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Charlie Brown at the Movies: Snoopy Come Home (1972)

Charlie Brown has always been the lead character of Peanuts, but since virtually the beginning of the strip, and especially so after the edges of his design were rounded off and he became more cute, Snoopy has been the breakout star. In the world of comics only Garfield could rival Snoopy for popularity (and Jim Davis was way more cynical about pursuing that for his character than Charles Schulz). Everybody loves Snoopy, the hyper-imaginative, romantic, intellectual, and sarcastic beagle, and it seemed only natural that for a second Peanuts movie, especially when A Boy Named Charlie Brown was so fixated on its title character, the focus would be on Snoopy.
Snoopy Come Home is primarily based on a storyline from 1968 in which Snoopy receives a letter from a mysterious girl called Lila and leaves Charlie Brown without explanation -puzzling his owner and the other kids. The purpose of Snoopy’s journey we come to find is to visit his previous owner in the hospital, and the conundrum is posed of whether he should return to her permanently or stay with Charlie Brown, whom he has often had an apathetic relationship towards.
Like the prior film, this plot doesn’t kick off right away as the movie spends time establishing Snoopy, his relationship to the kids, and his various antics that lead to contention with them. It also establishes his dynamic with Woodstock, who had been in the strip for a couple years at this point, but makes his animation debut in this film. He spends time at the beach with Peppermint Patty -as usual unaware that he is actually a dog- and unintentionally stands her up for a second date. He fights Linus over his blanket, gets into a boxing match with Lucy, and expresses his displeasure at Charlie Brown’s feeding habits prompting an angry reaction. Again, these are all based on individual gags in the comics that get a bit of new life in the animation medium, director Bill Melendez finding some different ways to visually express them at times than the comic strips are capable of. A running theme also that would hinder Snoopy’s journey later is a new prevalence of anti-dog spaces in his community -which is treated with an air of downright discrimination. And another unique facet of Snoopy Come Home is the relatively rare instance of his thoughts being expressed -a common aspect of his character in the strip- albeit only in a letter he writes.
But the chief story once it kicks in is notable for its dramatic implication. Though the movie doesn’t epitomize the same anxiety as A Boy Named Charlie Brown -and indeed is lighter on the whole- there is a bit of something tragic to the notion of this little girl all by herself in the hospital writing to her beloved former pet; as well as on the other end of things just the image of a kid missing their dog -Charlie Brown never thought of himself as a dog owner, always considering Snoopy more of a friend, one of several adorable beats in the film. It’s very palpable in that way you sometimes forget Peanuts was capable of. Of course it follows along a long journey for Snoopy and Woodstock that is anything but simple, having to cross a river in a raft, sleep in a bird’s nest -all because Snoopy can’t take conventional means of transportation. Their biggest delay comes courtesy of a girl called Clara, who essentially kidnaps Snoopy to be her new pet dog she names Rex -and the film becomes something akin to a Tom & Jerry cartoon for a bit as Snoopy endeavours to escape her loving clutches. A nice distraction from the more tender beats on either side and proves that Snoopy is not cut out for more typical forms of dog ownership -something to appreciate in Charlie Brown.
As this goes along the movie spends less time on overtures towards cinematic spectacle than its predecessor, beyond a somewhat elaborate opening. And yet the movie is noteworthy for a much stronger slate of songs -Vince Guaraldi taking a brief reprieve from the franchise as musical duties are taken by none other than the Sherman Brothers. From the infectiously catchy opening title song to Charlie Brown’s dour lamenting “It Changes”, the firmer soundtrack is boasted by better musical sequences as well. Only a couple of the songs -the aforementioned “It Changes” and “Fundamental Friend-Dependability”- are sung by characters in the film, though the former is entirely in voiceover and the latter by Clara is one of the weaker numbers. Keeping songs non-diegetic works much better for Peanuts and allows for a great range of singers to lend their talents: like the legendary Thurl Ravenscroft for “No Dogs Allowed!” and particularly the movie’s best song “Do You Remember Me” performed by Shelby Flint, the kind of longing plaintive emotional piece that feels like a precursor to a song like Toy Story 2’s “When She Loved Me”.
It forecasts well the emotional hook of the movie, complicated by how efficiently the bond between Snoopy and Lila is made. His dilemma is understandable -she needs him right now and the bald-headed kid and his friends often don’t seem to appreciate him. It’s interesting to relate how effective this drama is between mediums, as though the pacing of a regular comic strip gave the story a little more weight and tension; there is something more solemn too in how the animation and its additional components characterize it, especially in its maudlin tone that until Snoopy’s going away party keeps the sadness contained. And that party does get gratuitous as Charlie Brown’s tears become everybody else’s and it turns into a flood of wailing perhaps meant to epitomize Peanuts fans writ large rather than this collection of characters, several of whom I can’t imagine being terribly choked up. Only in Charlie Brown does it have a sense of authenticity and a moving portrait of a kid coming to terms with letting go of his dog. It’s not so curious or unique a thing to convey to kids as in the last film, but it is worthwhile, and especially in its acknowledgement of the validity a child’s grief. This movie employs the classic Charlie Brown phrase -”I need more hellos.”
Of course the status quo is maintained ultimately and in a nicely handled way that doesn’t invalidate Snoopy’s feelings for Lila. It also gives the whole business of Snoopy’s departure a good punchline and nice note to end on. Snoopy Come Home is in the end not so holistically apt as its predecessor -requiring at least a little familiarity with the dynamics of the strip. It’s not quite so interesting, but it is very effective and evenly paced. Its songs may be its strongest quality as a feature film, though its animation is nice too, especially through sequences of Snoopy travelling against new contexts and backdrops that rarely featured in the strip. It tugs at the heartstrings well and is an excellent showcase, demonstrating why Snoopy is so charismatic and beloved an icon.

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