Race for Your Life, Charlie BrownGreat leaders serve first. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is an animated film about the beloved "Peanuts" gang--including the eternally unlucky Charlie Brown--as they go to camp in the rustic high country and on a daring raft race through perilous waters. While Charlie Brown and the other boys occupy one raft, the girls of the "Peanuts" crew are led by Peppermint Patty, who insists that all decisions are made by her interpretation of a democratic method. The gang must contend with the dangers of the wilderness while evading a gang of bullies, intent on sabotaging their chances of victory.
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Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown was the third animated feature film featuring the "Peanuts" characters created by Charles Schultz, and was directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman. It is the first of these films which did not include the music of Vince Guaraldi, who had since passed away. The music by Ed Bogas has a free-wheeling and loose vibe that befits the late Seventies when Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown was released. It also has an adventurous quality that fits Charlie Brown and his crew's trek down the river for a week-long excursion. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown begins to bridge the gap between the childhood adolescence that has always been a part of the comics and the first signs of maturity in the kids. The entirety of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown takes place far away from the familiar settings of the "Peanuts" comics, and instead in the unfamiliar wilderness. The aptly named Camp Remote is so far removed from civilization, that the bus that takes them there travels through long stretches of barren desert--including a "last chance" gas station and old-fashioned soda fountain--before they arrive in a region barely touched by man. Except for an abandoned pioneer river town en route to the finish line, and the occasional blasting area or abandoned log cabin, there is virtually no sign of civilization in this wild frontier. Stuck out in the wilderness and forced to survive on their wits and preparedness--even if cold cereal are the only provisions--the experience necessitates self-reliance and independence, as well as smart decision making to survive--all qualities that come with maturity. The "Peanuts" gang even looks a little older than their previous incarnations, with many of them opting to finally wear long pants instead of their ubiquitous shorts.
The plot of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown raises the question about the plausibility of the raft race which occupies almost the entire film. There is no adult supervision--often the case in the "Peanuts" movies--when the kids, including other tents full of campers, make the multi-day voyage along the river on makeshift rafts that they built themselves (even if the bullies have "cheated" and have a motor-powered vessel). The river consists of tributaries where there is active blasting going on--regardless of being marked to prevent detours--and terrible storms and blizzards take place in the midst of the race, suggesting that the trip takes place in the winter. Add to this that the intended course actually takes them over a waterfall, and it becomes disturbing to think about why virtually no other teams even approach the finish line at the film's climax. These morbid considerations aside, much of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is a heartwarming tale about friendship and coming together in the face of adversity, while unifying against a common foe (the cheating bullies who harry them at every turn). There are lots of moments of light-hearted enjoyment, like when the kids reunite at the abandoned log cabin, and dance to a waltz and sing campfire songs together. There are also moments of tension and unease, like when Snoopy--who is competing with his own raft--searches for his lost friend, Woodstock, who was separated from him after a flash flood.
A key motif of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is about leadership and what qualities make for a great leader. Charlie Brown comes to camp hoping that it will empower him with the skills he believes he needs to be a leader, something he has come to accept after countless failed baseball seasons. Peppermint Patty all but declares herself the leader of the girls' tent, but does so under the dubious means of putting all decisions to a vote at all times. Her brand of "leadership" emphasizes bureaucracy over efficiency and her ulterior motive is to be the boss of the outfit; for example, she always adopts the role of the tie-breaker to give her own vote more weight. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown slyly represents ineffective leadership through Patty not by depicting her as a cruel tyrant, but as an inconsistent one who hides behind a process to abdicate responsibility when it doesn't suit her tastes. Patty even delegates that Charlie Brown should be "leader" when the going gets rough, giving her an out to avoid responsibility when an inevitable tragedy comes along. This may be a cynical reading of Patty's style of leadership, but it represents a contrast to what Charlie Brown discovers is the most important quality about a leader, and why he becomes a good one. Charlie Brown doesn't make a display out of himself or bosses others around; he directs the boys to paddle as they come close to the finish line, but communicates the reasons for his direction so clarify that his decisions are done for the benefit of all. Charlie Brown also doesn't expect his followers to do anything that he himself wouldn't do, and even puts himself in the vanguard during the most perilous moments to ensure the success of their enterprise and the safety of his crew. These are the most important lessons depicted in Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, and are valuable ones for any child taking their first steps into adulthood.
Recommended for: Fans of a lighthearted and family friendly adventure story featuring the beloved characters from "Peanuts". Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is a charming and funny film that illustrates important themes of leadership and maturity.
The plot of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown raises the question about the plausibility of the raft race which occupies almost the entire film. There is no adult supervision--often the case in the "Peanuts" movies--when the kids, including other tents full of campers, make the multi-day voyage along the river on makeshift rafts that they built themselves (even if the bullies have "cheated" and have a motor-powered vessel). The river consists of tributaries where there is active blasting going on--regardless of being marked to prevent detours--and terrible storms and blizzards take place in the midst of the race, suggesting that the trip takes place in the winter. Add to this that the intended course actually takes them over a waterfall, and it becomes disturbing to think about why virtually no other teams even approach the finish line at the film's climax. These morbid considerations aside, much of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is a heartwarming tale about friendship and coming together in the face of adversity, while unifying against a common foe (the cheating bullies who harry them at every turn). There are lots of moments of light-hearted enjoyment, like when the kids reunite at the abandoned log cabin, and dance to a waltz and sing campfire songs together. There are also moments of tension and unease, like when Snoopy--who is competing with his own raft--searches for his lost friend, Woodstock, who was separated from him after a flash flood.
A key motif of Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is about leadership and what qualities make for a great leader. Charlie Brown comes to camp hoping that it will empower him with the skills he believes he needs to be a leader, something he has come to accept after countless failed baseball seasons. Peppermint Patty all but declares herself the leader of the girls' tent, but does so under the dubious means of putting all decisions to a vote at all times. Her brand of "leadership" emphasizes bureaucracy over efficiency and her ulterior motive is to be the boss of the outfit; for example, she always adopts the role of the tie-breaker to give her own vote more weight. Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown slyly represents ineffective leadership through Patty not by depicting her as a cruel tyrant, but as an inconsistent one who hides behind a process to abdicate responsibility when it doesn't suit her tastes. Patty even delegates that Charlie Brown should be "leader" when the going gets rough, giving her an out to avoid responsibility when an inevitable tragedy comes along. This may be a cynical reading of Patty's style of leadership, but it represents a contrast to what Charlie Brown discovers is the most important quality about a leader, and why he becomes a good one. Charlie Brown doesn't make a display out of himself or bosses others around; he directs the boys to paddle as they come close to the finish line, but communicates the reasons for his direction so clarify that his decisions are done for the benefit of all. Charlie Brown also doesn't expect his followers to do anything that he himself wouldn't do, and even puts himself in the vanguard during the most perilous moments to ensure the success of their enterprise and the safety of his crew. These are the most important lessons depicted in Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, and are valuable ones for any child taking their first steps into adulthood.
Recommended for: Fans of a lighthearted and family friendly adventure story featuring the beloved characters from "Peanuts". Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown is a charming and funny film that illustrates important themes of leadership and maturity.