As a longtime Peanuts fan and parent watching with a 7-year-old, I really wanted to enjoy Snoopy! The Musical. The animation is gorgeous, the color palette is bold and creative, and there's clearly a lot of love put into the visuals. But unfortunately, almost everything else - from the sound design to the writing - misses the mark. What could have been a joyful, clever, modern take on Snoopy ends up being a visually beautiful but emotionally flat production that doesn't know its audience.
Audio Quality: Consistently Distracting
The audio mix is hands-down the biggest issue. Charlie Brown's solo numbers, especially the first two, sound like he's singing through a walkie-talkie. The muffled, distorted vocal quality makes you instinctively reach for your volume controls or wonder if your speakers are broken. Sally, Linus, and Peppermint Patty are even worse - their voices are so miscast that they don't sound like themselves at all. Charlie sounds too old. The only one with a halfway-decent voice match is Lucy, and even she's only almost right.
And the music is often louder than the vocals, making lyrics hard to hear - a dealbreaker in a musical. Strangely, Snoopy and Woodstock have fine audio, which just highlights how inconsistent the production quality is.
Songs That Drag Instead of Delight
While a few songs had potential, most were dragged down by either poor vocals or uninspired direction. The "I Just Can't" number nearly put us to sleep - repetitive lyrics, slow pacing, and barely any animation until the very end. And when things did pick up, another muddy-sounding Charlie Brown solo would slam the energy right back down again.
The one bright spot? The final number, "Leave It Better." It had noticeably better audio quality, strong composition, and was genuinely enjoyable. It felt like it belonged in a better version of the show - which made it even more frustrating.
Plot & Humor: Where Did It Go?
Peanuts has always leaned into subtle, dry humor and small emotional arcs - but here, the pacing is glacial, the tone overly somber, and the emotional beats land with a thud. My daughter, 25 minutes in, still had no idea what the story was about. And when a Snoopy story drags like Inception, something's gone wrong.
Even more baffling - there's barely any humor. Peanuts is supposed to be funny. Snoopy's charm, Lucy's sass, Sally's melodrama - it's all supposed to spark laughs. But here, the only chuckle-worthy moment came from Sally yelling at fireflies. That's it. Everything else was oddly serious or emotionally flat.
Animation: The Unsung Hero
Credit where it's due: the animators and artists deserve praise. The visual style is bold and playful. The color choices pop. The backgrounds feel alive. This is easily the strongest element of the production - and the biggest reason I didn't turn it off halfway through.
My Overall Take
Snoopy! The Musical had the potential to be a charming reintroduction of the Peanuts gang for a new generation. But with bad casting choices, frustrating sound quality, a sluggish and humorless script, and songs that too often fell flat, it ends up being a pretty show with very little soul.
If you're a Peanuts purist, you'll likely be disappointed. If you're trying to hook your kid on Snoopy, this probably won't do it. Save your time - and your ears - and revisit the classics instead.
