“The Peanuts Movie,” produced by 20th Century and Blue Sky Animation, is a refreshingly simple yet modern reboot of Charles M. Schultz’s ageless cartoon series. Featuring all of the original characters – including Linus, Lucy, Schroder, and Sally – the movie is a story of how childlike belief and optimism can prevail amid the insipidness and pessimism of the adult world.

The story arc follows the character of Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp), the classic yet lovable everyman who never seems to be able to do anything right. (Sound relatable?) He has earned a reputation amongst his classmates as the one who can’t do anything right, and because of this, the one thing he wants desperately is for the other kids to like him and respect him for “doing something great.” So when a new girl moves in across the street, he becomes determined to change his image in order to impress her and his classmates – yet in the end he realizes that all he really needed to do was be himself.

The relatable struggles of the main character, coupled with rich character development and brilliant dialogue, makes this movie memorable and relevant to all ages. Charlie Brown shows himself to be a good person on multiple occasions, and yet he never seems to be able to catch a break. Who can blame him for being a little pessimistic from time to time? This kind of real-life struggle will draw in the older audience, while the modern-day references to the life of a public-school student and the hilarious side-antics of Snoopy and Woodstock will hold the attention of younger viewers.

If one were to compare “The Peanuts Movie” to any of the classic Peanuts cartoons, the difference would only be noted in the computer animation and the occasional modern references. This movie stays true to Schultz’s original work, and among the countless tactless, tasteless, and thoroughly thoughtless movies today, it is a refreshing change.