Review: Snoopy Presents: One of a Kind Marcie, is a unique and unmatched work
The Peanuts franchise has not ceased to amaze us, each comic, movie or series continues to have that maturity combined with childish innocence, Since its first animated special A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964) we have known these charming characters.
Charles Shulz created this gang of friends to amuse and entertain the public but also to carry a message that has been present in each of his productions along with his millionaire and innumerable merchandising to which more companies and products such as Mondo.
Apple TV knows very well what it does and how to do it, in 2023 they premiere Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, a medium footage that focuses on this popular and introverted girl who is willing to help whenever she is in need.
What is special about it?
Marcie (Arianna McDonald) is an introverted, quiet, and kind-hearted girl, she has many great ideas to help her friends achieve their goals and solve their problems, but when she is discovered and the world realizes what she has done attention is focused on her, sharing those ideas now becomes a challenge that she will have to overcome to help herself.
There is no doubt or reproach about these productions, the stories along with their animation have evolved over the years and hand in hand with their most loyal followers, A large majority of us know these characters and although they will not grow We have never grown together with them.
If we define what this work is, we can say that it is those we think the least about who are most willing to change things, making a big difference, each character in this series has had their moment, and each one has their adult personality mature in the body of a child, its structure is so true to itself that the changes we have seen have gone from good to very good and from very good to something magnificent that is worth considering.
We already know, we already know how adorable but introverted Marcie is, she makes a difference in what she does and who she does it for, mainly her friends and her community, we know that her best friend is the complete opposite of her in attitude and way of acting. Getting Things Done Marcie helps Peppermint Patty (Lexi Perri) train for the school golf championship as her caddy, offering thoughtful and well-considered advice to help her win.
Being in school is not easy at all and after coming up with some brilliant solutions to the problems of his classmates and the school community that range from an order of how to walk in the halls to solving the shortage of pizza at lunchtime and making it fair for all Marcie is unexpectedly elected class president, a position she never intended to have but everyone knows she’s the best fit to hold.
It is thanks to this that Marcie becomes the center of attention of her colleagues, even those who have never spoken to her, She struggles to face the high expectations of her new position where she will have to give a speech to all her colleagues, Faced with the fear that being in the public eye causes her, this little girl decides to be with herself rather than deal with the pressure of what others may think and expect of her. When the golf competition begins, her slightly abusive friend Peppermint Patty and after not valuing her as a caddy arguing that golf is not a team effort is forced to ask for help from Charlie Brown (Etienne Kellici) as her caddy, After some sage advice, a little introspection and reflection on what her life has been in recent days Marcie realizes that she can still make a big difference to her friends and school; she’s just going to have to exceed other people’s expectations and do it her way.
While Charlie Brown is the central character in the Peanuts stories and along with his dog Snoopy are the ones we most identify with, there are also a wide variety of beloved figures who are integral components of the franchise, including those who prefer not to be so popular. nor the spotlights, in the case of Marcie it is portrayed are realism and respect for those children who consider themselves to be a minority, School can be a very complicated, competitive, and aggressive world for those who are sensitive and do not fit into a specific stereotype because they are looking to help.
One of the biggest revelations in this special is how Marcie identifies herself as an introvert finding her calm and solace in being alone, those viewers who are also introverts will easily identify with this character, when the world around you you see and feel it much bigger than it is, you just want to get back to a safe area, to maintain a point of balance.
During this almost 40-minute long special and in a master move by its director Raymond S. Persi, since Marcie is the protagonist, she also feels that she is in the background, as is to be expected because as an audience we expect it, the resolution of everything is who decides to help her slightly abusive friend win, who is recognized as a great caddy while giving up her position to continue helping as only she knows how to do.
the screenwriter Betsy Walters does a great job with these characters without falling into comfort zones and maintaining that personality that makes them unique, The topic to be discussed has a very interesting moral discourse, friendship, camaraderie, inclusion, personal values, and love, but above all knowing oneself and facing the fears that does not let us grow, a very well structured story that does not leave any loose ends and that is about celebrating those who make the world go round but do not receive any Thanks and appreciation for it.
Perhaps the only flaw that it has is its duration, although its main story and its subplots have a conclusion, there are points that we would have liked to have dealt with, such as the beginning of the friendship between Peppermint Patty and Marcie, or how it happened to be part of the Peanuts gang and see a little more of their development throughout their history.
The animation is simply spectacular and much smoother with these new specials compared to the old ones, as well as smooth shading, brighter lighting, and more detailed backgrounds, discreet use of CGI and traditional work along with its color palette makes everything look modern but with that certain touch of nostalgia, images that seem to be in 3D with deeper and less flat backgrounds, each setting is very familiar, the team made by its director, writer, creative direction and voice cast makes this work has the quality that we expect from this franchise even surpassing itself.
It’s nice when as viewers we can have a while of fun entertainment but at the same time thoughtful, Peanuts is a material for the whole family that is focused a little more on adults that we already know and feel comfortable with these stories and characters, Peanuts as franchise has something for everyone and it leaves us all with a feeling that the things that happen in the world can have a solution beyond what we can overthink or overanalyze and the best example is how careful this work is to make it seem it has been very simple.
The childish voice cast is made up of Arianna McDonald, Lexi Perri, Etienne Kellici, Antonina Battrick, Isabella, Wyatt White, Caleb Bellavance, Lucien Duncan-Reid, Natasha Nathan, Charlie Boyle, Maya Misaljevic, Terry McGurrin, Rob Tinkler, Will Bhaneja, Jackson Reid, Jacob Mazeral, Emily Mitchell, Joshua Obasi and Owen Ross, the fact that they are children who do the voices makes it a more authentic job, putting it on a more believable and fun level.
The music composed by Jeff Morrow is the classic jazz soundtrack that we immediately associate with Peanuts, piano pieces that appear throughout the film, something relaxing and stimulating that follows the line of what we have known for decades, a good audiovisual work that perfectly matches what we see.
Admittedly, these newer specials tend to be a bit smoother and more direct compared to the older classic specials. The classic debates between characters and harsh lessons have been further toned down in favor of deeper stories with more personal feelings.
In conclusion, Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie introduces us to a one-of-a-kind character, It is another great work for the Peanuts franchise that deserves a round of applause and that will continue to extend for many more years of delight and enjoyment. Of all of us who love these characters, it has already been announced that the next special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin arrives in 2024.
Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie is now available on the Apple+ platform.
