| You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated TV Special |
| Created by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Written by | Charles M. Schulz |
| Directed by | Bill Melendez |
| Voices of | Molly Dunham John Graas Jim Guardino Haley Peel Nicole Fisher Bill Melendez Crystal Kuns Steve Stoliar |
| Composer(s) | Vince Guaraldi David Benoit |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bill Melendez |
| Running time | 28 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| First shown in | January 18, 1994 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown |
| Followed by | It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown |
You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown is the 37th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It first aired on January 18, 1994 on NBC, making it the first Peanuts special to air on a different network after 27 years on CBS. It is also the only animated special that aired on NBC.
Contents |
This special begins with Snoopy, as the World famous Coach, getting his football team, The Birds, ready. It consists entirely of Woodstock and his tiny friends. The announcer says, this game will decide the Eastern Champ for the "AFL" (Animal Football League). They are playing the team "The Cats" a ferocious group of cats. The Birds crushed The Cats, 38-0, making them the Eastern champs. The team celebrates by pouring a bottle of "Chirpade" on the coach.
Then, Lucy is seen asking Charlie Brown to kick a football. Charlie Brown refused to do it. Lucy then asked him "Are you gonna go through life not trusting anyone? That's no way to live." Charlie Brown decides, she's right, and tries to kick the ball, until Peppermint Patty comes, with Marcie, Franklin, and Linus, and tells Charlie Brown and Lucy, there will be a football, punt pass and kick contest, and first prize wins a new bicycle, and a trip to the super bowl, and they should all enter. While Lucy is looking at the poster for it, Charlie Brown realizes now is his chance to kick the football, and runs up to kick it, but Lucy pulls it away.
While Charlie Brown and Linus are practicing for the contest, they notice a very pretty girl, who catches Linus's attention. They both walk over to her, and introduce themselves to her. The girl says her name is Melody-Melody, and has been watching them. They flirt with her, and take her out for hot fudge sundaes. They then try to impress, and try to tell how they'll be entering the punt-and-kick contest. Melody says she will be rooting for them at the contest.
Then, comes a quick time out for more animal action! This time, it is The Birds, against The dogs, to figure out, which team will be going to the Super Bowl. Once again, The Birds crushed The Dogs, this time 58-0. It was then onto the World Championship, but not until another drink of Chirpade, poured onto the coach.
Then came the punt-and-kick contest. Charlie Brown and Linus see Melody watching them, and they argue who Melody came to watch.
The announcer announces every player, and every player got a better score than the next one, except for Marcie who didn't want to kick the football (Because the football didn't do anything to deserve being kicked).
Then Charlie Brown goes. He scored more points then anyone so far, and it Peppermint Patty, says, "That probably wins it for Chuck." But then, Linus went, and he beat Charlie Brown's score. Linus then got so excited because, he thinks he won. But then the announcer announces the last contestant, Miss Melody Melody! This got Charlie Brown and Linus confused. They thought Melody came to watch them play, and not enter the contest.
Melody goes and beats Linus's score. Linus got so upset. He admitted to Charlie Brown that he was in love with her. Melody wins the new bicycle and the tickets to the Super Bowl, leaving Charlie Brown and Linus in shock.
Then comes the AFL World Championship. It was The Birds, against The Bison. The announcer even admitted he doubts the birds have a chance against the bison. The game begins, and Lucy comes onto the field, and tells Snoopy he is a horrible coach, and his team will get crushed. But once again, The Birds crushed the other team, 62-0. The birds were then the World Champions! The birds then celebrate once more by pouring Chirpade on Lucy.
The special ends with Charlie Brown and Linus at the wall. Linus says, he is so upset that the girl of his dreams beat him in the contest. He says he will not trust anyone ever again. Charlie Brown told him, "Your sister says we can't go through life doubting everyone. We have to learn to trust each other." Lucy then comes to them holding a football, to which Charlie Brown says, "I can't stand it."
Marcie and Franklin are given last names in this special - Johnson and Armstrong, respectively; however, these cannot be considered canon, as Charles Schulz never gave them last names in the strip. These names are not used in any other special either.
The special first aired on 1993. Unlike all the animated Peanuts specials before it, which originally aired on CBS, this one premiered on NBC, which had the rights to air the Super Bowl in 1994. It is also the only Peanuts animated special to premiere on NBC and the first to air not on CBS- later Peanuts specials were either released directly to video or premiered on ABC. This was the last animated Peanuts special to air on television until A Charlie Brown Valentine which aired 8 years later in 2002.
This is also the only Peanuts special that Paramount Home Entertainment or Warner Home Video, the last two holders of the Peanuts home video rights, does not have the video distribution rights to. Its lone video release, like It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown before it, was available at participating Shell stations. There have currently been no plans for a DVD release. It has been speculated that this is because Warner Home Video (and Paramount before it) would have to pay royalties to the National Football League because the Peanuts wear football helmets with actual NFL teams on them during the "Punt 'n' Pass" contest. Plus the NFL logo appears in the special as well.
Stock footage from 1977's It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (the audience and the cheerleaders, primarily) was used for this special.
As with the preceding It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, Vince Guaraldi's classic music scores were redone by David Benoit.