It's Magic, Charlie Brown

1981 television special

Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1980)
Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown (1981)

It's Magic, Charlie Brown is the 21st prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.^[1] It originally aired on April 28, 1981.^[2]

Plot

Charlie Brown decides that Snoopy needs to educate himself, and gives him his library card to check out a few books. Snoopy takes out a book about magic and performs a magic show as "The Great Houndini." He ends the show by making Charlie Brown disappear. A sudden rainstorm ends the show early, and Charlie Brown is left invisible. Snoopy tries several ideas to make him visible again, including draping a sheet over him, which only scares Charlie Brown when he looks in the mirror and sees what he thinks is a ghost.

Charlie Brown realizes he has a golden opportunity to kick Lucy's football without her knowing. Charlie Brown finally succeeds in kicking the football and taunts her about it. Furious, Lucy threatens Snoopy into bringing back Charlie Brown.

Snoopy manages to bring Charlie Brown back after blindly shooting his invisibility counter spell in an attempt to find him. Charlie Brown turns back to normal while he attempts to kick Lucy's football again before she pulls it away at the last second. Regardless, Charlie Brown is happy that he finally kicked the football, although Lucy says no one will believe him. Charlie Brown says that Snoopy will believe him since he made it possible for him. When Lucy scoffs at Snoopy, the insulted beagle magically levitates Lucy into the sky, and leaves her stuck there as payback until Linus pulls her down with his blanket during the credits. After being brought down by Linus, a defeated and humiliated Lucy walks home.

Cast

Michael Mandy as Charlie Brown
- Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown screaming (archived)
Sydney Penny as Lucy van Pelt
Cindi Reilly as Sally Brown
Earl Reilly as Linus van Pelt, Franklin
Brent Hauer as Peppermint Patty
Shannon Cohn/Casey Carlson as Marcie
Christopher Donohone as Schroeder
Bill Melendez as Snoopy, Woodstock

Home media

It's Magic, Charlie Brown was released on DVD on September 2, 2008, as a bonus feature on Warner Home Video's remaster of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.^[3]

References

^ Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 137, 146. ISBN 978-1452110912.
^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
^ Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials DVD news: Rear Box Art for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Remastered Deluxe Edition | TVShowsOnDVD.com Archived 2008-10-16 at the Wayback Machine