Peanuts Movie audition commercial with Family Guy

[enyawd72]

Has anyone here seen this commercial? It's a Target commercial featuring the Peanut's characters holding auditions for their new film. There's a scene with Stewie and Brian trying out for Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

When I saw it, I immediately thought to myself, Charles Schulz wouldn't have approved of this.
Don't get me wrong, I love both, but I'm kind of protective of the Peanuts gang. They've always remained so...I guess the word is wholesome?

It's also well known that Charles Schulz held deeply religious/spiritual beliefs and they were often reflected in Peanuts...A Charlie Brown Christmas being a perfect example. Contrast that with Family Guy's often vulgar, raunchy humor with decidedly Atheist leanings.

I just can't imagine Schulz would approve of his characters mixing it up with Family Guy for a commercial. I'm not criticizing Family Guy at all. I love it. It's just very different humor that seems to me should be kept far, far away from the very innocent Charlie Brown and gang.

I'm not even sure Schulz was happy with how much Peanuts was commercialized during his lifetime. Again, the themes present in a lot of his strips and cartoons seemed to go against this very thing. How do you feel about the way characters are often treated after their creator's death?

I know there's even been a backlash against the new KFC Colonel Sanders commercials, because some people find them insulting to the real Colonel Sanders, even though he himself was a caricature of sorts...

Interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject.

[Hedji]

No doubt. It's really stunt advertising, and I doubt Schulz would want to mix with that. In fact, I can't imagine any crossovers with Peanuts that would make any sense.

I still get choked up when I read that final Peanuts strip.

[HardyGirl]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Family Guy, and I agree that it shouldn't be mixed the Peanuts gang. I'm a major Peanuts fan too, as the Great Pumpkin theme is all over the front of my house right now. I also don't think Mr. Schulz would like the way ABC has treated his holiday specials b/c A) they're cut to pieces, and B) they have regular adult commercials being seen during these specials. These are ads I wouldn't want a young child to see (reality shows and smart mouth kids in commercials). The sponsors of these specials used to be very child friendly, McDonald's, Kenner, Zingers and the like. And I don't know about Mr. Schulz, but it makes me sad that the new Peanuts is CGI. I know the arguements are it's faster and more cost efffective, but to me, it just loses some of it's heart in CGI. All of the specials, the Charlie Brown and Snoopy show, the Zinger commercials, the books and the newspaper comics were all drawn. To me, that's just how the Peanuts gang is supposed to look.

Those are my opinions.

[Hedji]

Those are good opinions. I'd forgotten about the Zingers!

[EMCE Hammer]

Peanuts takes me to a special place, just like my Megos. Memories of grabbing the books at Book Fair, watching the holiday specials.....they all take me to another place. I don't want Charlie Brown and the gang updated for the current generation, and I cringe a little when I see the commercial Dwayne references. I enjoy Family Guy, but CB was then; FG is now. I like then a lot better. My family watches all the holiday specials religiously, and the gang makes an appearance each year when we decorate for Christmas. I'm not going to picket, but I'd like to keep Peanuts unsullied by the 21st century. Marvel and DC are train wrecks........leave Peanuts alone. When I think of the concept of joy, in my mind I see Snoopy doing his happy dance. I'd like to keep it that way.

[emeraldknight47]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, what he said X 2. Peanuts doesn't need to be made more hip or modern. It's fine just as it always has been.

[enyawd72]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, what he said X 2. Peanuts doesn't need to be made more hip or modern. It's fine just as it always has been.

Exactly...and that's precisely what I see in that commercial. "Uh-Oh...Peanuts isn't "cool" enough...we better throw Family Guy in there to show people that it's okay to like it because Brian and Stewie do. I mean, Brian is a drug and alcohol abuser who engages in bestiality and Stewie is a murderer.

I prefer the Peanuts gang untouched by time...I still have warm fuzzies over my "It's a Mystery Charlie Brown" book and of course my set of Charlie Brown 'Cyclopedias!

CB book.jpg

[Werewolf]

I'm not the biggest Peanuts fan in the world and as a kid I was always way more into Garfield. I also get that Fox owns Family Guy and is releasing the Peanuts movie and probably wants a bit of cross promotion. But advertising a G rated movie aimed at little kids with Family Guy characters, not the best idea.

[mickeymoosemego]

A major Peanuts fan here too. Was sitting in front of the TV in a tiny chair when the first special Aired. Nothing has ever come Near a Charlie Brown Christmas. It is the Best of the Best.

[Hedji]

Some things ARE sacred. I think the CG movie is a horrible idea. But, then... I'm old.

[PNGwynne]

A major Peanuts fan here too. Was sitting in front of the TV in a tiny chair when the first special Aired. Nothing has ever come Near a Charlie Brown Christmas. It is the Best of the Best.

Very true. I'm very emotional for so many reasons (all of them good, but some sad, in true Peanuts fashion) every time I watch it.

I will say that I saw the Peanuts film trailer last summer before SpongeBob and thought it charming. The CGI was not off-putting to me.

[Hector]

I love Peanuts. I like Family Guy (don't love it though)...they should not be meshing...they belong in different universes.

Having said that...I have no problem with the movie being CGI...as long as it stays true to its original heart and spirit, I'm fine with that.

[gummi]

It was surprising to see Stewie and Brian show up in that commercial, but personally I loved it. It's funny you bring this up; on last weeks episode of Comic Book Men, Bryan brought up a good point about Peanuts in that it's basically all about kids tormenting and bullying another kid with self esteem issues. I had never thought of it that way, but it is a pretty interesting and funny point.

[emeraldknight47]

I'm a devout fan of all things PEANUTS and love them in their traditional, two-dimensional animated form, BUT, I was really hoping a few years back, when CG animated movies started coming out of the woodwork, that someone who respected the property for what it is would actually do a three-dimensional CG version. That being said, I'm really looking forward to plunking my butt in a theater chair and seeing Peanuts on the big screen again. From what I've seen so far, this animation is actually more of a 2D/3D hybrid, with the characters having the depth of a CG character, but their facial features and expressions are still looking mostly 2D, which should be quite interesting to watch. I'll be good with the movie as long as they don't decide to stick some crappy pop, hip-hop or rap music in it. That is one thing that I'm sure Charles Schultz would've drawn the line at and I hope that the people who made this respect his wishes regarding the treatment and surroundings of the characters....

[Hector]

Yeah, I don't want to hear any pop, hip hop, rap, or even rock music...please keep the classical music and light jazz vibe going...