He's a Bully, Charlie Brown
Encyclopedia
He's a Bully, Charlie Brown is the 44th prime-time animated
TV special based on the popular comic strip
Peanuts
by Charles M. Schulz
. It was originally aired on the ABC
network on November 20, 2006. It is the second most recent Peanuts television special and is primarily based on a story from the Peanuts
comic strips originally appearing in April 1995. He's a Bully was an idea Charles M. Schulz
had pitched, and worked on before his death on February 12, 2000. Schulz' working title for the special was It's Only Marbles, Charlie Brown.
It is the last special to feature Bill Melendez
as the voice of Snoopy
and Woodstock
, as he died on September 2, 2008. Also, this may be the last Peanuts television special to be animated with digital ink and paint, as some future specials (like Peanuts Online) will be animated using Flash
(although it is possible that others may still use the digital ink and paint process).
finds some old marbles his grandfather Felix—a marble
master in his day—kept in the attic. Charlie Brown
goes to summer camp with Marcie while Peppermint Patty
is stuck in summer school
. He and Snoopy get ready for camp. They ride the bus and Peppermint Patty is there saying goodbye. Charlie Brown realizes that most of his friends are going to summer camp with him. Linus is eating a lollipop
and Rerun wants one and goes until he sees Joe Agate play marbles. He then decides at summer camp that he wants to be a marbles champ. Joe Agate (played by Taylor Lautner), the bully, decides to play against Rerun on the false pretense of teaching him the game—and quickly cheats him out of his marbles. A devastated Rerun complains to Charlie Brown. Disgusted, Charlie Brown takes responsibility and isolates himself in his cabin, where Snoopy instructs him on the game until he becomes skilled enough to win back the marbles from Joe.
Meanwhile, back home, Peppermint Patty suspects that Charlie Brown is Marcie's love interest. Her temper
flares when Marcie and Charlie Brown go off to camp together while she is stuck in town attending summer school
as a result of her poor grades
. Marcie's teasing Patty over the telephone about it makes Patty even more jealous. Patty, overcome with envy, hatches a plan to leave town and interrupt Marcie's supposed romance.
On the last day of camp, everyone tensely watches as Joe and Charlie Brown compete. There, Charlie Brown reveals Joe's unfair ways of playing: he only plays beginners, saying he's playing for fun until he wins and then he claims it's for keeps and takes all their marbles, shocking and angering Joe. Initially Joe wins and takes all of Charlie's marbles, but fortunately, Snoopy has two spares. Joe complains, but Charlie Brown claims "his dog, therefor, his marbles", which Joe can't turn down. Joe gets one, but then misses. Charlie Brown then shoots and wins the last marble, along with Joe's shooter (the marble that the player uses to knock other marbles out of the circle). Charlie Brown makes another bet, if Joe wants his shooter back, they'll play for all the marbles. Joe asks why because Charlie Brown only has three marbles and Joe has hundreds. Charlie Brown says that if he misses a single shot, no matter how much he's won, Joe gets all the marbles. Joe, feeling unbeatable at that bet, agrees. Charlie Brown wins all the marbles in a single turn, crushing Joe, who is forced to give all the marbles back. Triumphant, Charlie Brown returns home and enjoys seeing Lucy's irritation and astonishment learning that he had been a hero
.
While the credits roll, Snoopy's and Woodstock's siblings sleep while Woodstock roasts marshmallows and sings.
The storyline was an amalgamation of several different series of Peanuts strips; the "Joe Agate" storyline originally appeared in the strip in 1995, and the story involving Peppermint Patty sneaking away from summer school to see Charlie Brown at camp was an adaptation of a series of strips from 1989.
on 20 November 2006, following a repeat broadcast of 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
. The late November airing of Bully seemed a little out of place, considering its summertime setting, but ABC felt the new special would do better in the ratings if it aired right after Thanksgiving, The decision paid off, as the two shows won their time slot with 9.4 million viewers, beating out, among other things, a Madonna
special on NBC
.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV special based on the popular comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
by Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
. It was originally aired on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network on November 20, 2006. It is the second most recent Peanuts television special and is primarily based on a story from the Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
comic strips originally appearing in April 1995. He's a Bully was an idea Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
had pitched, and worked on before his death on February 12, 2000. Schulz' working title for the special was It's Only Marbles, Charlie Brown.
It is the last special to feature Bill Melendez
Bill Melendez
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
as the voice of Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
and Woodstock
Woodstock (Peanuts)
Woodstock is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is Snoopy's closest friend and, after Snoopy, the most recognized non-human in the strip.-History:...
, as he died on September 2, 2008. Also, this may be the last Peanuts television special to be animated with digital ink and paint, as some future specials (like Peanuts Online) will be animated using Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
(although it is possible that others may still use the digital ink and paint process).
Plot
At home, Rerun van PeltRerun van Pelt
Rerun van Pelt is Linus and Lucy's younger brother in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts.-Introduction:Rerun started as a minor character in the Peanuts universe, only becoming a main character in the last decade of the comic strip...
finds some old marbles his grandfather Felix—a marble
Marble (toy)
A marble is a small spherical toy usually made from glass, clay, steel, or agate. These balls vary in size. Most commonly, they are about ½ inch in diameter, but they may range from less than ¼ inch to over 3 inches , while some art glass marbles fordisplay purposes are over 12 inches ...
master in his day—kept in the attic. Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
goes to summer camp with Marcie while Peppermint Patty
Peppermint Patty
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends...
is stuck in summer school
Summer school
Summer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....
