'The Peanuts Movie' gets rave reviews for moving dialogues, compelling storyline

'Lovable loser' Charlie Brown smiles at his imaginative dog Snoopy in a scene from the animated film 'The Peanuts Movie.' (20th Century Fox)

Several moral lessons can be found in the new animated film "The Peanuts Movie," which faith-based moviegoers are sure to appreciate.

According to the review made by Crosswalk contributor Christa Banister, the work written by Bryan Schulz, who is the grandson of Peanuts' comic strip creator Charles Schulz, managed to honour his legacy through moving dialogues and a compelling storyline.

In one movie scene, main star Charlie Brown looks up at the night sky and says, "One of those stars is my star. And I know that my star will always be there for me, like a comforting voice saying 'Don't give up, kid.'"

In another scene, Brown says, "It's not often that you get the opportunity to start over with a clean slate."

"It's rare and refreshing to have a film like this to take your family to. Schultz's boldness for the Gospel will continue to live on through his animated creation," writes Banister. "Like the best films, the viewer is never beaten over the head with the underlying themes and messages, but you can always count on the Peanuts' characters having something valuable to say about kindness and friendship all the same. And that's something that hopefully will never go out of style, fingers crossed, anyway."

Prior to watching the film, Banister was actually concerned that Charlie Brown and the rest of his friends would be given a modern update, especially since most cartoons from the past have adapted to the times. But, thankfully, this did not happen in "The Peanuts Movie."

"Yes, there's nothing worse than when childhood favourites become a little too modern for their own good," she says. "I half expected Linus to be lugging around an iPad instead of his beloved blue blanket. But...everything about 'The Peanuts Movie' is refreshingly lo-fi."

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