Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Scott LeBrun The beloved Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schulz make a very endearing feature film debut here. The story has Charlie Brown feeling more despondent than ever due to the fact that his destiny seems to be failing at everything. This isn't helped by the fact that Lucy has actually created a slide show detailing every one of his supposed faults! However, hope is generated when Charlie Brown decides to try out competitive spelling, and has success right off the bat. (In an appropriate touch, this is because some of the first words that he gets are tailored to his personality, like "insecure".) He even goes to compete in the National Spelling Bee.There's some material here that could be seen as padding, but overall it's an effective means of stretching out a Peanuts story to a feature length of approximately an hour and a half. The animation is slick and there is a wealth of interesting visuals. Rod McKuens' handful of songs are admittedly pretty silly, but they're not long enough or frequent enough to become a true detriment.The verbal jokes and visual gags are just as funny as they've ever been, and the characters are all well defined in their classic way. Snoopy, as usual, is the biggest cut-up. One example of this: Linus handed over his precious security blanket to Charlie Brown to serve as a good luck charm, and suffers enough withdrawals to seek out Charlie Brown and demand the blanket back. Then, every time Linus keels over, Snoopy fills a glass of water, and you think it's for Linus, but he ends up drinking it himself.As a bonus, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" features a catchy way of listing various spelling rules; watching this wouldn't be a bad way for kids to learn some of them! Poor Charlie Brown ends up so stressed out and weary that he automatically spells words that he speaks or are spoken to him.You do feel bad for Charlie, but in the end, you can always leave it to Linus to put everything into perspective for him and the audience.Many genuine laughs, a solid story, some real heart, and a typically excellent jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi (including some variations on the standard "Linus and Lucy") help to make this a winner.Eight out of 10.

utgard14 The first Peanuts feature film is funny, smart, and charming like the classic TV specials that preceded it. All the great characters we love so much are here doing the things we love to watch them do. There's Lucy pulling away the football from Charlie Brown, Snoopy ice skating, a hilarious baseball game with a pitcher's mound covered in dandelions, Lucy and her psychiatrist booth, Linus and his blanket, and so much more. It's chock full of wonderful moments fans of Peanuts can't get enough of. The main plot centers around Charlie Brown entering a spelling bee and finding he's actually good at something for once. But as he progresses to the national championships, his old insecurities creep in and threaten to ruin his chance at glory.The voice work is terrific, as it always was in the early Peanuts cartoons. Peter Robbins voices Charlie Brown for the last time here. There would be other decent Charlie Browns over the years but none was ever better than Robbins. The music is lovely and upbeat. The songs are sweet and cute. The animation is colorful and brilliant in its simplicity. The scene where Schroeder plays Beethoven while we're treated to a vista of beautiful artwork is amazing. The script is clever and fun and full of memorable lines. Charles Schulz was a genius as far as I'm concerned. His writing appealed to both kids and adults unlike anything else at the time (or since, really). This is such a joy to watch. I can't imagine anyone disliking this film but apparently, judging by some reviews here, such people do exist. Takes all kinds I guess.

Rindiana You don't need first-class Disney animation to produce a charmer. The Peanuts' comics' philosophical underpinnings and intelligent and witty humour is brought to the silver screen full and intact. Never before or after has a bunch of kids proved to be that thought-provoking.Yes, the pace may be a tad too slow and the animation rough around the edges, but Schulz' lovable little grown-ups with their all too well-known characteristics are sufficient compensation. And if the pic threatens to become too talky, there's always Snoopy's shenanigans to save the day.7 out of 10 security blanket cold turkeys

mycats66 I saw this movie as a child in the theater when it was released. Seeing this movie at that age, in that environment leaves a big impression on me. I think what makes a good children's movie is if it has clean and witty appeal you get later on as an adult. This movie has excellent music sequences with classic Anime style, deserving of the Academy Award nomination for it's music. Charlie Brown goes to the city to participate in the spelling bee championship. Snoopy goes along on the trip and goes out to explore the city on his own. This movie has a presence of psychelic omniance that comes from being made in 1969. This is the Peanuts at it's best. This is the ultimate Peanuts movie bar none.(I keep seeing a message that keeps telling my I must have 10 lines. Now in the editing box I am typing this into, it shows that I have typed 11 lines, so what's the deal. Instead of telling me how many lines to type without clearly defining exactly how many words or characters define a line, why don't you just tell me exactly how many words or bytes you want as a minimum.)