The 'Peanuts' Are Back

35 years after the last "Peanuts" feature film and 15 years after creator, Charles M. Schulz, died, a new movie is coming out in November. For this new film, they've gone back to the drawing board to capture the "ethos and art of its creator."

It is computer animated and directed by Steve Martino at 20th Century Fox-owned Blue Sky Studios.

"It's a little retro in a way, but in today's world of animation it feels completely fresh," Martino said. "We're not trying for photorealism or movement where you believe the characters are human. It's a different palette. This is the most complicated creation, to put something up on the screen that looks so simple. I wanted to find that pen line, the wiggle in Charlie Brown's smile."

Craig Schulz, the fourth of Charles Schulz's five children, said, "We always felt like the risk of doing a film and having it be done poorly was not worth the potential gain," Craig said. "But all the studios were knocking on our door."

"It's about preserving a legacy that has tremendous history and not screwing it up," Martino said. "We see that kids meet characters today in feature films in the movie theater, so that's the opportunity. The responsibility is to deliver the experience so that these characters don't change, so that they become a new presentation of what's been wonderful about them for 50 years."

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Hey there!

In honor of turkey day I wanted to showcase a classic! Every year since 1973 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving has been airing on CBS.  While the animation is certainly a tad stale, the heartwarming tale is as good as ever, brimming with nostalgia. In case you missed watching it with your family this year take a look at it below.

The animation is certainly tired, and the story hasn't changed a bit, but it is still doing strong in the ratings.  This year the special tied for the #1 spot ratings wise.  This is a good sign, due to the fact that Charlie Brown will be making another appearance next year, although this time on the big screen. Peanuts is set to hit the screen in 2015 and features a revamped animation style that's more closely associated with the 21st century.

I'm not the biggest Charlie Brown fan, but I am excited to see such a staple of American culture stand the test of time. The success of this upcoming movie will definitely show if  Charlie and the gang can stick around even longer.

Until next time,

Alex