A Boy Named Charlie Brown

A Boy Named Charlie Brown
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBill Melendez
Written byCharles M. Schulz
Based onPeanuts
by Charles M. Schulz
Produced byLee Mendelson
Starring
Edited by
Music byVince Guaraldi
Production
companies
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • December 4, 1969 (1969-12-04)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.1 million
Box office
  • $12 million

A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a 1969 American animated musical comedy-drama film based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Directed by Bill Melendez and written by Schulz, it stars the voices of Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, Glenn Gilger, and Andy Pforsich. The film follows Charlie Brown as he tries to win the National Spelling Bee, with Snoopy and Linus by his side.

Schulz based the film on a comic strip storyline from February 1966, which ended differently when Charlie Brown lost his local school's spelling bee. Regular Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi and John Scott Trotter scored the film while Rod McKuen wrote many of the songs as well as the title song "A Boy Named Charlie Brown". This film marked the final appearance of Robbins as Charlie Brown.

Released on December 4, 1969, A Boy Named Charlie Brown was a box-office success, grossing $12 million and was positively received by critics. It was the ninth highest-grossing film of 1969. Four more animated Peanuts features were produced, with Snoopy Come Home following in 1972.