History WesternAnimation / ABoyNamedCharlieBrown

* AnAesop:
** Everyone makes mistakes and fails sometimes, but it's okay, because you've got your whole life ahead of you and it's not the end of the world.
--->'''Linus:''' Well, I can understand how you feel. You worked hard, studying for the spelling bee, and I suppose you feel you let everyone down, and you made a fool out of yourself and everything. But did you notice something, Charlie Brown?
--->'''Charlie Brown:''' What's that?\\
'''Linus:''' The world didn't come to an end.
** You can never truly fail if you never stop trying.

* StatusQuoIsGod: The rare positive example of the trope, with AnAesop: "Life goes on, no matter how badly you may think you messed up."

** The opening song establishes Charlie Brown's character. It shows him making a kite getting it ready to fly it, [[EpicFail ruining it in a matter of]] ''[[EpicFails seconds]]'', and yet ''[[{{Determinator}} immediately]]'' [[{{Determinator}} rebuilds it to try again]].

''A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' is a 1969 American animated film directed by Creator/BillMelendez. The first feature film based on the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' comic strip by Creator/CharlesMSchulz, it was produced by Lee Mendelson Films and the Creator/{{CBS}} network's film division, Cinema Center Films, for National General Corporation. This was also the final animated ''Peanuts'' production to feature Peter Robbins as the voice of Charlie Brown. (Robbins had voiced the character for all of the ''Peanuts'' television specials up to that point, starting with 1965's ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas''.)

* TenMinuteRetirement: After Charlie Brown has lost the spelling bee in New York City, he goes into his room, resolving not to go to school or play baseball again. When Linus comes over, he tells Charlie Brown that the world didn't come to an end. Minutes later, with a newly-replenished confidence, Charlie Brown goes outside and takes another shot at kicking the football away, and Lucy pulls it away again, saying "Welcome home, Charlie Brown."

* BrokenAesop: The only Aesop Linus can think of giving Charlie Brown is that MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld, but you would think that he (or anybody else, except maybe [[{{Jerkass}} Lucy]]) would remind Charlie that he made it to second place in the Nationals.

* ChampionsOnTheInside: Averted. Charlie Brown is [[HeroicBSOD devastated over his loss]] and gets [[DudeWheresMyRespect absolutely no hero's welcome or even consolation for his efforts]]. Then again, [[spoiler:no one is angry with him -- even Linus tells him that everyone ''missed him'' at school]]. Even when Charlie Brown misses kicking the football, Lucy greets him with "Welcome home, Charlie Brown".

* EasilyForgiven: In spite of getting furiously upset over Charlie Brown blowing the national spelling bee finals, Lucy is still enough of a good sport to allow Charlie Brown to take a chance at kicking the football, and when he falls on his back after failing, she cordially greets him with "Welcome home, Charlie Brown".
** After Linus has been unable to find his blanket, with no help from Snoopy, he gets frustrated with Charlie Brown... until he suddenly sees his blanket which Charlie Brown almost used to shine his shoes, and he's suddenly elated, forgetting his [prior frustrations with Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

* EpicFail: The word that costs Charlie Brown the spelling bee championship? Beagle. As in, ''Snoopy’s breed of dog!''
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: [[ThatCloudLooksLike The dynamic between Charlie, Linus and Lucy are established in the very first scene.]] Lucy comes off as the authoritarian, Linus sees archaic, intellectual objects in the clouds, Charlie sees just a duckie and a horsie.

* HeroicBSOD: Charlie Brown has one after losing the spelling bee.
* {{Hikikomori}}: After losing the spelling bee in New York City, Charlie Brown withdraws to his bedroom, resolving never to come out, until Linus reminds Charlie Brown that even though he lost the spelling bee, it's not the end of the world.
* HopeSpot: You didn't think Schultz was gonna let Charlie Brown win the spelling bee ''that'' easy…did you?

* KidsAreCruel: Even by the standards of ''Peanuts'', the kids are insanely abusive towards Charlie Brown, especially Lucy, Violet and Patty who go as far as singing [[TheHeroSucksSong a cruel song about him]]:

* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: When Charlie gets second place in a spelling test because he misspelled "beagle", [[EasyComeEasyGo every positive thing he gained over the course of the movie is lost in a second]]. Linus bluntly reassures him that "the world didn't come to an end" and that he's still got the rest of his life to live.

* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Played ridiculously straight, even for this trope. Not only does every character treat Charlie Brown as a loser for getting second place in a ''national'' spelling bee, they completely ignore that he won State!

* SmoothTalkingTalentAgent: Lucy voices a desire to become one of these for Charlie Brown, pointing out that she'd own 10% of him--while also hoping to get 15%. She says this while watching Charlie Brown doing well at the national spelling bee. But the moment he gets eliminated, she howls that [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness owning 10% of him is like owning 10% of nothing!]]

* UniversalGroupReaction: Charlie Brown is on a televised national spelling bee, and it is down to him and one other contestant. The rest of the Peanuts are either watching on the screen at home, or in the audience of the auditorium The word Charlie Brown is given is "Beagle", the very breed that Snoopy represents. Charlie Brown misspells the word as B-E-A-G-E-L, which causes a simultaneous "AUUUUGGGGGHHHH" from the kids watching at home, Linus and Snoopy in the audience, and Charlie himself, who realizes his mistake a moment too late.

