A Boy named Charlie Brown

Looking to the past, we usually have fond memories of our childhood. We were more innocent, more naive and hopeful for a better future for ourselves and our families. This innocence is what makes a child special and helps them see the world for what it truly is instead of being jaded and tired like adults are nowadays. I remember my childhood and yearn for the days where I wasn't so jaded and numb to all of the events in the world that just keep popping up in the news and on the internet. I am lucky to have sit back and watch a movie I actually never saw as a child but one that I appreciate so much as an adult. The movie is A boy named Charlie Brown. The peanuts gang in their movie and wasn't a TV special. This movie featured some classic peanut dialogue, scenes and ideals. The plot is simple but the dialogue and the way they talk is so unique and different that you cannot help but get sucked in into their world and even start thinking about whether it's true what they say or if it's just the naivety of a youth who really hasn't gone through much hardships. Since the plot is simple (and yet it has so many different scenes attached to it), we'll instead give a breakdown of the movies' scenes and give a final review of what I thought of the movie. If you never seen the movie, there will be SPOILERS, but if you are okay knowing the ending but just want to know more about what this movie has to offer, I will welcome your company and we travel to a more peaceful time in the comic book world where the Peanuts gang express their world views and thoughts of society. Let's get that security blanket ready and sit back as we review A boy named Charlie Brown.

The first scene is right out of the funny pages. We have Linus, Lucy and Charlie Brown lying on a hill looking at the nice puffy clouds. Where Linus and Lucy start talking more about psychological looking of clouds that would make all kids laugh (just out of confusion) and adults scratching their heads, we have good ole' Chuck saying that the one cloud looks like a ducky. Wah Wah Wah,.Opening credits start to go with a smooth jazzy voice singing the theme song. Charlie Brown has material and he is trying to make his kite. He finishes, a huge gust of wind comes and he goes back into the house to remake another one. He goes

outside and he is unable to get the kite in the area with ease. The kite chases him and ends up crashing to the ground. When he gives up, Snoopy ends up with the kite as he is lying on the top of his house. He holds the string and the kite flies with ease and no effort at all. This simple scene shows us the struggle of Charlie Brown. He is the every boy/man. Where all the kids seem to have their heads on and understandings of the world, Charlie is the odd man out. He is always struggling with the things that make him happy and he always has to try harder. The scene is so simple but yet gives you all of the information we need to know about Charlie Brown.

The next scene is a famous one with Charlie Brown on the pitching mound and every time he pitches, it lines back at him and he is knocked out of his clothes. Its a funny scene and is infamous. Lucy walks to Chuck and wants him to hit the batter. Chuck talks about it being immoral and all of the kids start to flock to the mound and talk about immorality throughout history. For them being kids, they sure know a lot about history and it's all true and funny at the same time. After the game, where they get destroyed, Charlie talks about being depressed and he cannot do anything right. Linus visits him on their stoop and he talks about if you change things up every time, eventually you will win. A nice scene that leads up to Charlie sitting at the psychologist booth with Lucy. Lucy

shows Charlie a slide of all of his failings and faults (why does she have slides and why so many?). Charlie disgusted by it leaves and Lucy tries to trick him by kicking the football. We all know what happens with Charlie Brown and the football.

After the hilarity of Charlie whiffing on the football, we see the kids at school. Charlie desperate for a win, joins the spelling bee and he actually wins. The class is more of less surprised (especially Lucy) with Charlie winning and with Chuck feeling good, he doesn't realize he has to keep competing and go against the rest of the school. He stays up studying words and spelling them. He wins with the word perceive and his friends start to sing his praise for winning the school spelling bee. Now, since he won, he must go on the round and compete with regional. He gets on the bus, Linus gives him his security blanket and Chuck is off to the city to study words and compete in a couple days for the spelling bee. Over the day, Linus goes through withdraw, so, he and Snoopy go to the city and collect the blanket. Charlie is so exhausted and he constantly spelling the words he says that he has lost his recollection of where the blanket is. Linus distraught, leaves the hotel and wonders the city trying to find it. Only in a peanuts movie/comic, can a child of probably 5 or 6 can walk throughout a city with no adults around and everything is peaceful. With no luck, they come back to the hotel and lo-and behold, the blanket was under the bed the whole time. Linus starts to dance with the blanket and becomes more like himself instead of over the top whinny. Charlie is ready for the spelling bee, and he walks and enters in. Linus and Snoopy sit in the audience and the kids are watching on their TV. Charlie is one of the last contenders and he mistakenly misspelled Beagle. The kids let out an argh and so does Chuck. He loses. He goes home with no one waiting for him at the bus stop. He walks home with Snoopy and Chuck goes to bed and stays there for the whole day without moving.

Linus visits the next day saying you missed school and such. Charlie does want to move from bed and he feels even worse for losing thinking he's a loser and his depression is at a high. Linus says that the world didn't end and even though he lost, there still is a world out there for him. Linus leaves. Charlie stays in bed a little longer and eventually gets out of bed. He walks around his neighborhood, sees Lucy with the football. He tries to sneak in and kick it. She pulls it away and Chuck falls again on his back. Lucy says welcome home Charlie Brown. End credits.

This movie is great. It has some serious tones with depression and wanting to be better at life and succeed and win. Though Charlie is the every man and things don't usually work out for him, it still shows his willingness to get out of bed and go and try to make things better whether he succeeds or fails. His desire to win and be better is his ultimate motivation so whether he loses or wins, he still is the character going out there and giving his all. I can respect a character like Charlie Brown. This movie is a lot of fun and even though it seems like a bunch of old comic plots put together for the movie, it works. Even with random tangents like Snoopy flying the plane or Schroeder playing some piano, it all works and it gives the audience some time to unwind from the main story, take a deep breath and continue. I would recommend this movie to kids and adults the like. It's simple but effective and though the animation is a product of the time, the animation doesn't make the movie. The dialogue and the uniqueness of each characters help drive the story and make it very enjoyable.

I give this movie 4.25 security blankets out of 5.