Peanuts have made their return to the big screen in “The Peanuts Movie.” Based off of the comic strip created by the late Charles M. Schulz, the 88-minute feature film, directed by Steve Martino, stays true to the spirit of the original cartoons, even using animation to bring the classic gang to life. The film pays homage to both Schulz and the fans that have followed the characters since childhood.

The first Peanuts strip appeared in October of 1950. The characters all hold true to their original physical descriptions and personalities from the comic strips from over six decades ago. Charlie Brown is still our insecure, yet lovable unlucky protagonist, and Snoopy is his loyal and imaginative beagle. The Peanuts gang is brought into the third dimension courtesy of Blue Sky Studios, an animation studio known for films like “Ice Age” and “Rio.”

The plot of the film revolves around Charlie Brown trying to gain the attention of the little red-haired girl who just moved to town. He futilely goes through multiple tactics to make her notice him. It’s only by accident that he is able to succeed. Snoopy steals the screen for a few scenes, as he loses himself in his imagination facing a dubious foe named The Red Baron while rescuing his love interest, who is the only character that is not a part of the original peanuts characters.

While the film is rated G, some jokes are targeted to the adults in the crowd who either grew up seeing the cartoons on the back of a newspaper or watched their holiday features or TV specials. For example, it is well known that Charlie Brown has a serious set of inadequacy issues. At one point in the film, Charlie Brown works tirelessly all night on a book analysis project only to have the paper shredded before his eyes. From here, Charlie Brown jumps to conclusions, reverting back to advice that he received for a nickel from Lucy’s psychiatric help stand, thinking that a school assignment ultimately leads into a house and a mortgage as the obvious next step for him and the little red-haired girl.

For those who grew up watching the Charlie Brown holiday specials, this movie will not disappoint. “The Peanuts Movie” is not only for children and adults, but it is also for college students who are stuck somewhere between the two.

The film is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

Email Dejarelle Gaines at [email protected].