| Snoopy, Come Home | |
|---|---|
DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Bill Meléndez |
| Produced by | Bill Meléndez Lee Mendelson Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Starring | Chad Webber Robin Kohn Stephen Shea David Carey Hilary Momberger Christopher DeFaria Linda Ercoli Lynda Mendelson |
| Music by | Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman Thurl Ravenscroft Shelby Flint Jack Judge Harry Williams |
| Editing by | Chuck McCann |
| Distributed by | Theatrical National General Pictures DVD Paramount Pictures via CBS Home Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | August 9, 1972 in film |
| Running time | 80 min. |
| Country | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Gross revenue | $245,073 |
Snoopy, Come Home is a 1972 musical animated film, produced by Cinema Center Films and Lee Mendelson Films for National General Pictures, directed by Bill Meléndez, and based on the Peanuts comic strip. The songs are by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
The film was released on DVD in anamorphic widescreen in the U.S. on March 28, 2006, by Paramount Home Entertainment/CBS Home Entertainment (CBS owned Cinema Center Films, which co-produced the film).
Contents |
Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang go to the beach for the day. Once there, Snoopy promises to go back to the beach the next day to meet up with Peppermint Patty. While Charlie Brown and the others have gone home to play Monopoly, he notices Snoopy is late, but does not take note of it, and he later cuts his thumb when opening Snoopy's can of dog food with a kitchen knife. The next day, Snoopy is thrown off the beach due to a new "No Dogs Allowed" rule, and has Woodstock write a complaint letter about it. Then Snoopy gets into a fight with Linus for his blanket, and later beats Lucy in a boxing match.
Later, Snoopy receives a letter from a girl named Lila, who has been in the hospital for three weeks and needs Snoopy to keep her company. Upon receiving the letter, he immediately sets off with Woodstock to go see her, leaving Charlie Brown completely in the dark as to who Lila is. But when Linus decides to do some investigating (Charlie Brown: "Just what I need: A blanket-carrying Sherlock Holmes"), he discovers, to Charlie Brown's horror, that Lila is Snoopy's original owner. He faints upon hearing this.
En route to see Lila, Snoopy (with Woodstock along) is forced to face the challenges of a world full of signs declaring "No Dogs Allowed" (e.g. the bus, train, library, hospital, etc., musically accented by the deep tones of Thurl Ravenscroft), and they also face the perils of being the pets of an annoying girl named Clara before managing to escape. The two best friends even camp out and play football and music while preparing dinner.
Snoopy finally arrives at the hospital to keep Lila company for the rest of the time she is admitted. Lila credits Snoopy with saving her life as the two tearfully part ways. Snoopy is about to return home when he realizes he will miss Lila too much and runs back up to see her. He returns home to 'settle his affairs' and say good-bye. Snoopy writes a letter and shows it to the kids, leaving possessions to them. (Charlie Brown never got anything). The kids throw Snoopy a large, tearful going-away party.
The kids closest to Snoopy get up to say a few words in his honor. But when it is his turn to speak, Charlie Brown, overwhelmed to the point of silence, can only burst into tears with Snoopy doing likewise. The rest of the gang, even Lucy, eventually follows suit when Schroeder plays It's a Long Way to Tipperary on his piano. Snoopy opens his mountain of presents (every single one is a bone).
With Snoopy now gone for good, Charlie Brown is unable to sleep. He later admits to Linus that he even prepared a dinner dish for Snoopy and took it out to the now-abandoned doghouse before remembering that Snoopy was gone.
When Snoopy arrives at Lila's apartment building the next day, he realizes a sign next to the door that says "No dogs allowed in this building" before Lila comes to the door. Then he is reluctantly introduced to Lila's pet cat. Snoopy shows Lila the sign. Now released from his personal obligation by this discovery, Snoopy leaves Lila behind and joyfully returns to Charlie Brown and the others.
All seems back to normal until Snoopy, again through Woodstock's typewritten letter, demands back the stuff he gave to the gang before he left (except Charlie Brown; Snoopy gave him nothing, so he owes him nothing). The rest of the gang angrily walk off leaving Charlie Brown and Snoopy together.
Snoopy, Come Home marked the first time Snoopy's thoughts are fully communicated to the audience outside of the comic strip. This was achieved by having his typed correspondences appear at the top of the frame, giving the viewer full access to his thoughts. Previously, Schulz had opted to mute Snoopy entirely, his thought balloons, which feature so prominently in the strip, being removed. Without the benefit of a voice (other than his indecipherable growl-like speaking), Snoopy's signature rants were lost on television and film — until Snoopy, Come Home.
The film was a box office failure at the time of its original release; it made back only $245,073 of the $1,000,000 budget. However, it has since become a cult classic, due to multiple airings on television in the 1980s and 1990s as well as video and DVD sales.
Snoopy, Come Home was the first-ever Peanuts animated project produced during Vince Guaraldi's lifetime that did not contain a musical score by the noted jazz composer (though he did score several scenes). Guaraldi had composed all the previous Peanuts animated television specials as well as the debut feature film A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Music for this film was composed instead by the Sherman Brothers, who were notable for the music used in many Disney films. Schulz said this was an experiment, as he had wanted to have more of a commercial, Disney feel to Snoopy, Come Home.
Schulz later said he would have utilized Guaraldi's services for the third Peanuts feature, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, had the composer not died suddenly in 1976.
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