Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980)

Charlie Brown and his friends travel to Europe as exchange students.

Directors:

Bill Melendez, Phil Roman (co-director)

Writers:

Charles M. Schulz (comic strip "Peanuts"), Charles M. Schulz (creator)

Stars:

Scott Beach, Bill Melendez, Daniel Anderson

Cast

Cast overview:
Daniel Anderson	...	Linus van Pelt (voice)
Scott Beach	...	Waiter / Baron / Driver / Tennis Announcer / English Voice / American Male (voice)
Casey Carlson	...	Marcie (voice)
Debbie Muller	...	Stewardess (voice)
Patricia Patts	...	Patricia 'Peppermint Patty' Reichardt (voice)
Laura Planting	...	Lucy Van Pelt (voice)
Arrin Skelley	...	Charlie Brown (voice)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy / Woodstock (voice)
Annalisa Bortolin	...	Sally Brown (voice)
Roseline Rubens	...	Violette / Patty / Sophie / Frieda / Violet (voice)
Pascale de Barolet	...	Pierre (voice)

Storyline

Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie travel to France as foreign exchange students. Also along is Snoopy and Woodstock. While everyone is excited about the opportunity to travel to a foreign country, Charlie is disturbed by a letter he receives from a mysterious girl from France who invites him as her guest only to find that he does not seem welcomed to her chateau.

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Plot Keywords:

travel | student | exchange student | france | europe | 

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Taglines:

Travel with the PEANUTS gang on their first overseas adventure- There's fun, mystery, suspense, danger, and even romance!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 May 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,013,193

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lee Mendelson Film Productions,Bill Melendez Productions,Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The château that Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy stay in is based on the château that Charles M. Schulz was billeted at for six weeks in World War II. This is the Manoir de Malvoisine, near Le Héron. In the film, the estate is called Mal Voisin.

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Goofs

Snoopy's first-class dinner menu on the flight to London includes "lamp cutlets".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Linus: [in a classroom] Quiet, everybody! We have two new students here that I'd like to have you meet. They are exchange students from Europe. It is my great honor to introduce to you Babette and Jacques.

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Alternate Versions

When this movie aired on Cartoon Network in the 1990s, the popular songs Snoopy listened to in the pub were replaced with generic instrumental tunes, most likely due to music rights.

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Connections

Follows Charlie Brown's All Stars! (1966)

User Reviews

A perfect Peanuts classic

"Perfection" is hardly the word to describe anything of Peanuts, no matter how cool it is (this is valid both for normal Peanuts episodes and Peanuts specials).

However, this classic is definitely timeless and just perfect. It has some minor flaws but nothing very significant and nothing enough to prevent me from rating this as a solid 10.

This is a significant improvement over the normal Peanuts episodes and the previous Peanuts specials. Each Peanuts special is better than the previous one. This is the 4th one and the very best of all in everything. The plot is very interesting, the classic humor is much better, the artwork is amazing (hardly anything you can say about Peanuts), the soundtrack is truly remarkable and the originality is taken to another league (without harming the traditional Peanuts spirit). For example, one of the things that distinguish this from other Peanuts works is the dark (even spooky) atmosphere combined with suspense, something unusual on Peanuts. The Château du Mal Voisin (Château of the Bad Neighbor) looks creepy, almost like an abandoned and forbidding place. The music (a slower version of James Bond's theme) gives the chills.

The originality isn't just on this, but practically on its whole. There are adults on this one. Besides, the 6 best known characters of the Peanuts gang visit England and France, where they experience very different things than usual and live different types of adventures. Fortunately, the always obnoxious Lucy doesn't go with them and only appears very briefly at the beginning, otherwise she'd ruin the film.

There are many hilarious moments, even in parts that weren't supposed to be comical. For example, when Charlie Brown runs in despair in the "fire at the château" sequence. I know the sequence is supposed to be dramatic, but to see him running like that all that distance that seemed so far in so very little time is amusing, don't ask me why. Also, the sequence when Charlie Brown's loaf of bread gets slammed into the car's hood is funny. Although it's unfair for Charlie Brown, as he doesn't get to eat his part and the others mock him and laugh out loud and he blushes, it's hilarious. Also in that sequence, when he yells his famous line «Aaaaargh!» is so funny. Aside these, there are many other hilarious moments, except that they're supposed to be hilarious.

This film is so nostalgic. Brings me back so many wonderful memories from the good old days. This is one of those movies that were a significant part of my childhood. I miss those days. They don't do anything like this nowadays. Hard to believe this is already 30 years. It looks as fresh and timeless as ever, which is a sign of how well it disguises its true age. And it's a great way to learn English because they speak it calmly and clear.

It saddens me that it ain't available on DVD. How come so many unworthy films get released on DVD all the time (even if they weren't...!), while this gem doesn't see the light of day on DVD?

I don't know (and never knew) its title in Portugal, but I wish I knew.