Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980) 76mins
NEW TO ME COUNT: 6
SEEN IT COUNT: 1
I think it's fair to say that Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang have never quite had the same mainstream resonance with us over here in the UK as they have enjoyed for many years in the United States. I remember seeing the cartoon on TV only very rarely when I was young, and that was on the Satellite channels, which were available in far fewer households than they are today (showing my age there!) As I understand it, even now, the Peanuts holiday specials are still shown every year in America, as a tradition akin to our obsession with The Snowman, I suppose. Nevertheless, Snoopy himself is undoubtedly one of the most immediately recognisable cartoon characters ever created. Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown was the fourth and final theatrically released Peanuts movie in the classic line, and perhaps the most ambitious.
Bon Voyage sees Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie all travel to France in a foreign exchange programme, with a quick stop over in London along the way. This provides plenty of fun opportunities for Snoopy and Woodstock's usual slapstick exploits, which are always a joy and certainly the highlight here for me. The scope of this particular film actually forced the production team to finally show (and put real voices to!) the adult characters for the first time, which certainly feels odd but there are some nice gags as a result, particularly with every single figure of authority treating Snoopy with higher regard than they do any of the kids.
It's a shame in some ways that the film takes so long to get to where it wants to go; by the time the gang have had their misadventures in London and actually reach their destination the runtime is already at the halfway mark. There is a wider story here, with Charlie Brown invited to stay at a French Chateau which appears deserted once he arrives, but there's not a whole lot of opportunity to dive fully into that plot once it is introduced. Still, the appeal of Peanuts has always been its philosophical and matter-of-fact humour, and this had me smiling all the way through. Maybe it's about time I start my own annual Peanuts tradition!
7/10
