Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back) (G, 1980)

In BON VOYAGE, CHARLIE BROWN, the Peanuts gang are invited to be exchange students in a small town in France. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Snoopy move into the Chateau of the Bad Neighbor, while Peppermint Patty and Marcy stay with Pierre. He warns them about the Baron, the Chateau's owner, who's feared by everyone in the neighborhood. Poor Charlie Brown and Linus are forced to sleep outside in a thunderstorm, and are threatened by the sinister Baron who's willing to go to any length to get rid of them. They're also trapped in a raging fire, while Snoopy capers about with an old fashioned fire engine.

Rural France has never seemed more threatening than when seen through the eyes of Charlie Brown and friends in this peculiar feature length film. This is a xenophobe's vision of rural France, a story that won't reassure younger viewers about life abroad. Older kids may not find it very entertaining.

There are some funny moments here, especially when Marcy prattles on in what appears to be highly colloquial French. Unfortunately for the audience, her dialogue isn't subtitled, so kids may have a hard time understanding her. Peppermint Patty's misunderstanding of Pierre's interest is amusing, too. Snoopy turns up in various crowd-pleasing disguises, as well, but the story remains too strange and scary for its intended audience.

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Phil Roman
Cast: Arrin Skelley, Bill Melendez, Laura Planting
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 76 minutes
Theatrical release: May 30, 1980
DVD release: May 21, 2001
MPAA Rating: G
MPAA explanation: General Audiences