Directed by
Bill Melendez.
The lovable characters from the popular comic strip by Charles M. Schulz appear in this full-length feature. The perennial failure Charlie Brown attends the National Spelling Bee and manages the worst sandlot team in the history of baseball. Linus loses and retrieves his security blanket. Snoopy the beagle dances wildly and plays shortstop. The irascible Lucy Van Pelt tricks Charlie Brown into kicking the football, but at the last minute she pulls it back and sends him flying onto his back. Although he loses the spelling bee, his friends gladly welcome Charlie Brown back to town upon his return. Nearly two-dozen songs are included. The characters remain true to the original works of Schulz, and great care was taken in matching the appropriate voices to the character's personalities. This is the first of many successful animated features of the gang from Peanuts. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
After making his mark in comic strips and television, it was only a matter of time before Charlie Brown hit the big screen. A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a very good debut vehicle, although not as perfect as one might wish. At 86 minutes, it goes on a little too long and the pacing is uneven; the animation is sometimes a little too stiff (although it is very good in many other places, and the character design itself is right on the money), and much of the score is only passable. That said, the pluses more than make up for these negatives. The story, though episodic, is involving and gives plenty of room for the wry humor that is the strip's hallmark. The characters are presented quite faithfully, and the somewhat melancholy air that underlies the humor is preserved to good effect. The "Star Spangled Banner" sequence and -- even more so -- the "Pathetique Sonata" sequence are wonderfully animated, with the latter showing an impressive degree of imagination and skill. Due to its concern with fears and troubles that are as real to adults as to children,
Charlie Brown can be enjoyed by grown-ups as easily as by children. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide