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

Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bill Melendez
Written by	Charles M. Schulz
Based on	Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz
Produced by	Bill Melendez Lee Mendelson
Starring	Arrin Skelley Daniel Anderson Patricia Patts Casey Carlson Annalisa Bortolin Laura Planting Bill Melendez
Edited by	Roger Donley Chuck McCann
Music by	Ed Bogas Judy Munsen
Production companies	Paramount Pictures Bill Melendez Productions Lee Mendelson Film Productions United Media Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	May 30, 1980 (1980-05-30)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2 million

Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) is a 1980 American animated mystery comedy film produced by United Feature Syndicate and distributed by Paramount Pictures, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman. It was the fourth full-length feature film to be based on the Peanuts comic strip and the final one produced during Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz's lifetime.

Plot

At Charlie Brown's school, Linus Van Pelt introduces to his class two French students, Babette and Jacques, who will be spending two weeks there in order to get accustomed to the United States. In exchange, Charlie Brown and Linus are chosen to go to France. Charlie Brown heads home and invites Snoopy and Woodstock to go with him. He gets a call from Peppermint Patty, who tells him that she and Marcie were also chosen to go to France as a student exchange. Charlie Brown also gets a letter from France, but cannot read it because it is written in French. He is not very positive about the trip because of the letter he got, but Marcie, who has been studying French, translates the letter, explaining that Charlie Brown has been invited to stay at a fictional French chateau, the Château du Mal Voisin (House of the Bad Neighbor). Charlie Brown cannot understand why someone in France would invite him to their home, let alone know who he is.

The group arrive first in London. When they arrive across the English Channel in France via hovercraft, they pick up a Citroën 2CV, which is driven by Snoopy (because the kids are too young to drive), although he grinds the gears out of it. Upon their arrival, the four go to their respective homes. Patty and Marcie go to stay at a farm in Morville-sur-Andelle, where they meet a boy named Pierre, who immediately attracts their attention. It is obvious that Marcie and Pierre have a spark between them - obvious to everyone except Patty, who manages to convince herself that Pierre likes her. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock visit the chateau, which is actually owned by an unfriendly baron while his niece, Violette Honfleur, frequently leaves Charlie Brown and Linus food.

Linus enters the chateau's attic and learns from Violette that Charlie Brown's grandfather, Silas Brown, had served in the U.S. Army and helped them out during World War II. The baron returns home and Violette tries hiding Linus, but she inadvertently starts a fire in the attic. Charlie Brown runs to get Peppermint Patty and Marcie and Pierre calls the fire department while Snoopy and Woodstock get an old fashioned fire hose from a shed. Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Pierre rescue Linus and Violette, and Snoopy uses the hose to keep the fire under control until the fire department arrives to help.

Thankful for the chateau's rescue, the baron has a change of heart and allows the gang inside, and Charlie Brown learns the truth behind the mysterious letter he received from Violette; one of the villagers toured the United States when he got a haircut from Charlie Brown's father, whereupon Violette was able to find Silas' grandson. Charlie Brown later wishes Violette and Pierre goodbye as he, Snoopy, Woodstock, Linus, Patty, and Marcie leave to see more of the French countryside, and eventually return home to the United States.

Cast

• Arrin Skelley as Charlie Brown
• Daniel Anderson as Linus van Pelt
• Patricia Patts as Peppermint Patty
• Casey Carlson as Marcie
• Annalisa Bortolin as Sally Brown
• Laura Planting as Lucy van Pelt
• Bill Melendez as Snoopy, Woodstock
• Pascale De Barolet as Pierre
• Roseline Rubens as Violette Honfleur, Violet, Patty, Frieda and Sophie
• Debbie Muller as Flight Attendant
• Scott Beach as Waiter, Baron, Driver, Tennis Announcer, English Voice and American Male
• Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Babette, and Jacques appear but had no lines.

Production

Schulz wrote that he came up with the idea for the story while visiting the Manoir de Malvoisine in Le Héron, where he was stationed briefly as a soldier during World War II. The castle plays a large role in the film.

it is one of the few Peanuts media (and the only theatrical film) where adults are visible and understandable.

Reception

The film had a mostly positive reception. Although it has no Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has two verified "rotten" reviews and one verified "fresh" review from three critics.

Home media

Paramount Home Entertainment released this film on VHS and Laserdisc in 1995 in 4:3 format, and released it to DVD (cropped to widescreen) on October 6, 2015.

The film was also released on Blu-ray for the first time on March 15, 2022 in the US.

See also

• What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?

• Peanuts filmography

External links

• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown at IMDb
• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown at the TCM Movie Database
• Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown at Rotten Tomatoes