It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown

This 80's offering from the "Peanuts" shares a love-hate relationship with the fans of the series. People on the love side enjoy the silly nature of the program as well as the music. They also enjoy the cultural reference to what were popular trends in the mid 80's. People on the hate side however disliked the program for its attempt to capitalize of what were considered fads at the time. Personally, while not one of my favorite specials in the group...it's harmless. While seeing Snoopy dressed up in leg warmers is a bit rough to take, at least he's not being mauled by a dog sled team or being guilt-ed into moving back with his former owner. Watch this one after you've watched most of the others in the series.

Call me strange, but for some reason I've always had a tiny soft spot for those musical episodes that most popular cartoon shows tend to tackle at one point or another. You know, the ones which always revolve around the familiar characters breaking into random song and dance routines. A lot of it's just the novelty factor involved, I suppose - the type of music they usually feature is never anything you'll find me rushing out to buy on vinyl or CD after all. 'It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown', the 'Peanuts' special equivalent of such an episode, is one such example.

What really tends to divide 'Peanuts' fans over this particular addition to the 'Charlie Brown' cannon, so far as I can see, is the underlying lack of substantial story or moral message. Whereas most 'Peanuts' specials always had something meaningful to say, in a melancholic tone that could punch through to all ages, all 'Flashbeagle' really consists of is a foursome of thinly strung-together music videos with very little of the beloved Charles Schulz dialogue filling in between. The truly cynical amongst us could even refer it as 'pointless'. It's also very much influenced by the sounds of the decade from which it hails, and, as you could probably decipher from the title, was out for a ride on the 'Flashdance' bandwagon at the time. How enjoyable you're likely to find it will essentially rest upon how tolerant you are of 80s music in general. If nostalgia's your thing then the more 'Flashdance'-y sequences won't disappoint - the title song 'Flashbeagle' is surprisingly agreeable and not a track which I'd especially object to have blurting out from my own stereo system (say what you will about the 80s, but it's an era that still holds a lot of warm childhood memories for me).

The initial two songs, performed by Peppermint Patty and Lucy, respectively, aren't so much in that 80s music cache as they are in the vein of your typical kiddie-show sing-along fare, with simple tunes and basic lyrics. Lucy's number is fairly fun and does a good job reflecting her established disposition, but I'm a lot less keen on Patty's - it's too jaunty and childish, and may have older viewers retreating from the living room long before we've really had a chance to get to what we came here to see: Snoopy jamming away in his disco-frequenting persona Flashbeagle. That sequence alone makes it all worthwhile.

Overall the whole affair is bright and lively and will probably find favour amongst nostalgic fans and younger viewers, but it's been looking dated for a long time now, and adults will most likely be left yearning for the usual ingredients in the trusty 'Peanuts' formula. By no means one of their best, but I think it's safe to say that this was at least one of the more memorable 'Peanuts' specials of the 1980s (their major heyday took place mostly in the 60s and 70s).

Grade: B-

Flashbeagle has to be one of the funniest specials - at least as good as the holiday specials, and about a million times better than Bon Voyage.

It's basically a bunch of shorts linked together with the common thread of Snoopy sneaking out at night to a disco and returning tired in the morning. The shorts are hilarious - some great ones with Peppermint Patty and Marcy in class, and a few with Sally as well.

Snoopy's killer dance moves were based on a real person dancing - the animators pretty much drew over the frames of the dancer. The making-of special I saw said that this is one of the first times this method had been employed. Just a bit of trivia. :) The music is catchy, the show is funny - it's all-around Peanuts goodness. You really can't go wrong with Flashbeagle.

There's not much of a story in this Peanuts special though the theme of dancing does connect the sketches. I do find it kinda strange that a kid's TV special is based on a R-rated movie however.

None of the Peanuts gang appear to be happy unless they are dancing. Even Snoopy fancies himself as a Tony Manolo type. Obviously though old Chuck can't get into the spirit of things. Though Snoopy's propensity for dancing to funky, old-school 80s beats does earn Sally Brown her first A in show-and-tell.

Bizarre really to think that Stacy Ferguson provided the voice of Lucy in this one.

...did I ever love this Peanuts special (I was 2-3, what more could you expect?). I remember renting it God only knows how many times on video with 'She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown' after it. I was the biggest Snoopy fan on earth (still love him dearly)! I remember wearing my spandex Snoopy exercise clothes and dancing around all over the place to this special. There was really nothing to it other than the singing, but I wasn't old enough to care. I sang along with it, and had a blast while doing so.

I still remember the songs, particularly the main 'Flashbeagle' song ("He's a champion! He's the best!" "You should hear the sound of his naaaaa-me! They call him Flash- flash- flash- flaaash-beagle!"). I think this is pretty much the only Peanuts special that's actually dated, the rest are timeless. 'Flashbeagle' has the '80s written all over it, while most of the others hold up very well today. This is why the Peanuts have stayed so popular for so many years. I think they took a note of that after 'Flashbeagle'.

But I do have many wonderful childhood memories from 'Flashbeagle', so it has a special place in my heart.