Snoopy Come Home

This is a sad, sad movie. Just the thought of Snoopy possibly thinking of leaving is enough to make anybody with a heart cry. Worth seeing, though, for the whole "NO DOGS ALLOWED" scenes, Woodstock's whistle-along tune, and the ultra-happy ending. If you don't like the idea of a puppy running away from home, though, don't even try this movie.

I first read the book adaptation of this in 4th grade, when I was 9, about '76. I was crushed, especially by the scene at the farewell party for Snoopy, when Charlie Brown goes to the podium and tries to find the words to say goodbye to his dog, his friend. He cannot. I was choking up really bad, having had a collie for some years at that time, I could not fathom not having him around, so it hit home.

Now when I think of it, I also enjoy the music, the trip the twosome-Snoopy and Woodstock, take, the 'No Dogs Allowed' running themes, the over all melancholy feeling that pervades the film.

I think its the best of the Peanuts flix, and recommend it highly today too.

*** outta ****

Lila's Tune, which is sung by Shelby Flint seems to get no credit even for it's existence. Thats a shame because it still haunts me twenty years after I first heard it. I wish a soundtrack was available on cd or cassette. I had to jump through hoops just to find out the name of the song, and then to find out who sang it. The show was fantastic even though sad. Sad is a lesson we tend to shield our children from, and when something sad happens in their real lives they don't know how to deal with it.

I was a 21 year old working as a projectionist in a neighborhood theater when this film was released and I had the opportunity to help get it up on the screen. This seemed like such a nice and enjoyable gem back then, with some scenes as breezy as a summer's day and others with a somewhat darker but thoughtful tone (themes of rejection and the sadness of separation). It was an early " buddy movie" shown pointedly in the cross-country journey that Snoopy takes with Woodstock. Some scenes are reminiscent of a Hope and Crosby "road" picture. There is a delightful song sung by Shelby Flint in the film....she would later sing another in the first rate animated film, The Rescuers. I actually tracked down a couple of her albums as a result. I don't have children, but I still think this is a delightful film and I have my own personal video copy. Good for all ages.

This melancholy entry in the Peanuts quadrilogy stands out among the four, simply because of the difference in tone from the other entries. "Race for Your Life" is much lighter in tone, while "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown" is more shallow. "Snoopy, Come Home" is the most memorable because of its unusual depth, as well as the bittersweet themes that it touches on: friendship; loyalty; and partings of the way.

The plot, in a nutshell: Snoopy's former owner is sick, and calls him to her side. Snoopy makes a cross-country journey, and is then torn between staying with his former owner, who needs him, and returning to the place he considers home.

Though the animation is still fairly simple here, it's a notch above the usual Peanuts movies and specials - check out the beautiful backgrounds of the beach scenes, or the wonderful palettes displayed as Snoopy and Woodstock travel at sunset. Really striking, and different from what we usually see in the Peanuts stories.

The real mixed bag here is the music. This was the first Peanuts project that did not features a score by the brilliant Vince Guaraldi. Instead, the Sherman brothers of Disney fame provide the songs, several of which are sung by the characters (in contrast to Guaraldi's usual instrumentals). Some of these songs are quite good, like Fundamentalfriendependability, the song sung by a girl who captures Snoopy when he is en route. Others, like Snoopy and Woodstock's "Me and You" theme, are pure early 70s (think The Association) and unfortunately date the movie.

The voice work is generally good, unlike the more recent Peanuts entries where sounding somewhat like the original voices doesn't seem to be a prerequisite. Stephen Shea as Linus sounds almost exactly like older brother Chris, the original, definitive Linus who grew out of the role. The one weak voice is Charlie himself, whose voice is different enough from his predecessors to be distracting.

But these are nitpicks. The strength and depth of the story itself is more than enough to make up for the few weaknesses. For whatever reason, this is rerun less than the later two Peanuts movies, so seek it out on DVD - you won't be disappointed. And if you're softhearted, be sure to have a handkerchief handy.