It's Magic, Charlie Brown
It's Magic, Charlie Brown | |
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Genre | Animated TV Special |
Created by | Charles M. Schulz |
Directed by | Phil Roman |
Voices of | Sydney Penny Cindi Reilly Earl Reilly Bill Melendez Michael Mandy Shannon Cohn Brent Hauer Casey Carlson |
Composers | Ed Bogas Judy Munsen |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Lee Mendelson |
Producer | Bill Melendez |
Running time | 24:15 |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Picture format | 4:3 |
First shown in | April 28, 1981 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1980) |
Followed by | Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown (1981) |
It's Magic, Charlie Brown is the 21st prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.[1] It originally aired on April 28, 1981.[2]
Plot[]
![]() | This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (September 2021) |
Charlie Brown decides that Snoopy needs to educate himself, and gives him his library card to check out a few books. Snoopy takes out a book about magic, and during the opening credits, Snoopy practices magic with Woodstock by his side. Charlie Brown warns both of them that the cat next door will get really upset if they become too loud. However, Snoopy and Woodstock continue to practice magic and the cat next door angrily rips Snoopy's doghouse apart.
Snoopy performs a magic show with the name "The Great Houndini." During the show, Snoopy pulls out Woodstock (with rabbit ears) out of his hat and does a ring trick that goes wrong. Both of these tricks raises the ire of a kid who heckles the tricks, but Snoopy silences him twice. He also does the to Franklin, the trick to Peppermint Patty, identifying objects with his eyes closed, cutting Linus' security blanket into strips, the levitation trick to Lucy, and biggest of all, making Charlie Brown literally disappear.
A sudden rainstorm ends the show early, and Charlie Brown is left invisible. He decides to feed Snoopy and show him what has happened. When Snoopy realizes he cannot yet undo the trick, he tries several ideas to make him visible again, including draping a sheet over Charlie Brown with a necktie to fasten it along with a pair of oversized shoes. Charlie Brown goes inside, which scares Sally, and when he looks in the mirror and sees that Snoopy made him resemble a ghost, he faints.
Meanwhile, Linus tells Lucy that Sally told him that even when you look at Charlie Brown, you do not see him, but Lucy does not believe this.
Despite this shortcoming, Charlie Brown realizes he has a golden opportunity to kick Lucy's football without her knowing. Charlie Brown finally succeeds in kicking the football and taunts her about it. Furious over Charlie Brown succeeding in kicking the football, Lucy hands the magic book to Snoopy. Then she threatens him that if he does not make Charlie Brown visible again, she is going to pound him. After practicing some counterspells on Woodstock (making his feet and his head bigger and making him disappear), he is unsure where Charlie Brown is. Snoopy casts a counterspell on Charlie Brown, and, when Lucy sees Charlie Brown reappearing, Lucy pulls the football away causing Charlie Brown to land flat on his back.
However, Charlie Brown is happy that he kicked the football when he was invisible, although Lucy says no one will believe him. Charlie Brown says that Snoopy will believe him. When Lucy scoffs at Snoopy, the insulted beagle magically levitates Lucy into the sky, and leaves her stuck there as payback. Charlie Brown and Snoopy laugh and dance away to conclude a satisfying day, ignoring Lucy's pleads to get her down.
During the closing credits, Linus eventually pulls Lucy down to the ground with his blanket. However, Lucy (despite being free) becomes furious about what happened. She blames the mishap on Linus, gives up, and stomps away.
Cast[]
- Michael Mandy as Charlie Brown
- Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown screaming (archived)
- Sydney Penny as Lucy van Pelt
- Cindi Reilly as Sally Brown
- Earl Reilly as Linus van Pelt, Franklin
- Brent Hauer as Peppermint Patty
- Shannon Cohn/Casey Carlson as Marcie
- Christopher Donohone as Schroeder
- Bill Melendez as Snoopy, Woodstock
Note[]
- Production completed at Marvel Productions.
Home media[]
It's Magic, Charlie Brown was released on DVD on September 2, 2008 as a bonus feature on Warner Home Video's remaster of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.[3]
References[]
- ^ Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 137, 146. ISBN 978-1452110912.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials DVD news: Rear Box Art for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition | TVShowsOnDVD.com Archived 2008-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
- Peanuts television specials
- Television shows directed by Phil Roman
- 1980s American television specials
- 1980s animated television specials
- 1981 television specials
- 1981 in American television
- CBS television specials
- Films about invisibility
- Films about magic and magicians