A Boy Named Charlie Brown | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Bill Melendez |
Produced by | Lee Mendelson |
Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
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Distributed by | National General Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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79 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.1 million |
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A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a 1969 American animated comedy-drama film, produced by Cinema Center Films, distributed by National General Pictures, and directed by Bill Melendez, it is the first feature film based on the Peanuts comic strip. It was also the final time that Peter Robbins voiced the character of Charlie Brown (Robbins had voiced the role for all the Peanuts television specials up to that point, starting with the debut of the specials, A Charlie Brown Christmas) in 1965.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, and was a box office success, grossing $12 million. Snoopy, Come Home came three years later, in 1972, as a standalone sequel.
When Charlie Brown's baseball team loses the first Little League game of the season, he becomes convinced that he will never win anything. Linus encourages him to maintain a positive attitude and suggests that people learn more from losing. When Charlie Brown remains morose ("That makes me the smartest person in the world," he says), Linus assures him that he will eventually win at something...but then promptly makes a liar of himself by beating Charlie at a game of tic-tac-toe. That night, Snoopy has a nightmare where he is a World War I flying ace, and is shot down while fighting an aerial battle with an unshown enemy (presumably the Red Baron), and he takes over Charlie Brown's bed. When Charlie Brown stops at Lucy's psychiatric help booth, she prepares slides to show him all of his faults; the experience only leaves him more depressed. On the way to school the next day, Lucy jokingly suggests that Charlie Brown enter the school spelling bee. Linus, however, considers it a good idea and encourages him despite the jeers of Lucy, Violet, and Patty ("Failure Face").