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

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Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bill Melendez
Written by Charles M. Schulz
Based on Peanuts
by Charles M. Schulz
Produced by
Starring
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • May 30, 1980 (1980-05-30)
Running time
76 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2 million [1]

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] and the final one produced during Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz's lifetime.

Contents

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 fictional 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. When they arrive across the English Channel in France via hovercraft, 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. 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 visit the chateau, which is actually owned by an unfriendly baron while his niece, Violette Honfleur, frequently leaves Charlie Brown and Linus food.

Linus enters the chateau's attic and learns from Violette 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 inadvertently starts a fire in the attic. Charlie Brown 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 to see more of the French countryside, and eventually return home to the United States.

Cast

Production

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]

it is one of the few Peanuts media (and the only theatrical film) where adults are visible and understandable.

Reception

The film had a mostly positive reception. [5] [6] Although it has no Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has two verified "rotten" reviews and one verified "fresh" review from three critics. [7]

Home media

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. [8]

The film was also released on Blu-ray for the first time on March 15, 2022 in the US. [9]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 169. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ↑ Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 141–143. ISBN   978-1452110912.
  4. ↑ Schulz, Charles M. (2010). My Life with Charlie Brown. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 57–58. ISBN   9781604734485. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Peanuts: Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ Greg Ehrbar (May 13, 2016). "Retro Peanuts DVD Review: "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown"". IndieWire.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Von Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) RottenTomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials DVD news: Announcement for Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Blu-ray Releases Details Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown". High-Def Digest. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.