“The Peanuts Movie” was released into theaters Nov. 6, with many people either looking forward to it or dreading another failed remake movie. This was a reasonable concern at the time, but people can now rest easy. This movie exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds.

The movie completely captures the spirit of the old cartoons. With he plot centered around Charlie Brown as he tries to impress The Little Red Haired Girl, is refreshingly simple. Even with the straight forward story, there is no time where one will not be entertained. There was still a mini story arc with Snoopy, and the beautiful animation will keep your eyes glued to the screen. Keeping a close resemblance to the original designs, but adding in different movements and facial expressions to keep things interesting. Not to mention that the kid voice actors nailed their characters almost perfectly.

The soundtrack consists of three pop songs, but the rest is all instrumental. Occasionally using scores from the old specials just to make people nostalgic. Two of the pop songs are by Meghan Trainor, and the other is by Flo Rida featuring Fitz. These songs are surprisingly fitting for the mood of the film, and never detract attention from the film. Particularly Trainor’s song “Better When I’m Dancin'” kept the light-hearted atmosphere while still being good as a stand alone single.  I could not believe how relaxed I felt as I was listening to this movie, almost a little too relaxed.

This was the only flaw I could find about the film. It was very slowly paced. So much that a person who has not loved The Peanuts since they were a kid, might lose interest. The Snoopy plot was drawn out a little too long for a sub plot and if you do not like montages, then you might get a bit annoyed with how many there were in this movie. Although, I suppose that a slow movie is better than a rushed one.

One thing is for sure, this movie was far from another failed remake. It was completely worth the wait. So, people will not have to worry if their little siblings want to drag them in the theater to see “The Peanuts Movie”. It looks like there might be some major competition for the best animated film this year. Especially when there are still more animations to come. For now we can just enjoy this updated, timeless classic.