Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)

In addition to dozens of half-hour television specials, Sparky Schultz made a handful of attempts to translate his comic strip to the big screen. "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown" is the most interesting of these because of its departures from the "Peanuts" formula.

There is no interaction between adversarial couples Linus and Lucy and Charlie Brown and Lucy in this film, because Lucy van Pelt is present only to wave goodbye to the group of exchange students. (Exchange students at the elementary school level?) A number of adults are portrayed and given voices. (No muted trumpets here). Schroeder the piano man and Pigpen the human dust storm are left behind on American soil.

This film was a labor of love for Schultz, who passed through Normandy after D Day and at one point was billetted at a manor house which could have passed for the Chateau of the Bad Neighbor. The geography is completely accurate, down to the villages adjoining the Andelle River.

The more successful Peanuts adaptations are those in which the clever storyline outweighs the limitations of kiddie voice-over acting. This is one such, the cast including students at a French-language school in San Francisco. There is also an unusually large quantity of "dialogue" spoken by Snoopy's voice, director Bill Melendez. The beagle's impressions of a British toff and a crabby French driver are priceless.

Charlie Brown, he was born to lose. This is the best peanuts gang movie. I loved it as a kid and I love it now. Am I the only one who notices that Snoopy flicks people off a lot in this. And why is the dog driving anyways?

The PEANUTS are at their best when they are celebrating a holiday or going to camp. Unlike the great PEANUTS classics RACE FOR YOUR LIFE CHARLIE BROWN and SNOOPY COME HOME, this PEANUTS outing is a little on the murky side. Due to a student exchange program Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, stow-away Woodstock, peppermint Patty and Marcy are sent to Europe to go to school in France. Coincidentally, Charlie gets a letter from a little French girl who invites him to visit her familys château there. When the PEANUTS land in London and venture to France there would be plenty of observations that could be made on the cultural differences....however the big find here is "Hey...they eat French bread in France!". This special also shocks by breaking a PEANTUS cardinal rule: grown ups talk! And they don't just say "Mwah mwah mwah"...they actually speak in English and address the children! When Charlie and Linus head off to the château a little French boy named Pierre tells Marcy and Peppermint that a horrible Baron lives there who hates everyone, would never allow guests, and that if they attempt to stay there harm will come to them. (The "harm" is not explained...although there are two references to getting "mugged" in the film). when the boys get to the château and aren't allowed in they sleep on the cold wet ground instead of re-tracking back to the nice warm house Marcy and Patty are staying in. Snoopy spends most of his visit in a bar drinking root beer and crying over American show tunes. I've seen this film more than once and my mind just doesn't grasp WHY they were invited to a place they weren't allowed to go in and who exactly the baron was, why he was such a bastard and if he WAS such a bastard why he Doesn't actually hurt them. I think the plan was to get PEANTUS to Europe and have them have an adventure...but the storyline here is a little on the murky side. Also worth noting is that key characters such as Lucy, Sally and Schroeder remain in America and are sorely missed. This is not a Must Own PEANUTS collector (neither is the newer adventure ITS THE PIED PIPER CHARLIE BROWN....grown ups speak in that one too!....although my 5 year old actually prefers that one to this one.

The magic created by Charles Schultz comes to the screen with the return of the always charming "Peanuts" gang. This time, they're headed for France for culture, but as always, this crowd finds some way to get into trouble. One of the better movies based on the famous comic strip.

Peanuts has become a staple of American culture, so the jokes have a hard time coming across as fresh nowadays. The pleasure I get from watching these films is not due to it being laugh-out-loud funny, but it's from the jokes reaching a nostalgic point. I remember liking this one when I was younger, but I think I found it too complicated, in comparison to Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown. Now, I think this one stands up the best in comparison to Race... and Snoopy Come Home. Some of the other comments have hit on that this one does not obey the normal formula rules as other Peanuts features. This is exactly what makes it noteworthy. Rather than being aimed more squarely at a family audience, there's a tiny bit of creepiness to the music, which could probably scare the youngest of children. The writing in this is far more entertaining and clever, less gags are recycled from the comic strip, and as such, it will be more deserving of your attention than the other features.