Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) is a 1980 American animated mystery comedy film produced by United Feature Syndicate and distributed by Paramount Pictures, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman.[2] It was the fourth full-length feature film to be based on the Peanuts comic strip.[3]
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) | |
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Directed by | Bill Melendez |
Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
Based on | Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Edited by |
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Music by | |
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $2 million[1] |
Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz wrote that he came up with the idea for the story while visiting the Manoir de Malvoisine in Le Héron, where he was stationed briefly as a soldier during World War II. The castle plays a large role in the film.[4]
Paramount Home Entertainment released this film on VHS and Laserdisc in 1995 in 4:3 format, and released it to DVD (cropped to widescreen) on October 6, 2015.[5]
The film was also released on Blu-ray for the first time on March 15, 2022 in the US.[6]
Plot
At Charlie Brown's school, Linus Van Pelt introduces to his class two French students, Babette and Jacques, who will be spending two weeks there in order to get accustomed to the United States. In exchange, Charlie Brown and Linus are chosen to go to France. Charlie Brown heads home and invites Snoopy and Woodstock to go with him. He gets a call from Peppermint Patty, who tells him that she and Marcie were also chosen to go to France as a student exchange. Charlie Brown also gets a letter from France, but cannot read it because it is written in French. He is not very positive about the trip because of the letter he got, but Marcie, who has been studying French, translates the letter, explaining that Charlie Brown has been invited to stay at a French chateau, the Château du Mal Voisin (House of the Bad Neighbor). Charlie Brown cannot understand why someone in France would invite him to their home, let alone know who he is.
The group arrive first in London and head to Victoria Station, where they take the train to Dover. They ride across the English Channel from Dover to France via hovercraft. Then, they pick up a Citroën 2CV, which is driven by Snoopy (because the kids are too young to drive), although he grinds the gears out of it and causes a double fender bender when stopping to look for directions. Upon their arrival, the four go to their respective homes. Patty and Marcie go to stay at a farm in Morville-sur-Andelle, where they meet a boy named Pierre, who immediately attracts their attention. It is obvious that Marcie and Pierre have a spark between them – obvious to everyone except Patty, who manages to convince herself that Pierre likes her. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock head to the chateau, which is actually owned by an unfriendly baron while his niece, Violette Honfleur, frequently leaves Charlie Brown and Linus food.
Late one night, while Charlie Brown is asleep, a suspicious Linus investigates the chateau's attic and meets Violette. She explains to him that Charlie Brown's grandfather, Silas Brown, had served in the U.S. Army and helped them out during World War II. The baron returns home and Violette tries hiding Linus, but she drops her candle, starting a fire in the chateau's attic. Charlie Brown wakes up and hears Linus crying for help, and runs to get Peppermint Patty and Marcie and Pierre calls the fire department, while Snoopy and Woodstock get an old fashioned fire hose from a shed. Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Pierre rescue Linus and Violette, and Snoopy uses the hose to keep the fire under control until the fire department arrives to help.
Thankful for the chateau's rescue, the baron has a change of heart and allows the gang inside, and Charlie Brown learns the truth behind the mysterious letter he received from Violette: one of the villagers toured the United States when he got a haircut from Charlie Brown's father, whereupon Violette was able to find Silas' grandson. Charlie Brown later wishes Violette and Pierre goodbye as he, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, Patty, and Marcie leave the chateau to see more of the French countryside, and eventually return home to the United States.
Cast
- Arrin Skelley as Charlie Brown
- Daniel Anderson as Linus van Pelt
- Patricia Patts as Peppermint Patty
- Casey Carlson as Marcie
- Annalisa Bortolin as Sally Brown
- Laura Planting as Lucy van Pelt
- Bill Melendez as Snoopy, Woodstock
- Pascale De Barolet as Pierre
- Roseline Rubens as Violette Honfleur, Violet, Patty, Frieda, Sophie
- Debbie Muller as Flight Attendant
- Scott Beach as Waiter, Baron, Driver, Tennis Announcer, English Voice, American Male
- Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Babette, and Jacques appear but had no lines.
Reception
The film had a mostly positive reception.[7][8] Although it has no Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has two verified "rotten" reviews and one verified "fresh" review from three critics.[9]
References
- Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) at Box Office Mojo
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 169. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 141–143. ISBN 978-1452110912.
- Schulz, Charles M. (2010). My Life with Charlie Brown. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 57–58. ISBN 9781604734485. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- "Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials DVD news: Announcement for Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- "Blu-ray Releases Details Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown". High-Def Digest. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
- "Peanuts: Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- Greg Ehrbar (May 13, 2016). "Retro Peanuts DVD Review: "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown"". IndieWire.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- "Von Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) RottenTomatoes". Retrieved April 3, 2023.
External links
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