The Peanuts Movie was a 92-minute celebration of everything that makes the Peanuts franchise so great. It celebrates Lucy's love for psychiatry, Charlie Brown's relationship with Snoopy, and even the unrequited love for the Little Red-Haired Girl. Even the infamous flying kite gets some well-deserved attention. The movie earned nearly $250 million on a $99 million budget, earning multiple awards and nominations along the way and proving that there remains a widespread appreciation for the Peanuts characters.
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Yet, while the movie continued one astounding legacy, it also began another. Rather than relying on six-year-old actors, as previous adaptations of the franchise did, the producers elected to cast Noah Schnapp as Charlie Brown. He was 11 when he first began playing the character, and the movie afforded him his big break before he moved on to the world-renowned Stranger Things.
Noah Schnapp Excelled in The Peanuts Movie
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Most classic Peanuts specials hardly offer much from an acting standpoint. The specials are generally known for stilted acting, largely because the cast is composed of kids who match their characters' ages. The first Charlie Brown actor, the late Peter Robbins, was just nine when he began playing the character. Other stars were even younger. At 11 years old when he first began playing in the role, Schnapp was somewhat older and more mature. Thanks to Schnapp's impressive performance, the movie managed to blend classic plotting with a more modern art style and performance. His Charlie Brown had quicker processing and a more expressive voice, which set him apart from the many other depictions of the character.
Title | IMDb Score | Tomatometer Score | Audience Score |
---|---|---|---|
The Peanuts Movie | 7.0/10 | 87% | 76% |
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The movie proved to be a hit, but it was even more important for Schnapp's career. Rather than coming into Hollywood as yet another unproven child actor, Schnapp proved that he was capable of headlining a franchise when he was just 11 years old. As there are no true adult characters that regularly appear in Peanuts, Charlie Brown is the undisputed star of the movie — unless Snoopy is involved, of course. By having the opportunity to play Charlie Brown, Schnapp secured the opportunity to showcase his talent on a massive scale. He certainly took advantage. His Charlie Brown mixes the classic dreary and cynical personality with a hopeful exuberance that easily reminds viewers of his youth. Interestingly, it is everything that Stranger Things needed from Schnapp.
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The Peanuts Movie Came Before Stranger Things
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After Schnapp already proved himself with The Peanuts Movie, Stranger Things took the opportunity to expand his reach even further. Schnapp was 11 years old when the movie was released, and he was just 10 when he was recruited to start filming for the hit Netflix show. By the time he began production, the final Peanuts cut had not even been released to audiences, leaving Schnapp as somewhat of an unknown commodity. By the time season 1 aired, however, it had already been a year since the movie propelled him into stardom.
Schnapp starred alongside Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo as the major early younger cast members.
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Unsurprisingly, Schnapp was not the biggest draw that the show had. Unlike Peanuts, it had a wide retinue of adult characters who could serve as supporting figures to the main Stranger Things cast members. Winona Ryder (Joyce) and David Harbour (Chief Hopper) both took major roles, which far exceeded Schnapp's short scenes as Will. Because his character was hidden in another dimension, it was difficult to develop him, which gave Schnapp more time to adapt to the spotlight. By the time his character began appearing regularly, he was much older and more prepared to be a star.
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Stranger Things Turned Noah Schnapp Into a Household Name
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Stranger Things is a show that has reached near-unprecedented success. Season 4 remains Netflix's second most popular show, second only to Wednesday. According to Netflix, the season has also enjoyed more viewership hours than any in the platform's history with 1.838 billion hours viewed. The 13-hour run-time certainly contributes, as Wednesday had only seven hours for its season 1 run, but season 4 still enjoyed approximately 141 million viewers. Few shows can ever attest to having such a wide reach. Considering that season 3 had just 94.8 million views and 716 million hours watched, the show is enjoying an ever-increasing influence. With season 5 on the way, it should only continue to expand.
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Stranger Things Seasons | Tomatometer Score | Audience Score |
---|---|---|
Season 1 | 97% | 96% |
Season 2 | 94% | 90% |
Season 3 | 89% | 86% |
Season 4 | 86% | 89% |
As an integral part of Stranger Things, Schnapp has become a household name, thanks largely to his involvement in the show. He did not play much of a role in season 1, as his character spent much of the season trapped in another dimension, but later seasons drastically expanded his position. His character, Will Byers, became as essential as any of the other main characters and has even become a standout in later seasons. Schnapp gets ample screen time, even if the show does not necessarily know what to do with Will every episode. As he struggles to find a place in the narrative, Will — and Schnapp through him — has only grown more unique and compelling.
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Schnapp Continues to Excel in Hollywood
While Schnapp did not explode into the pop culture landscape after joining Stranger Things, he has still enjoyed a prosperous career. The actor continues to star in the popular sci-fi epic and is preparing to appear in Stranger Things' upcoming final season. While he has somewhat aged out of his role, since it has been nearly 10 years since the series began, he is going to have the opportunity to offer a fitting goodbye. The final episodes will feature a sizable time jump, which will make the younger cast members better suited for their characters. Still, after so long playing young characters, Schnapp is preparing to move on.
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Stranger Things brought him into the spotlight, but Charlie Brown is the reason that Schnapp's name is known at all.
Schnapp is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is focused on learning about business. He is also a major TikTok star and continues to extend his reach through short videos on his platform. Primarily, however, he has made his name as an actor. During his career, he starred in The Tutor, Waiting for Anya, and Abe, and he will likely take more roles when his primary show comes to an end. He has certainly aged out of playing Charlie Brown, but he managed to launch a career that has seen him either feature or star in several feature films.
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Schnapp's first appearance was in Bridge of Spies (2015), but it was The Peanuts Movie that made him stand out. As Charlie Brown, he had the opportunity to star in a movie of his own, and he used the opportunity to expand beyond all imagination. Stranger Things brought him into the spotlight, but Charlie Brown is the reason that Schnapp's name is known at all. Without the Peanuts gang, Schnapp might never have had his big break, and it is fun to see how a major voice acting role launched a live-action actor's career.
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