It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown (1984)

Snoopy assumes the alter ego of insanely hot and charismatic dance machine Flashbeagle. Meanwhile, Sally pines for Linus and Lucy bosses everyone around.

Directors:

Sam Jaimes, Bill Melendez

Writers:

Charles M. Schulz (creator), Charles M. Schulz

Stars:

Fergie, Gary Goren, Gini Holtzman

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Cast overview:
Fergie	...	Sally Brown (voice) (as Stacy Ferguson)
Gary Goren	...	Schroeder / Tommy, the kid (voice)
Gini Holtzman	...	Patricia 'Peppermint Patty' Reichardt (voice)
Keri Houlihan	...	Marcie (voice)
Brett Johnson	...	Charlie Brown (voice)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy / Woodstock (voice)
Desirée Goyette	...	Vocals by (voice)
Joey Scarbury	...	Vocals by (voice)
Kevin Brando	...	Vocals by (Schroeder) (voice)
Joe Chemay	...	Vocals by (voice) (as Joseph Chemay)
Brad Kesten	...	Vocals by (Charlie Brown) (voice)
David Wagner	...	Vocals by (Linus van Pelt) (voice)
Jessica Lee Smith	...	Vocals by (Lucy van Pelt) (voice) (as Jessie Lee Smith)

Storyline

Snoopy assumes the alter ego of insanely hot and charismatic dance machine Flashbeagle. Meanwhile, Sally pines for Linus and Lucy bosses everyone around.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | 1980s | surrealism | cartoon dog | spoof title | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Desirée Goyette and Joey Scarbury sang the theme song.

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Goofs

During Snoopy's big dance in the disco, his shirt briefly disappears and reappears.

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Quotes

Charlie Brown: [as he prepares to head to school, he sees Snoopy on his doghouse] Go back! Stay, stay! Don't follow me to school! Stay, stay!
[Snoopy gets up, then flops over]
Charlie Brown: Some kids have dogs that follow them to school.

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Connections

Followed by Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)

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Soundtracks

I'm In Shape
(uncredited)
Written by Ed Bogas and Desirée Goyette
Performed by Cast, Gini Holtzman, and Fergie

User Reviews

Snoopy's night out

Call me strange, but for some reason I've always had a tiny soft spot for those musical episodes that most popular cartoon shows tend to tackle at one point or another. You know, the ones which always revolve around the familiar characters breaking into random song and dance routines. A lot of it's just the novelty factor involved, I suppose - the type of music they usually feature is never anything you'll find me rushing out to buy on vinyl or CD after all. 'It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown', the 'Peanuts' special equivalent of such an episode, is one such example.

What really tends to divide 'Peanuts' fans over this particular addition to the 'Charlie Brown' cannon, so far as I can see, is the underlying lack of substantial story or moral message. Whereas most 'Peanuts' specials always had something meaningful to say, in a melancholic tone that could punch through to all ages, all 'Flashbeagle' really consists of is a foursome of thinly strung-together music videos with very little of the beloved Charles Schulz dialogue filling in between. The truly cynical amongst us could even refer it as 'pointless'. It's also very much influenced by the sounds of the decade from which it hails, and, as you could probably decipher from the title, was out for a ride on the 'Flashdance' bandwagon at the time. How enjoyable you're likely to find it will essentially rest upon how tolerant you are of 80s music in general. If nostalgia's your thing then the more 'Flashdance'-y sequences won't disappoint - the title song 'Flashbeagle' is surprisingly agreeable and not a track which I'd especially object to have blurting out from my own stereo system (say what you will about the 80s, but it's an era that still holds a lot of warm childhood memories for me).

The initial two songs, performed by Peppermint Patty and Lucy, respectively, aren't so much in that 80s music cache as they are in the vein of your typical kiddie-show sing-along fare, with simple tunes and basic lyrics. Lucy's number is fairly fun and does a good job reflecting her established disposition, but I'm a lot less keen on Patty's - it's too jaunty and childish, and may have older viewers retreating from the living room long before we've really had a chance to get to what we came here to see: Snoopy jamming away in his disco-frequenting persona Flashbeagle. That sequence alone makes it all worthwhile.

Overall the whole affair is bright and lively and will probably find favour amongst nostalgic fans and younger viewers, but it's been looking dated for a long time now, and adults will most likely be left yearning for the usual ingredients in the trusty 'Peanuts' formula. By no means one of their best, but I think it's safe to say that this was at least one of the more memorable 'Peanuts' specials of the 1980s (their major heyday took place mostly in the 60s and 70s).

Grade: B-

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1