* AnimationBump: Downplayed. Most of the animation is exactly the same in one of their TV specials. However, there are some sequences have nice and fluid animation, such as the moment when Lucy does her infamous steal the football from Charlie Brown gimmick.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The first DVD cover shows Lucy clutching Charlie Brown's arm and staring up at him adoringly. Not only is ''the whole movie'' about the ways in which she ruins his life (without any JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments, either), this also makes no sense if you know anything about Lucy. This is a result of editing out important details. [[http://img.soundtrackcollector.com/cd/large/Boy%20Named%20Charlie%20Brown_6009104.jpg On the Laserdisc cover that it is sourced from, there's an extra bit where Lucy has a thought bubble of her own dressing room.]]
(The DVD reissue and Blu-ray cover merelyy depcits Charlie on the pitcher's mound.)

* CoversAlwaysLie: The DVD cover shows Lucy clutching Charlie Brown's arm and staring up at him adoringly. Not only is ''the whole movie'' about the ways in which she ruins his life (without any JerkWithAHeartOfGold moments, either), this also makes no sense if you know anything about Lucy. This is a result of editing out important details. [[http://img.soundtrackcollector.com/cd/large/Boy%20Named%20Charlie%20Brown_6009104.jpg On the Laserdisc cover that it is sourced from, there's an extra bit where Lucy has a thought bubble of her own dressing room.]]

** Lucy isn't even sympathetic in this one, unless the ending when she says "Welcome home, Charlie Brown" counts for anything.

* ANounReferredToAsX: A boy / named / Charlie Brown

%%* BittersweetEnding: Charlie Brown [[spoiler:loses the spelling bee and his newly gained respect from the kids,]] but with some encouragement from Linus, he realizes [[spoiler:the world's not over and he still has a lifetime to be winner.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Charlie Brown looses the spelling bee, and the respect from all the kids at his school. Sure Linus gives him advice how he still has a life ahead of him to succeed, but essentially, Charlie worked hard for nothing.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Charlie Brown looses the spelling bee. Sure Linus gives him advice how he still has a life aheda of him, but he worked hard for nothing.]]

* BittersweetEnding: Charlie Brown [[spoiler:loses the spelling bee and his newly gained respect from the kids,]] but with some encouragement from Linus, he realizes [[spoiler:the world's not over and he still has a lifetime to be winner.]]

* BubblegumPopping: Happens to Frieda during the baseball game.

* DeathGlare: Charlie Brown gives a ''nasty'' one to Linus after he beats him in a game of tic-tac-toe ''while in the middle of telling him he's going to win someday''.

-> He's just the kid next door, perhaps a little more, He's every kid in every town.\\

* NoodleIncident: When Lucy prepares a slide show of Charlie Brown's faults, the audience never sees his biggest faults, which are apparently too much for Charlie Brown to take, based on his reactions to them.

* PetTheDog: After Charlie Brown has lost the spelling bee, Lucy is handling the football, subtly encouraging him to try and kick the old football again. After he unsuccessfully tries and falls on his back, Lucy cones over and consolingly says "Welcome home, Charlie Brown."

** After Linus has been unable to find his blanket, with no help from Snoopy, he gets frustrated with Charlie Brown... until he suddenly sees his blanket which Charlie Brown almost used to shine his shoes.

* PetTheDog: After Charlie Brown has lost the spelling bee, Lucy is handling the football, subtly encouraging him to try and kick the old football again. After he falls on his back, Lucy cones over and says "Welcome home, Charlie Brown."

* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: When Charlie gets second place in a spelling test because he misspelled "beagle", [[EastComeEasyGo every positive thing he gained over the course of the movie is lost in a second]]. Linus bluntly reassures him that "the world didn't come to an end" and that he's still got the rest of his life to live.

** Lucy isn't even sympathetic in this one.

* ShockinglyExpensiveBill: Adding insult to injury of Lucy's "therapy" session making Charlie Brown feel even worse than he already was, she hints that her bill is going cost a pretty penny.

* ShockinglyExpensiveBill: Adding insult to injury of Lucy's "therapy" session making him feel worse than he was already feeling, she hints that her bill is going cost a pretty penny.

* MistakesAreNotTheEndOfTheWorld: When Charlie gets second place in a spelling test because he misspelled "beagle", every positive thing he gained over the course of the movie is lost in a second. Linus bluntly reassures him that "the world didn't come to an end" and that he's still got the rest of his life to live.

* {{Jerkass}}: Lucy isn't even sympathetic in this one.
** Special mention goes to the scene where she, Violet and Patty sing a whole song about how much of a failure he is ''just because he considered entering the spelling bee!''

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: A minor one. When Linus is describing what he sees in the clouds, he mentions "British Honduras". You probably know it as {{UsefulNotes/Belize}} (the name changed in 1973).

''A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' is a 1969 American animated film, the first ever feature film based on the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' comic strip. It was directed by Creator/BillMelendez and was produced by Lee Mendelson Films and the Creator/{{CBS}} network's film division, Cinema Center Films, for National General Corporation. This was also the final animated ''Peanuts'' production to feature Peter Robbins as the voice of Charlie Brown. (Robbins had voiced the character for all of the ''Peanuts'' television specials up to that point, starting with 1965's ''WesternAnimation/ACharlieBrownChristmas''.)