{ "id": "ep0ptc1z7n", "slug": "bon-voyage-charlie-brown", "title": "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts", "label": "Animated and short films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-based-on-comics-and-games", "label": "Films based on comics and games", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-based-on-comics-and-games" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts", "label": "Animated and short films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) is a 1980 animated film, the fourth Peanuts theatrical feature, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, in which Charlie Brown and friends travel as exchange students to a mysterious French château inspired by Schulz's 1944 wartime stay.", "snippet": "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) is a 1980 animated film, the fourth Peanuts theatrical feature, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, in which Charlie Brown and friends travel as exchange students to a mysterious French château inspired by Schulz's 1944 wartime stay.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-based-on-comics-and-games", "markdown": "# Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown\n\n**Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!)** is a 1980 American animated feature film in which the Peanuts characters created by cartoonist [Charles M. Schulz](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-m-schulz) travel to Europe as foreign exchange students and become entangled in a mystery at a French château. It was the fourth theatrical feature film based on the Peanuts comic strip, following *A Boy Named Charlie Brown* (1969), *[Snoopy, Come Home](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoopy-come-home)* (1972), and *[Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/race-for-your-life-charlie-brown)* (1977), and it was the last such film produced during Schulz's lifetime; the next theatrical Peanuts feature, *The Peanuts Movie*, did not appear until 2015.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) • [2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back-1980)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | May 30, 1980 (domestic); the AFI Catalog records a Los Angeles opening of June 13, 1980[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0080461/credits/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) |\n| Directors | Bill Melendez and Phil Roman; producers Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) |\n| Story | A Paramount news release stated that Schulz wrote the screenplay solo and drew the majority of the key cartoon panels; IMDb and Metacritic also credit Mark Evanier as a writer[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/) |\n| Production span | Screenplay begun in 1977; production began August 7, 1979, in Los Angeles[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) |\n| Running time / rating | 76 minutes per Paramount and Common Sense Media, with the AFI Catalog recording 82 mins; MPAA rating G[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back) • [6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) |\n| Reception | Metascore 68 (generally favorable, 5 reviews); Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter 79% from 1,000+ audience ratings; IMDb 7.1/10 from 3.9K users[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/) • [8](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/bon_voyage_charlie_brown_1980) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/) |\n| Box office | $2 million worldwide, as reported at NetflixMovies.com[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back-1980) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and setting\n\nThe story follows [Charlie Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-brown), Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie, who travel to France as exchange students, with Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy and [Woodstock](https://www.edgepedia.org/woodstock) along for the trip. The premise begins when two French exchange students, Babette and Jacques, come to study for two weeks at an American school; Charlie Brown and Linus are then chosen to study in France, and Charlie receives a letter written in a language he cannot read.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK)\n\nBefore reaching the [Continent](https://www.edgepedia.org/continent), Snoopy and Woodstock test their tennis skills at the Wimbledon tennis championship in London, and the gang then moves on to France.[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back) In France the group is lodged in a lavish château thanks to an unseen benefactor.[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back) According to the film's synopsis at [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch), a mysterious girl from France has invited Charlie Brown as her guest, and he finds that he does not seem welcomed at her château.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back?package=jwt) The Charles M. Schulz Museum's materials describe the same premise: the travelers \"confront a mystery surrounding their hosts.\"[10](https://schulzmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SchulzMusemFieldTripPreparations.pdf)\n\n**A real wartime château.** Schulz drew the central setting from personal history. According to production notes in the AMPAS library files, he was inspired by a trip to France made thirty-three years after being stationed at a French château in 1944, during World War II.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) The film's château was based on the Manoir de Malvoisine in Le Héron, France, a place where Schulz had been briefly stationed as a soldier, and Schulz is credited with having come up with the story while visiting it.[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back-1980)\n\n## Production\n\nThe film's working title was *Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown*, as reported in a Daily Variety brief of August 9, 1978; a November 19, 1979 Daily Variety item announced the expanded title *Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!)*. Its 1980 release coincided with the 10-year anniversary of the first Peanuts theatrical motion pictures and the 15-year anniversary of the first Peanuts television specials.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK)\n\n**Casting children.** Roughly 500 children were auditioned for the voice roles. Casting agents preferred to hire children with no previous acting experience to preserve as much spontaneity as possible. From the beginning, Snoopy had been voiced by director Bill Melendez.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) The credited voice cast includes Arrin Skelley as Charlie Brown, Daniel Anderson as Linus, Laura Planting as Lucy, Patricia Patts as [Peppermint Patty](https://www.edgepedia.org/peppermint-patty), Casey Carlson as Marcie, Annalisa Bortolin as Sally, Scott Beach in multiple roles (driver, tennis announcer, English voice, baron, waiter, and American male), Roseline Rubens as Violette, and Bill Melendez as Snoopy.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) • [5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back) Pascale de Barolet voiced Pierre.