It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown explained
It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown is the 25th prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.[1] It was originally aired on the CBS network on May 16, 1983.[2] It, along with 1982's A Charlie Brown Celebration, inspired the Saturday Morning series The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.
Format
The special is a compilation consisting of eight individual stories adapted from the stories in the comic strip:
- Sack: Charlie Brown is having hallucinations as a result of a rash on the back of his head resembling the stitchings of a baseball, most notably seeing the rising sun as a baseball. After consulting with his doctor, he goes to camp in an attempt to get over his hallucinations. To hide his rash, he puts a paper bag over his head. Charlie Brown's fellow campers begin calling him "Sack" and elect him as camp president, constantly professing their respect and admiration for him. When he removes his sack the next morning, however, he becomes unpopular again. Charlie Brown watches the sun rise, fearing that it will appear as a rising baseball. Instead, the sun is replaced with Alfred E. Neuman, the mascot of Mad Magazine.
- Caddies: Peppermint Patty and Marcie become golf caddies. They are forced to deal with an obnoxious supervisor and a pair of female golfers whose bickering degenerates into violence. Fed up with their duties, they quit the job, but not before making $1.
- Kite: Charlie Brown, sick of the Kite Eating Tree, bites it as retaliation for eating his kites. Shortly after, he receives a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency threatening action against him. To evade the EPA, Charlie Brown runs away from home. He wanders into a strange neighborhood and accepts a job offer to coach a younger baseball team, even though this requires that he sleep in a cardboard box at night. Charlie Brown gains the respect and admiration of his players despite their incompetence. He discovers that his new team's first game is against his old team. Charlie Brown's old teammates inform him that he can come home, as the Kite Eating Tree was blown over in a storm, thus clearing his name.
- Song: Lucy comes to Schroeder's house, annoying him while he tries to play many pieces.
- Sally: Sally tells jokes in class. (This story was added as part of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.)
- Butterfly: Peppermint Patty falls asleep with a butterfly resting on her nose, and Marcie fools her into believing it turned into an angel. Peppermint Patty attempts to contact religious leaders to share her story but is unsuccessful.
- Blanket: Lucy attempts to get rid of Linus's blanket twice: first by burying it and later by turning it into a kite and letting it go. When separated from his blanket, Linus has a panic attack and is desperate to find it. Thankfully, Snoopy goes to great lengths to get his blanket back for him both times.
- Woodstock: Woodstock performs many of his antics in front of Snoopy, who is taking an afternoon nap. (This story was added as part of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show.)
Voice cast
Availability
It was released on VHS by Paramount Home Entertainment in the mid 1990s. Due to legal issues with the use of Mad Magazine's mascot Alfred E. Neuman, Warner Bros. has yet to release this special on DVD or Blu-ray.
Notes and References
- Book: Solomon . Charles . The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials . 2012 . Chronicle Books . 978-1452110912 . 20.
- Book: Woolery . George W. . Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987 . 1989 . Scarecrow Press . 0-8108-2198-2 . 27 March 2020 . 212–214.
