Why, Charlie Brown, Why?
| Why, Charlie Brown, Why? | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Animated television special |
| Created by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Directed by | Sam Jaimes |
| Voices of | Kaleb Henley Brandon Stewart Adrienne Stiefel Jennifer Banko Olivia Burnette Bill Melendez Lindsay Sloane Brittany Thornton Dion Zamora |
| Composer(s) |
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| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lee Mendelson |
| Producer(s) | Bill Meléndez |
| Camera setup | Nick Vasu |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | March 16, 1990 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown |
| Followed by | Snoopy's Reunion |
Why, Charlie Brown, Why? is the 33rd prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on March 16, 1990 and was also nominated for an Emmy. In a departure of the light-hearted themes presented in previous (and subsequent) Peanuts specials, the story deals with a new character, named Janice, who is diagnosed with cancer. This is the first Peanuts special of the 1990s.
Janice Emmons is a new friend and classmate of Charlie Brown and Linus, who loves to play on the swings. The special begins with Charlie Brown, Sally, Linus and Janice waiting for the school bus. As Janice boards the bus, she hits her arm on a railing, causing it to bruise; Linus notices that Janice has been bruising easily lately. When they arrive at school, Janice starts feeling ill. She tells Linus that she is feeling tired and has a fever, so she is sent to the school nurse and is later picked up by her mother. Three days later, the class is told that Janice is in the hospital.
After school, Linus and Charlie Brown decide to visit Janice in the hospital, where she tells them that she has cancer (specifically leukemia). Janice explains what tests the doctors did to discover that she had leukemia (blood test, bone marrow test and X-ray). She then shows them her IV line and explains her chemotherapy. Despite her illness, Janice is determined to recover and return to school, so she can play on the swings and be with her friends again.
The news of Janice's illness hits Linus especially hard, as he appears to be falling for her. As Charlie Brown and Linus leave the hospital, Linus asks: "Why, Charlie Brown, Why?". He then walks home feeling both sad and angry, thinking about Janice's condition. When he arrives home, he challenges the ignorance of his sister Lucy towards Janice's illness and tells her cancer doesn't spread like the cold or flu. Some months later, Janice's health has improved enough for her to return to school, but she has lost her hair because of the chemotherapy, and wears a cap to cover her bald head.
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