In a world full of unwanted sequels, The Peanuts Movie makes you yearn for more movies of its universe. A lot of present adults grew up in the world of Peanuts, it’s about time the torch was handed over to the today’s kids.

…a fine excuse to get all nostalgic with good ol’ Charlie Brown and the gang. It is also a wonderful way to introduce the uninitiated to what will forever be one of the most lovable comic strips. 

It saddens me to say this, for I love Peanuts and would like anything connected to it to succeed, but The Peanuts Movie doesn’t understand what it was that made Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip special.

The film does that successfully creating a wondrous, immersive world with round-headed kid characters. It’s a cheery, old-fashioned cartoon film. Adapted from the original comics that appeared in a gag-a-day format in the newspapers, it’s refreshing to see gags on the big screen. But for the adult audience, is it engaging enough?

The Peanuts Movie is like many daily cartoon strips stitched into one 88-minute film. It assumes that audiences would either be well acquainted with the idiosyncrasies of the characters or young enough not to question them. However, the former group, of which I am a member, is left feeling nostalgic but underwhelmed. What is heartwarming is the simplicity of the story and the storytelling with a faithful adherence to the original ethos. Lucy charges just five cents for psychiatric counsel, Snoopy uses a typewriter, and flying a kite successfully is considered an achievement.