Peanuts (2025 film)

Peanuts is an 2025 American live-action/animated CGI hybrid comedy film distributed by Universal Pictures. It is based on the Peanuts comic strips created by comic author Charles M. Schulz in the 1950s. Being directed by Jeff Rowe, the film was produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Adam Wingard, and Mike Rianda and written by Chris Columbus and Pierre Coffin. 
The film follows Charlie Brown as he is going to have to survive fifth grade, the final grade in his school and being bullied by Lucy van Pelt. The film stars Graham Verche as Charlie Brown and Jackson Robert Scott (who voiced Charlie in the 2017 television series) as Linus van Pelt. The film also stars Isabella Leoas Lucy and Dee Bradley Baker as Snoopy and Woodstock.
The film theatrically released in cinemas on June 14, 2025 and received positive reviews.
== Synopsis ==
Based on Charles M. Schulz's 1950s famous comic strips of the same name, Charlie Brown, aged 10, is afraid of going to the next grade after fourth grade, fifth grade. Also getting bullied and tormented by Lucy van Pelt, he gets advice from his pets Snoopy and Woodstock including Lucy's brother, who is not a bully, Linus. As Principal Ian Harvey Helms announces a special event at the Last day of school, Charlie gets help from Snoopy & Woodstock in order to make his last day of school the best day of school for not only him and Linus, but the entire school too. Even with getting tormented by Lucy. 
==Plot==
Charlie Brown wakes up for school and gets ready and walks with his friend, Linus. Linus is the brother of the school's bully Lucy Van Pelt. Meanwhile, Charlie's pets Snoopy and Woodstock then have some fun and throw a party for animals at the house while Charlie and Sally Brown are away to go to school. 
Meanwhile at school, the school's principal Ian Harvey Helms announces that in five days will be the last day of school. Everybody celebrates. In lunch, Charlie Brown gets bullied by Linus' sister Lucy and soon, Lucy decided to quit for the day. As Helms calls in Charlie Brown in the principal's office, Helms explains to Charlie Brown that the school is going to get bankrupt due to dumb school rules and inappropriate content and pictures in it. Charlie's sister Sally later performs a cowboy scene for the last day of school event with Snoopy and Woodstock as the town's sheriff. Charlie becomes the bandit and he, Sally, Snoopy and Woodstock then play the cowboys until their mother makes them go to bed. 
Ian Harvey Helms is then in his home watching a clip of his great-grandfather as he first founded the school in 1914 on December 22. He then goes to bed. At school, Charlie meets with Peppermint Patty and her assistant Marcie. Peppermint Patty tells Charlie Brown that she needs two other henchmen for her. Lucy is seen at her home performing for a cop chase scene. Lucy and Linus are the cops while their little brother Rerun is playing as the sheriff. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is able to find two new assistants for Peppermint Patty, who is not replacing Marcie. Ian is worried that he'll let his great-grandfather down while Charlie Brown cheers him up. 
With two days left, Ian Harvey Helms announces to all of the students (including in Ma. Othmars' class) that production on the party for the last day of school will start. After a montage of building, the school students are finally down with the last day of school set. With one day left, Charlie and Sally Brown and Lucy are on a football field. Meanwhile, Snoopy and Woodstock sneak in a criminal's house and steals an super expensive dog toy which Snoopy is obsessed with while Woodstock is obsessed with a bird toy. 
As Charlie Brown is about to kick the football with Sally and Linus (who stays away from Sally since Sally is in crazy-love with him) watching, Lucy decides to be an trickster like always and move the football, preventing Charlie Brown from kicking it and causing Charlie to fall on his back. With many people booing, including Sally and Linus. Snoopy and Woodstock, along with Charlie Brown are excited for the party for the last day of school with one day left.
At midnight, six hours before the party, Lucy sneaks into Schroeder's house to get a kiss out of him. Schroeder is scared, but later escapes the house as he asks Peppermint Patty to sleep with him. This causes Lucy to get angry and sneak back to her home. At 9:04am, Charlie and Sally, realizing that they are both late for the party, quickly get ready for the party in just two minutes. 
At school, the party is all set up and Ian Harvey Helms will give the students one hour to hang out with their friends and family before the party starts. Meanwhile, Snoopy and Woodstock sneak into the school disguised as kids. After the break, the party starts and everybody gets started to start their "unannounced short films" announced by Ian Harvey Helms. Snoopy and Woodstock and Sally recreate their cowboy scene in which the trio did at home. Lucy meets Charlie Brown at the party and bets that his movie will be garbage. Schroeder then hides from Lucy in the party, having to know that she snuck in his house last night.
Charlie Brown, founding out that he never made a short film play in the previous five days, then tries to make up a film play with Snoopy and Woodstock. Principal Helms then comes up to select Charlie Brown and the two "unnamed students" which are Snoopy and Woodstock, to play the film. The film is about three animals escaping from a sewer and must be careful from an psychopath bunny. Peppermint Patty plays the role of the psychopathic bunny while Marcie plays a psychopathic dog. 
