The Peanuts Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2015 animated film The Peanuts Movie, directed by Steve Martino and produced by Blue Sky Studios. Based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, it is the fifth full-length Peanuts film, and the first in 35 years.^[1] The original score is composed by Christophe Beck, with contributions from jazz pianist David Benoit and Meghan Trainor, who performed an original song titled "Better When I'm Dancin', released as a single on October 14, 2015.^[2] The soundtrack was digitally released by Epic Records and Fox Music on October 23, 2015.^[3]

Beck wanted to interpret Vince Guaraldi's compositions for the Peanuts specials (scored by Guaraldi between 1963 and 1976) to give a "nostalgic feel" in the score. The score was recorded by early 2014 with sessions held during April–August 2015 at the Newman Scoring Stage, 20th Century Fox Studios. The album features 20 tracks, including Trainor's single, Flo Rida's "That's What I Like" featuring Fitz. Three original tracks performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) were also included: "Linus and Lucy", "Skating" and "Christmas Time Is Here". Beck's original score occupies the remainder of the album. An exclusive edition of the soundtrack released at Target features a second Trainor track, "Good to Be Alive",^[4] and the Japanese edition of the soundtrack includes "Good to Be Alive" and three more tracks from Beck's score.^[5] The album was positively received by critics.

Following his inclusion as the score composer,^[7] Christophe Beck said that he grew up on the Peanuts specials and the music by Vince Guaraldi. In a different approach, he stated the score would be more orchestral than Guaraldi's previous scores, which were mainly a small jazz combo, and the musical landscape is different.^[6] Beck had said that, there needs a lot of attention while composing for family-drama films, where the score might vary in regard to various emotions. He stated that "to score it with a combo might make you and me and others of our generation feel warm and nostalgic, but to most everyone else it would just feel a bit old fashioned. That said, I tried where I could to evoke the feel of those old specials, just because I love them so much! So every once in a while I try to drop in that classic piano combo sound."^[8]

Jazz pianist David Benoit contributed to Beck's score, and had recorded all the piano solos for the film during the final sessions.^[9] He managed to re-create several tunes composed by Guaraldi, especially the theme song "Linus and Lucy". Beck added that, "It is impossible to imagine one without the other [...] It’s tuneful, it’s catchy, and he [Benoit] manages to incorporate both sophisticated jazz harmonies and a sense of melancholy."^[9] In an interview to Los Angeles Times, Benoit had added that recreating "Linus and Lucy" was "not like playing Liszt" but "tricky" as Guaraldi had improvised those tunes, and played differently each time. He added "Vince [Guaraldi] listened to a lot of Latin music, and I think that’s where he developed that syncopation between right and left hand. ... It sounds easy but when you try to play it right, it’s very tricky."^[10]

The scoring sessions took place at the Newman Scoring Stage in 20th Century Fox Studios from April to August 2015.^[11] Tim Davies led the 79-piece orchestra, consisting of varied instruments: string, french horn, woodwinds, brass, violin, cello, harp, piano and percussions. Additional music is composed by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson.^[12] Martino said about the music of the film, adding "There’s a lot of history to the music of the Peanuts film, and he embraced the philosophy Craig and I had on the movie, which was to tell a feature film story with these characters and to create emotion. He used everything within that palette. There are moments that we are flying with Snoopy that will have full orchestra, and there other moments where the jazz combo just lays it out there."^[13]

On July 28, 2015, it was announced that Meghan Trainor would write and perform a song for the film, entitled "Better When I'm Dancin'".^[14] She also wrote and performed another track, that was featured in the international album release.^[4] Trainor said that writing songs for the film was "challenging" as she never wrote songs for a film, and she had to make sure that "all of Fox loved it, as well as the director of the movie."^[15] Rapper Flo Rida's "That's What I Like" from his EP My House is also featured on the album.^[4]

The Japanese version titled I Love Snoopy: The Peanuts Movie also uses Japanese singer-songwriter Ayaka's "A Song For You" for the trailer and the ending instead of Trainor's, but it was released as a single and did not appear on the Japanese edition of soundtrack album.^[16][17]

The album received positive critical response. Filmtracks.com wrote " The album will serve for listeners much like Winnie the Pooh did for fans of the Sherman Brothers' original music for that set of characters during its own updated adaptation in 2011".^[18] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic called it as "a bright, symphonic original score by Beck befitting the good-natured family film".^[19] Peter Hartlaub, writing for San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate, said that "Christophe Beck manages to weave in several Guaraldi beats along with a few modern songs in the musical score — and makes it all sound like classic Charlie Brown."^[20] The Times of India's Reagan Gavin Rasquinha said "Christophe Beck’s soundtrack also helps in keeping the pace jaunty, even during parts without dialogue, of which there are quite a few".^[21] Writing for SCAD, Emilie Kefalas called that the score "satisfies with a balanced blend of gentle instrumentals and appetizing Vince Guaraldi compositions featuring jazz pianist David Benoit".^[22]

Christophe Beck won Best Original Score in an Animated Film at the 2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards,^[23] whereas the song "Better When I'm Dancin'" received a nomination for Best Original Song in an Animated Film.^[23] The song was also received nominations at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for Best Song Written and/or Recorded Created for a Film,^[24] World Soundtrack Awards for Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film,^[25] and Radio Disney Music Awards for Best Song That Makes You Smile.^[26]

All tracks written by Christophe Beck, except where noted.

Credits adapted from CD liner notes^[29][30]