First trailer for 'Peanuts' movie is an homage to '2001'

Posted Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 11:35 AM Central
Last updated Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 11:38 AM Central

by John Couture

Whether you're a fan of Stanley Kubrick or not, there's a pretty good chance that you'll appreciate the homage contained in the first trailer for The Peanuts Movie. "Also sprach Zarathustra" opens the trailer and pretty much anyone who has seen any decent number of films from say 1980 on will instantly recognize the music.

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the music is used to score important steps in humanity's progress, so the metaphor to The Peanuts Movie also will be hard to miss. The film is the first time that the Charlie Brown and the gang will appear on the big screen in both computer generated fashion and in 3D. It's the first time that the Peanuts gang have appeared on the big screen at all since 1980.

But that hasn't stopped us from getting all giddy about seeing the comic strip that many of us grew up with making the transition to a new age. Don't worry though, the teaser trailer isn't all bark and no bite. About halfway through, "Also sprach Zarathustra" is cut off and the familiar Peanuts music replaces it along with Charlie Brown and Snoopy in their full computer-generated glory.

I'm not going to lie, it does take a minute or two to accept the change, but for the most part, the changes work and I'm generally excited to share this film with my own children when it hits theaters on November 6, 2015.