A Boy Named Charlie BrownI believe that at some point in every person's life, they are Charlie Brown. Due to the magic of Charles Schulz's beloved "Peanuts" comic strip--as well as the animated contributions directed by Bill Melendez, including A Boy Named Charlie Brown--the bumblebee-patterned polo-wearing perennial loser has become an icon for all those who ever feel unconfident, insecure, or just feel like a failure; there's even a psychological syndrome which bears his name, something his antagonistic rival, Lucy Van Pelt, would no doubt take credit for. But even losers have got to be winners at least once in a while, and no one's really a failure who tries.
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Following the success of a series of animated shorts made for television--including A Charlie Brown Christmas--A Boy Named Charlie Brown--was the feature film debut of the wildly popular Peanuts gang. And similar to its predecessors, it would be an animated short with music, clever wit, and a poignant sense of humanity represented in its pint-sized protagonist. Alongside the indelible original score by Vince Guaraldi, additional musical montages are not only clever and relevant, but also are presented alongside almost dreamlike, artistic vistas, reminiscent at times of films like Disney's Fantasia, such as when Schroeder plays the second movement of Beethoven's "Sonata Pathétique", or when everybody's favorite beagle, Snoopy, busts out his stereo equipment at the inaugural little league game to play the national anthem. Moments like these punctuate the story, and keep the film from becoming a rote manifestation of just rehashing the plot from the comic strip. Just as in the animated shorts, the voices of Charlie Brown, his best friend, Linus Van Pelt, and the others are voiced by actual children, giving a subtle authenticity to the characters, a quality which might easily go overlooked. Released at the end of the 1960s, A Boy Named Charlie Brown was also made during a time when hand-drawn animation was the norm, and just like an LP, the individual animators' artistry and even the ever-so-slight imperfections are what gives the work its character and personality. And there's no small degree of humorous irony when Charlie Brown sighs at how Lucy's psychiatric consultations are going to "bankrupt" him, or when Lucy debates what her agent's commission should be for representing the would-be spelling bee champ, as the children play at adult behaviors and dilemmas; appropriate, as the kids are fundamentally metaphors for adults in a way.
As mentioned, A Boy Named Charlie Brown starts with Charlie Brown's depression over yet again losing another baseball game and moping around the house, confessing his lack of self-worth to Linus. Upon overhearing them, Lucy teases Charlie Brown that he should enter the school spelling bee, which Linus reverses to make the suggestion a legitimate one. Although reluctant, Charlie Brown does enter, and discovers that he has a natural talent for the contest, at least when his word selections are all primarily concerned with negative emotions. His success as the best speller in his school should have been sufficient to satisfy Charlie Brown's need to achieve at least something; but when he is "drafted" to attend the national spelling bee in the city, anxiety sets in and he feverishly pounds the books, pushing himself to extremes and depriving himself of rest so that he might avoid disappointing his friends over a public broadcast of the event. Linus, his stalwart defender, goes so far as to make the mistake of loaning his blanket to Charlie Brown as an object of good luck, a choice which prompts Linus to follow his friend into the city, stricken with withdrawal, alongside Snoopy. Although Linus becomes short with Charlie Brown after he claims to have lost the blanket, Linus has largely proven to be a valuable friend to Charlie Brown, his only friend attending the show in person, and the only one who helped him practice his spelling rules through a clever mnemonic musical number, set to a mouth harp played by Snoopy, a valuable trigger which helps him in a time of need. Most people remember Charlie Brown as an all-time loser, but I prefer to think of him as persistent, someone who keeps trying even in the face of repeated defeat. After all, if he's lost that many baseball games, that still means he got up on that dandelion-covered pitcher's mound to keep trying. Even the beginning of the film comically shows him assembling a kite, then reassembling it after the wind rips it to shreds. And need I say more about the bit with the football? Charlie Brown is our hero because he has the nerve to get back up and keep trying, and that's a lot harder than just winning over and over. It's an important lesson conveyed well in A Boy Named Charlie Brown, a reminder for ages young and old to at least make the attempt, even if you don't win. After all, you'll have a lot more interesting stories than if you did nothing at all.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and heart-warming animated film about the popular Peanuts gang--especially Charlie Brown--and the virtues of persistence. It is full of important messages without being patronizing, and the delightful animation is both accessible and artistic simultaneously.
As mentioned, A Boy Named Charlie Brown starts with Charlie Brown's depression over yet again losing another baseball game and moping around the house, confessing his lack of self-worth to Linus. Upon overhearing them, Lucy teases Charlie Brown that he should enter the school spelling bee, which Linus reverses to make the suggestion a legitimate one. Although reluctant, Charlie Brown does enter, and discovers that he has a natural talent for the contest, at least when his word selections are all primarily concerned with negative emotions. His success as the best speller in his school should have been sufficient to satisfy Charlie Brown's need to achieve at least something; but when he is "drafted" to attend the national spelling bee in the city, anxiety sets in and he feverishly pounds the books, pushing himself to extremes and depriving himself of rest so that he might avoid disappointing his friends over a public broadcast of the event. Linus, his stalwart defender, goes so far as to make the mistake of loaning his blanket to Charlie Brown as an object of good luck, a choice which prompts Linus to follow his friend into the city, stricken with withdrawal, alongside Snoopy. Although Linus becomes short with Charlie Brown after he claims to have lost the blanket, Linus has largely proven to be a valuable friend to Charlie Brown, his only friend attending the show in person, and the only one who helped him practice his spelling rules through a clever mnemonic musical number, set to a mouth harp played by Snoopy, a valuable trigger which helps him in a time of need. Most people remember Charlie Brown as an all-time loser, but I prefer to think of him as persistent, someone who keeps trying even in the face of repeated defeat. After all, if he's lost that many baseball games, that still means he got up on that dandelion-covered pitcher's mound to keep trying. Even the beginning of the film comically shows him assembling a kite, then reassembling it after the wind rips it to shreds. And need I say more about the bit with the football? Charlie Brown is our hero because he has the nerve to get back up and keep trying, and that's a lot harder than just winning over and over. It's an important lesson conveyed well in A Boy Named Charlie Brown, a reminder for ages young and old to at least make the attempt, even if you don't win. After all, you'll have a lot more interesting stories than if you did nothing at all.
Recommended for: Fans of a charming and heart-warming animated film about the popular Peanuts gang--especially Charlie Brown--and the virtues of persistence. It is full of important messages without being patronizing, and the delightful animation is both accessible and artistic simultaneously.