A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Well everyone today marks the 18^th year anniversary of the great Charles Schultz’s passing. In honor, I will look at the very first Peanuts film that I saw on TV today, “A Boy Named Charlie Brown,” released in 1969.

Peter Canavese started his review out by saying, “In his half-century run as the writer-artist of the quintessential comic strip Peanuts, Charles M. Schultz reliably served slices of childhood psychology seasoned with surreality. In 1965, Schultz expanded his presence by teaming with producer-director Bill Melendez on the smash-hit animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Within four years, the Peanuts gang starred in their big-screen debut, written by Schultz and directed by Melendez: A Boy Named Charlie Brown.”

Melendez was a good partner for Schultz. The animation perfectly shows Schultz’s comic-strip expressions, with sporadic visual delights (Canavese said, a visual highlight of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a Fantasia-esque reverie to accompany Schroder playing the third movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13: "Pathetique"). The choice to cast inexperienced child actors gave the animated projects added charm, as did the jazz stylings of Vince Guaraldi (as arranged by John Scott Trotter, the A Boy Named Charlie Brown score secured an Oscar nomination).”

The story of the first Peanuts movie wanders beautifully through a number of the strip’s standards: Charlie Brown (Peter Robbins) trying to fly a kite (look out for the Kite-Eating Tree!), the kids’ sorrowful baseball team, and the unanswered love of girls (Lucy (Pamelyn Ferdin) and Sally (Erin Sullivan)) for the boys (Schroeder (Andy Pforsich) and Linus (Glenn Filger)). Snoopy (Bill Melendez) even has one of his required nightmares, where he “dogfights” the Red Baron. However, the main focus of “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” is about the existential trouble of their protagonist.

Canavese said, “The appeal of Schultz's pop philosophy hasn't faded in forty years: this kind of sincerity can't be faked.” Look at the part where blanket-baby thinker Linus van Pelt helps Charlie Brown. Linus: “We learn more from losing than we do from winning.” Charlie Brown: “I guess that makes me the smartest person in the whole world.” Linus: “I think you just talked yourself into being a loser, Charlie Brown.”

A worrying Charlie Brown talks to Linus’ sister Lucy (“Psychiatirc Help 5₡”), but her stinking thinking shows a slideshow of his cons and a slow-motion instant replay of the famous football gag. Taking Linus’ supportive advice instead, Charlie Brown decides to adapt a can-do behavior. Charlie Brown sees he is capable of competing in the school spelling bees, but is it something he gets overconfident in?

Canavese noted, “The near-tuneless song "I Before E Except After C" seems to be a Schoolhouse Rock prototype. Infamous lyricist Rod McKuen wrote the words and music for this and a handful of unfortunately lame tunes ("Failure Face," "Champion Charlie Brown," and the title song). Putting aside McKuen's efforts, A Boy Named Charlie Brown has evergreen appeal for kids and cannot help but make adults smile.” Charlie Brown might say he “just can’t do anything right,” but he keeps his hope strong, a reasonable encouragement to every kid out there.

I highly recommend every Peanuts fan out there to watch this one; if they haven’t seen it and they love the shorts and strips. You will also fall in love with this one as well, I promise you. This film fits right for today, seeing how Schultz sadly passed away in the beginning of the new century. Take my word for it; you will absolutely fall in love with it.

Thanks for joining in on today’s review, look out for this year's “Valentine's Day Movie Review.”