Film Preview: The Peanuts Movie (2015)

Page Revisions:

(February 1, 2015) Original
(June 21, 2015) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#15)
(October 4, 2015) New Trailer (#3) / New Poster (#16-#25) / Page Redesigned
(November 1, 2015) New Posters #26-#34

Release Date:

November 6, 2015

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home.”

Poster Rating: B- / C+ / C (12) / C+ / C / C- / C / B+ (6) / D / C (7) / C+

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) It’s a nice little teaser for fans of the comic strip, but it’s not very active and may not appeal to those who aren’t familiar, but then again, who isn’t?

(#2) A sea of Peanuts characters breeds familiarity even if it isn’t done with any measure of creativity. (#3-#14) I like that each design is distinctive, trying to convey an aspect of the characters with singular designs. The problem is the rest of the poster is too generic and expressionless to be interesting. (#15) This is probably the primary design that should be accompanying this film, but it’s relegated to foreign markets only. I’m still not enamored with the yellow background.

(#16) These designs have been rather sparse on details, especially in the background. While this slightly improves those designs, it doesn’t alleviate the issues. (#17) The love of a boy for his dog and a dog for his boy. It’s a compelling sentiment, but one that probably doesn’t need to be put onto a poster for the film. (#18) Seeing all the characters together gives the audience satisfaction that everyone’s there, but without a truly beautiful artistic connection.

(#19-#24) This is two series of three posters that are designed to be aligned side-by-side. The create a superb visual landscape that gives the setting a bit of life and depth. They are also well constructed and balanced from design to design, letting each stand alone or in sequence. (#25) Back to the background-less design elements that have plagued the series of posters and may have led to such a large number being crafted for the film.

(#26-#33) Like the first series of yellow-background character posters, this set only puts the characters in motion dancing and makes it a tagline. It isn’t the most effective use of artistic talent. (#34) Putting all the characters on one poster will adequately advertise the film to fans of the original strip, but it won’t do much to spark creative interest in the artistic capabilities of the film’s poster designers.

Trailer Rating: B / B- / B

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) A short teaser with scenes from the film that show the film is at least faithful to the art style of the original comic (and the associated TV series). The 3D element is a bit distracting at first and the plot is virtually non-existent, but fans of the Charlie Brown gang may be very excited at the prospect from this little snippet.

(#2) Just about every element we can conjure from our childhood memories of this comic and its TV specials is tackled in this design with a few small exceptions. The design engenders familiarity, but never suggests the plot is very interesting or compelling.

(#3) We have what is ostensibly the final preview trailer for the film. It sets up almost the entirety of the film’s plot, but doesn’t quite give away all the details. It should appeal to fans of the original comic and the TV programs that were created off of it. Whether it can appeal beyond that demographic remains to be seen.

Oscar Prospects:

There are always a boatload of Oscar contenders for Best Animated Feature and by name alone, this should be a contender. However, as The Simpsons Movie can attest, being a known property doesn’t always guarantee a nomination.