Simply Perfect

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

"Perfection" is hardly the word to describe anything of Peanuts, no matter how cool it is (this is valid both for normal Peanuts episodes and Peanuts specials).However, this classic is definitely timeless and just perfect. It has some minor flaws but nothing very significant and nothing enough to prevent me from rating this as a solid 10.This is a significant improvement over the normal Peanuts episodes and the previous Peanuts specials. Each Peanuts special is better than the previous one. This is the 4th one and the very best of all in everything. The plot is very interesting, the classic humor is much better, the artwork is amazing (hardly anything you can say about Peanuts), the soundtrack is truly remarkable and the originality is taken to another league (without harming the traditional Peanuts spirit). For example, one of the things that distinguish this from other Peanuts works is the dark (even spooky) atmosphere combined with suspense, something unusual on Peanuts. The Château du Mal Voisin (Château of the Bad Neighbor) looks creepy, almost like an abandoned and forbidding place. The music (a slower version of James Bond's theme) gives the chills.The originality isn't just on this, but practically on its whole. There are adults on this one. Besides, the 6 best known characters of the Peanuts gang visit England and France, where they experience very different things than usual and live different types of adventures. Fortunately, the always obnoxious Lucy doesn't go with them and only appears very briefly at the beginning, otherwise she'd ruin the film.There are many hilarious moments, even in parts that weren't supposed to be comical. For example, when Charlie Brown runs in despair in the "fire at the château" sequence. I know the sequence is supposed to be dramatic, but to see him running like that all that distance that seemed so far in so very little time is amusing, don't ask me why. Also, the sequence when Charlie Brown's loaf of bread gets slammed into the car's hood is funny. Although it's unfair for Charlie Brown, as he doesn't get to eat his part and the others mock him and laugh out loud and he blushes, it's hilarious. Also in that sequence, when he yells his famous line «Aaaaargh!» is so funny. Aside these, there are many other hilarious moments, except that they're supposed to be hilarious.This film is so nostalgic. Brings me back so many wonderful memories from the good old days. This is one of those movies that were a significant part of my childhood. I miss those days. They don't do anything like this nowadays. Hard to believe this is already 30 years. It looks as fresh and timeless as ever, which is a sign of how well it disguises its true age. And it's a great way to learn English because they speak it calmly and clear.It saddens me that it ain't available on DVD. How come so many unworthy films get released on DVD all the time (even if they weren't...!), while this gem doesn't see the light of day on DVD?I don't know (and never knew) its title in Portugal, but I wish I knew.

Even though "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)" makes some deviations and aberrations from the typical formula and style of the Peanuts macrocosm (some that die-hard fans might even define as perfidious), it nevertheless results as being the best of the four feature-length Peanuts movies right after the first one, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." In the fourth and final movie, Charlie Brown and Linus are selected to take part in a student exchange program between the United States and Europe. At the same time, Peppermint Patty and Marcie are selected for the same program at their school. The four of them group together for their trip to London, and our joined by the ubiquitous and inseparable Snoopy and Woodstock. As they leave the airport, their friends call out "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown!" The ever-sarcastic but nevertheless lovable Lucy tacks on "And don't come back!" There are some new things that are done with "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown." For example, adults, previously unseen and never given actual dialogue apart from the wa-wa-wa (produced by a hand being put into a trombone) are not only shown on-screen, but speak and some are characters in and of themselves. Secondly, this is the first time that I can think of where the Peanuts gang was ever put in real, serious peril where there wasn't some whimsical humor to keep everything light.Maybe that was part of what appealed to me here. The fact that Charles Schulz and Bill Melendez were willing to experiment and try new things, even if it meant breaking the conventions for the beloved Peanuts characters. It wasn't anything they intended on making permanent (most certainly not), just to experiment and have fun. And maybe it was necessary to gather more appeal from the children. As much as kids love Charlie Brown and Snoopy and their friends, Peanuts was nevertheless intended originally for adults only. So sometimes the gags don't always reach them on their own level. This movie can engage children as well as adults in every scene. What's more, there is also a nice little backstory in the plot and a great twist toward the end that I found delightful. Well, actually, I found the whole movie delightful. Schulz's jokes are humorous and with dignity, the characters received their due, and the whimsical adventures with Snoopy and Woodstock never fail to make you grin.The animation is not as fluid and enthralling as it was in the first two Peanuts movies, but it is a step-up from the sketchy drawing in "Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown." The color palette used here is bright, rich with hues, and pretty to look at. And once again, Mr. Melendez and his team effectively capture a drawing style that mimics Mr. Schulz's. And what's even more fantastic is the rich and wonderful music score composed by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen. Although nothing can ever replace the wonderful jazz scores by Vince Guaraldi, these new themes are just terrific. There's a great moment where the gangs are gathering at a train station. There's no voices and very little sound. The dominant elements are the animation and the music. Not since "2001: A Space Odyssey" has a dialogue-free docking scene been so absorbing.This is the second-best of the four Peanuts movies. The only thing that really disappointed me was the fact that the number of characters travelling to Europe was so limited. Personally, I would have been rather pleased if Lucy and maybe Schroeder had gone along with them to Europe. Then it would have been even more whimsical and charming than it already is. And it is very whimsical and very charming.

This is by far the best of the Peanuts movies. The artwork is pitch perfect without some of the characteristic sloppiness built into the other movies; the soundtrack, marvelous; and the plot expertly crafted. It's truly a shame that Paramount has failed to release this gem on DVD. It is a classic that far outperforms the Holiday films and still gives us the imaginative exploits of the Peanuts gang. If you haven't seen this one, go out and find some way to watch it. The storyline adds depth to the characters, with Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Marcy, Linus, and (of course) Snoopy all heading to France for a student exchange program. For some purists the absence of the other characters may seem disappointing, but it offers the viewer a sharp focus on the characters who are in the movie. The cultural comparisons provide some of the drive for this movie, but there are also the Gothic overtones with mystery and a "forbidden secret," as well as romance (of course—they're in France!).So in short, see this movie, and tell Paramount to release the DVD. Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/Snoopy/petition.html .

All right, I haven't seen this in a while, but here goes... This film was created to commemorate the 30th anniversery of Peanuts. I loved almost every aspect of this. It did break a Peanuts rule however, the adults talk.