. He and Snoopy get ready for camp. They ride the bus and Peppermint Patty is there saying goodbye. Charlie Brown realizes that most of his friends are going to summer camp with him. Linus is eating a lollipop
Lollipop
A lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
and Rerun wants one and goes until he sees Joe Agate play marbles. He then decides at summer camp that he wants to be a marbles champ. Joe Agate (played by Taylor Lautner), the bully, decides to play against Rerun on the false pretense of teaching him the game—and quickly cheats him out of his marbles. A devastated Rerun complains to Charlie Brown. Disgusted, Charlie Brown takes responsibility and isolates himself in his cabin, where Snoopy instructs him on the game until he becomes skilled enough to win back the marbles from Joe.
Meanwhile, back home, Peppermint Patty suspects that Charlie Brown is Marcie's love interest. Her temper
Temperament
In psychology, temperament refers to those aspects of an individual's personality, such as introversion or extroversion, that are often regarded as innate rather than learned...
flares when Marcie and Charlie Brown go off to camp together while she is stuck in town attending summer school
Summer school
Summer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....
as a result of her poor grades
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
. Marcie's teasing Patty over the telephone about it makes Patty even more jealous. Patty, overcome with envy, hatches a plan to leave town and interrupt Marcie's supposed romance.
On the last day of camp, everyone tensely watches as Joe and Charlie Brown compete. There, Charlie Brown reveals Joe's unfair ways of playing: he only plays beginners, saying he's playing for fun until he wins and then he claims it's for keeps and takes all their marbles, shocking and angering Joe. Initially Joe wins and takes all of Charlie's marbles, but fortunately, Snoopy has two spares. Joe complains, but Charlie Brown claims "his dog, therefor, his marbles", which Joe can't turn down. Joe gets one, but then misses. Charlie Brown then shoots and wins the last marble, along with Joe's shooter (the marble that the player uses to knock other marbles out of the circle). Charlie Brown makes another bet, if Joe wants his shooter back, they'll play for all the marbles. Joe asks why because Charlie Brown only has three marbles and Joe has hundreds. Charlie Brown says that if he misses a single shot, no matter how much he's won, Joe gets all the marbles. Joe, feeling unbeatable at that bet, agrees. Charlie Brown wins all the marbles in a single turn, crushing Joe, who is forced to give all the marbles back. Triumphant, Charlie Brown returns home and enjoys seeing Lucy's irritation and astonishment learning that he had been a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
.
While the credits roll, Snoopy's and Woodstock's siblings sleep while Woodstock roasts marshmallows and sings.
The storyline was an amalgamation of several different series of Peanuts strips; the "Joe Agate" storyline originally appeared in the strip in 1995, and the story involving Peppermint Patty sneaking away from summer school to see Charlie Brown at camp was an adaptation of a series of strips from 1989.
Reaction
This special aired on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on 20 November 2006, following a repeat broadcast of 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the tenth prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the following year...
. The late November airing of Bully seemed a little out of place, considering its summertime setting, but ABC felt the new special would do better in the ratings if it aired right after Thanksgiving, The decision paid off, as the two shows won their time slot with 9.4 million viewers, beating out, among other things, a Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
special on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Character voice providers
- Spencer Robert Scott - Charlie BrownCharlie BrownCharles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
- Stephanie Patton - Lucy van PeltLucy van PeltLucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
- Taylor Lautner - Joe Agate, the bully
- Rory ThostRory ThostRory Thost is an American actor who played the recurring role of Bradley Benjamin Farmer in The Disney Channel's television series Phil of the Future....
- Peppermint PattyPeppermint PattyPatricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends... - Jessica Gordon - Marcie
- Jimmy BennettJimmy BennettJames Michael "Jimmy" Bennett is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as a child actor in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, Poseidon, and more recently in Orphan and as young James T. Kirk in Star Trek...
- Rerun van PeltRerun van PeltRerun van Pelt is Linus and Lucy's younger brother in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts.-Introduction:Rerun started as a minor character in the Peanuts universe, only becoming a main character in the last decade of the comic strip... - Benjamin Bryan - Linus van PeltLinus van PeltLinus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
- Bill MelendezBill MelendezJosé Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
- SnoopySnoopySnoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
, WoodstockWoodstock (Peanuts)Woodstock is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is Snoopy's closest friend and, after Snoopy, the most recognized non-human in the strip.-History:... - Katie Fischer - Sally BrownSally BrownSally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She was first mentioned in early 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance in August 1959.-Appearance:...
- Jolean WejbeJolean WejbeJolean Nicole Wejbe is an American teen actress. Wejbe is best known for playing Tancy "Teenie" Hendrickson on the HBO drama series Big Love.-Early life:...
- Violet Gray - Paul Butcher, Jr. - Roy, Kid
Crew
- Directed by Bill Melendez and Larry Leichliter
- Executive produced by Lee Mendelson
- Produced by Bill Meléndez
- Screenplay written by Charles M. Schulz and Justine Fontes