This much is common knowledge, but this movie’s greatness runs much deeper than its charming exterior.
In terms of visual design, “Great Pumpkin” is a masterpiece. The characters and the world they inhabit are beautiful to behold.
The classic “Peanuts” character design goes a long way here. Much of the appeal lies in simplicity. The faces are expressive and easy to read, and details like hairstyles and clothes keep characters visually distinct without bringing in unnecessary clutter.
The design of the environment is no less ingenious. Foreground elements contrast solid colors with the iconic watercolor skies. The richness of the texture makes these sky backdrops memorable and beautiful. If you look closely, you can see the texture of the paper that was used to make the watercolor.
The color scheme intensely recalls autumn, the red color of the sun and sky in the image above complements the green of the foliage and the oranges of the pumpkins to form a very warm and subdued color palette.
The movie’s score is phenomenal as well. Incorporating elements of jazz was a masterstroke. The soundtrack is playful, and the rich, full sound of the live-recorded instrumentation is enjoyable to listen to, even outside of the context of the movie.
The beauty of the visuals and soundtrack are exceptional, but plenty of movies are beautiful. What gives this particular movie its essential, haunting quality is the depth of its writing.
Every major character displays an element of the human psyche. Multiple plot lines interconnect seamlessly. The result is a movie that accomplishes a great deal narratively, although not much takes place in terms of dramatic events.
Snoopy represents the malformed human being who is swayed too much by his emotions. His scenes as a WWI flying ace may have been conscious pretending, or may have been genuine.
More importantly, his reaction to Schroeder’s piano playing demonstrates a disordered soul subject to passion. A happy song is enough to make him dance, and a sad song reduces him to tears.
After he leaves Schroeder, justifiably embarrassed, he comes to where Linus and Sally are sitting. Linus mistakes him for the Great Pumpkin, which the movie uses as a metaphor for God. This is a biting critique of modern culture, which has discounted God and the good life and replaced it with following one’s emotions.
Although Charlie Brown is the titular character, he is not the protagonist. That title goes to Linus Van Pelt. Linus is the everyman, struggling in man’s search for the divine. He seeks the Great Pumpkin as a source of comfort and order in an apparently uncaring world.
In some sense, he is a role model; even in the face of abject mockery and abandonment by his peers and loved ones, he is steadfast in his faith. He is aware that he might be laboring under a delusion, but he prefers to believe in a comforting lie rather than an unpleasant truth: “If you really are a fake, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
At the climax of the movie, Linus lets slip an expression of doubt, and immediately regrets it. “One little slip like that could cause the Great Pumpkin to pass you by.”
Ultimately, Linus cannot forgive himself. He tries to snatch his words back, but it’s too late. Confused, betrayed, and alone, he cracks. “O Great Pumpkin, where are you?” He wails into the void.
The sheer existential pain present in this line shook me to my very core. Given the symbolism of the Great Pumpkin, this line roughly translates to “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Lucy is, in some ways, a model of charity. She loves her brother and wants him to let go of his security blanket and his delusions. Although she is moved by anger to berate and mock Linus instead of correcting him gently, she still collects extra candy for him, and when Linus is overwhelmed, she brings him home and puts him to bed. After everything she said to Linus, they are still family.
The characters, alongside such breathtaking visuals and scoring, come together to make one of the best movies of all time. The only issue is that it’s quite short. Even so, condensing so much meaning into such a short span of time is an art form in itself.