Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980) Director: Bill Meléndez


There is much joy to be had from watching a Peanuts movie and I wanted to bathe in its warm, retro gloriana in these harsh, harsh double dip apocalyptic times. It's just as fabulous as when I was four years old, and pretty much more enjoyable. Snoopy is very naughty! He drinks beer! He parties!

The animation of Bon Voyage...still stands up despite all the CGI 'in yer face' gubbins we get thrown at us these days, plus there is a really lovely score by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen. The elaborate plot of this Peanuts cracker is Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie go on a student exchange trip to France - of course accompanied by Snoopy and Woodstock. En route, they fly to London, where Snoopy plays a game of tennis at Wimbledon and strops like McEnroe, and then they get a hovercraft to France. In France, not much happens apart from Snoopy getting pissed on root beer and dancing, Peppermint Patty's delusion that everyone fancies her, and a fire at a chateau. It all ends rather randomly but that really doesn't matter - it's a wonderful piece of animation and has you laughing out loud at Snoopy and Woodstock's mischief. Enjoyable, fun and still relevant.

Out of interest, this is one of only a few Peanuts movies to have proper talking adults in it, rather than the token 'wah wah wah wahhhhhh'.
5/5 comfort blankets

Comments