In May of 1980, Paramount released Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!), the fourth entry in the Peanuts theatrical film series. The movie sent Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie to France as exchange students, with Snoopy and Woodstock tagging along. Charlie Brown and Linus tried to solve the mystery of why they had been invited to stay at a certain villa, only to discover they weren't welcome when they arrived. The film ended with the sextet still in France, as Charles Schulz wanted to leave the film open for a sequel, showcasing the rest of their trip.
Alas, the film was a flop, grossing only about $2 million. This would also prove to be the final Peanuts feature film until 2015's The Peanuts Movie, made long after the deaths of Schulz and Bill Melendez. However, Schulz still wanted a sequel, and decided that What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?, which originally aired on Memorial Day 1983, a mere two weeks after It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown, would be the perfect vehicle.
The special opens with Charlie Brown, back home, updating his photo album, when Sally reminds him he never finished telling her about the rest of the trip. We then flash back to the end of the movie, with the gang leaving the villa and heading out to explore the French countryside for a few days, with Snoopy acting as chauffeur. After some hijinks involving the incredibly rickety car they were driving, some poorly drawn ducks, and a rare on-screen appearance by an adult character who had understandable dialog, the gang find themselves at Omaha Beach. Linus, apparently a student of World War II, proceeds to lead the others to the various sites and memorials in the area, while we see rotoscoped footage of soldiers making landfall (while the visuals are, for obvious reasons, not the least bit graphic, Linus's narration doesn't sugarcoat just how dangerous and deadly D-Day was to the landing Allies).
After they leave the area, and some more comic relief (mostly relating to the second rickety car which had replaced the first one), they then find themselves in the Belgian city of Ypres, at a World War I battle site, filled with poppies. Linus recites the poem "In Flanders Field", written by a Canadian officer (who himself would not survive the war), one of the best known tributes to the fallen of The Great War.
This is certainly different from all previous Peanuts specials, of which even the more serious ones were still largely concerned with comedy. This is even considerably more serious than Bon Voyage, which did have its dramatic moments, but only lightly touched on the war. While there are certainly comic moments, particularly in the first ten minutes or so, this is a Peanuts special designed to make the audience think and reflect, and even though it did so a bit clunkily, I think it succeeded.
Melendez, who had co-directed the movie with Phil Roman and had taken back over as the special's primary helmer after Roman left, directed this, the first half-hour special he directed solo in a decade, since There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown. The five kid voice actors all had made their debut in the roles in Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? earlier that year, and all would stick with their roles through the first season of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, which would debut that fall.
This would end up among the most acclaimed Peanuts specials, as not only would it get the franchise's customary nomination for Animated Program (alongside Is This Goodbye), but it would earn Peanuts's second Peabody Award (the first having gone to A Charlie Brown Christmas). I think it is fitting. What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown? is a fascinating change of pace for the series. Unlike a lot of the early 80s output, this one is well worth watching.
Next week: Peanuts makes a rare foray into pop culture parody in It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown.
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