After that, the film turned out to be surprisingly good. Even Lucy thinks it and including Linus. And including their little brother, Rerun! Lucy, Linus, and Rerun then make their film play and it was also turned out to be good. Ian Harvey Helms is impressed and decides to move on with the rest of the film plays and announces that there will be no homework on the day, making everybody excited. They then move on to the other films made by Marcie, Schroeder, Franklin, and many others.
After school, Principal Helms is very sad to see that all of his students are leaving the school for summer vacation from June 24 to September 3. He hugs all of the students before they go leave, and then congratulates Charlie and the others. 
==Cast==
* Graham Verche as Charlie Brown
* Dee Bradley Baker as Snoopy and Woodstock (voice)
* Isabella Leo as Lucy van Pelt
* Jackson Robert Scott as Linus van Pelt
* Steve Carell as Principal Ian Harvey Helms
* Venus Schultheis as Peppermint Patty
* Hope Marie Nixon as Marcie
* Ramone Hamilton as Franklin
* Aidan Alberto as Schroeder
* Shawn Ryan as Rerun van Pelt
==Production==
===Development===
In 2019, Peanuts (2017 TV Series) creator Adam Wingard announced that a possibility of an animated film directed by Paul Rudish was in development. However, Wingard delayed the film to an live-action film. Rudish later left production the film to work on other shows such as Mickey Mouse. Later, it was announced on Twitter that The Mitchells vs. the Machines co-director Jeff Rowe was set to direct.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and Wingard were set to produce the film, in which they did while Chris Columbus and Pierre Coffin did the screenplay for the film.
===Casting===
The casting for the film began in 2022. Woody Woodpecker star Graham Verche was cast as Charlie Brown. Before Verche's cast, Jacob Tremblay was originally considered for the role of Charlie Brown. Dee Bradley Baker who voiced Snoopy and Woodstock reprised his role for the two characters in only voice roles. 
Isabella Leo, the current voice of Lucy van Pelt was cast as the titular role. Steve Carell who is known for his role as Michael Scott in The Office and Gru in Despicable Me was cast as the school's principal Ian Harvey Helms in April 2022. Troy Andrews makes an uncredited cameo as Ms. Othmar. Andrews reprises his role from The Peanuts Movie, released in 2015 and directed by Steve Martino. Jackson Robert Scott, who voiced Charlie Brown in the 2017 series, was cast as Linus van Pelt in June 2022. Venus Schultheis plays the role as Peppermint Patty. In the film, Ramone Hamilton who starred in The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants plays Franklin in the film. Franklin also makes a cameo appearance when Charlie Brown and the others are in class with Ms. Othmar. Aidan Alberto plays Schroeder, a boy who always plays his toy piano and stays away from Lucy, who is crazy in love with him.
Two people from two different YouTube channels make appearances as characters in this film. Hope Marie Nixon, who is one of the members of the SuperHeroKids YouTube channel, appears as Marcie, who is Peppermint Patty's assistant. Shawn Ryan who is the youngest member of the FGTeev family, makes an appearance as Lucy and Linus' little brother Rerun van Pelt.
===Filming===
Filming took place from seven months from February 3 to August 18, 2023. Filming was in New Zealand, New York City (the school filmed in school P.S. 33), Los Angeles, and Jamaica. The school for Charlie Brown was the school P.S. 33. Famous YouTuber Mark "Markiplier" Fishbach was originally set to make a cameo, but later declined the cameo. In addition, principal photography was done by Wingard and the film's director Jeff Rowe.
===Animation===
The animation for Snoopy and Woodstock was done by Framestore, who once did animation for Tom & Jerry and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Animation commenced on May to October 2024. The official trailer was released one month after the animation for Snoopy and Woodstock finished. The film was originally going to have 3D CGI animation, but 2D animation was later used for the animation of Snoopy and Woodstock.
==Release==
In Dolby Cinemas, the film released on June 15, 2025. Originally scheduled for a March release in the year of the same name.
Other then that, the movie has been counted from several delays. It was set for an February 20 release, but was later delayed to September 30, but was delayed once again to December 7. April 2 was also announced, but was delayed to August 7, once again delayed to August 11, but then on August 22. It was then delayed to the June 15, 2025 release.
==Reception==
===Marketing===
In 2024, film producer and The Machines vs. the Machines co-director Mike Rianda posted a 32 second teaser trailer for the film including Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Rianda said on producing the film "We wanted to make it look like Charlie Brown was the person who was getting bullied by Lucy. Many people wanted another Peanuts movie just like the one from 2015, so, here it is for you! And Ian Harvey Helms is now one of the most famous Steve Carell characters." Film's writer/screenplayer Pierre Coffin confirmed that the personality of the characters are just "silly, rude, kind, dumb, and generous."
==Critical response==