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/)\n\nProduction companies were Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Bill Melendez Productions, and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, in association with United Feature Syndicate; [Paramount Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount-pictures) presented the film theatrically in the United States in 1980.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/companycredits/) Music scoring is credited to Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen on Paramount's credits page.[5](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back)\n\nOne distinguishing feature noted by reference sites: it is the only theatrical Peanuts film in which adult characters are both visible and intelligible, described as one of the very few such instances in the whole franchise.[2](https://www.netflixmovies.com/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back-1980)\n\n## Reception\n\nReviews at the time of release were positive. A Variety review of May 28, 1980 called the film \"perfect fare for children and timeless entertainment,\" and a June 18, 1980 Los Angeles Times review by Linda Gross found her charmed by the Peanuts gang as tourists and felt the story benefited from being filtered through Schulz's nostalgic memories.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) Contemporary critical aggregation is mixed to favorable: Metacritic reports a metascore of 68 from 5 critic reviews, 80 percent positive and 20 percent mixed.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/) Among retrospective critics, [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) called it \"the fourth and the best of the animated films devoted to the charming antics of the 'Peanuts' gang,\" while James Berardinelli of ReelViews judged it more for \"Peanuts completists\" than viewers seeking a quick Charlie Brown fix, and Phil Hall of Film Threat called it the worst of the animated features starring the Peanuts gang.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/) The Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter, measuring verified audience ratings of 3.5 stars or higher, stands at 79 percent from 1,000+ ratings.[8](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/bon_voyage_charlie_brown_1980)\n\nCommon Sense Media, which recommends the film for ages 5 and up, cautions parents that an adult is overheard talking about getting rid of Charlie Brown and his friends, that a raging fire threatens Linus and a little girl, and that the film presents a heavily stereotyped picture of rural France.[6](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back)\n\n## Afterlife and availability\n\nThe film is the last of four classic Peanuts theatrical features, closing a run that began with *A Boy Named Charlie Brown* in 1969.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK) [Home video](https://www.edgepedia.org/home-video) distribution over the years included Paramount Home Video's 1982 United States VHS release and a 1985 CBS television broadcast, according to IMDb's company credits.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/companycredits/)\n\nApple TV+ obtained exclusive rights to the Peanuts catalog in 2020 and, in October 2025, announced a five-year extension as the exclusive streaming home for the franchise through 2030, in partnership with [WildBrain](https://www.edgepedia.org/wildbrain), Peanuts Worldwide, and Lee Mendelson Film Productions.[12](https://apnews.com/article/491b96912fb10b1b3189d3248a6c3285) As of current listings, the film itself is available to rent for $3.99 on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, JustWatch TV Store, and Google TV, to buy from $4.99 on Prime Video, and to stream free on Kanopy in the United States.[13](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back/20003599/where-to-watch/) A country-by-country tracker reported it unavailable on Netflix, Prime Video subscription, Disney+, or Max in any country, and available on Canadian services Super Channel Plus, Super Channel Amazon Channel, and fuboTV.[14](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-don-t-come-back-1980-31112)\n\n## Not to be confused with *Bon Voyage!* (1962)\n\n*Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown* shares its opening words with an unrelated Disney live-action comedy, *Bon Voyage!* (1962), directed by James Neilson and starring [Fred MacMurray](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-macmurray) and [Jane Wyman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-wyman) as a family on a long-delayed trip to Europe.[15](https://d23.com/a-to-z/bon-voyage-film/) A separate French film titled *Bon voyage* also exists in critic databases, which is why searches for the title often surface reviews of the French film at Metacritic alongside the Peanuts feature.[16](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage/critic-reviews/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!) (1980), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56374-BON-VOYAGE-CHARLIE-BROWN-AND-DONT-COME-BACK)\n2. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!) (1980), NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back-1980)\n3. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!), Box Office Mojo credits](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0080461/credits/)\n4. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/)\n5. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back), Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramount.com/movies/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back)\n6. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back) Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back)\n7. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back%21%21/)\n8. [Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back) (1980), Rotten Tomatoes](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/bon_voyage_charlie_brown_1980)\n9. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back?package=jwt)\n10. [Before Your Visit, Charles M. Schulz Museum](https://schulzmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SchulzMusemFieldTripPreparations.pdf)\n11. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) (1980) company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080461/companycredits/)\n12. [Apple TV+ extends its deal to be the exclusive streaming home for 'Peanuts' until 2030, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/491b96912fb10b1b3189d3248a6c3285)\n13. [Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!): Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-dont-come-back/20003599/where-to-watch/)\n14. [Where to watch Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!) (1980), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/bon-voyage-charlie-brown-and-don-t-come-back-1980-31112)\n15. [Bon Voyage (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/bon-voyage-film/)\n16. [Bon voyage Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bon-voyage/critic-reviews/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on comics and games*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bon-voyage-charlie-brown. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown is a 1980 animated film, the fourth Peanuts theatrical feature, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, in which Charlie Brown and friends travel as exchange students to a mysterious French château inspired by Schulz's 1944 wartime stay." }