It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown! is the thirty-eighth Peanuts animated special. It was released on VHS on August 5, 1997, being one of two Peanuts specials to currently have no DVD release. It was the last special of the 1990s and the last one to be released during Schulz's lifetime. The next special, It's the Pied Piper, Charlie Brown, was produced by Schulz but not released until after his death.
Plot[]
This special begins with Linus roller skating around town. He roller skates to a birthday party and back. On his way home, he passes a garden and hears a beautiful singing voice. He enters the garden to find the source of the beautiful voice and finds a little girl singing.
Linus bashfully goes over to her and introduces himself. She tells him her name is Mimi and is visiting her grandmother for a while. Linus helps her in the garden, Mimi tells him how much she loves flowers and teaches him about them. After they finish gardening, Linus tells her he has just come from a birthday party, Mimi tells him she loves birthday parties. Linus then invites her to his birthday, which is in a few days, and she accepts.
Linus hears her beautiful voice everywhere he goes and says he can not get her out of his head. He does not even realize what he is writing when the teacher asks him to write on the board, which results in him being humiliated in front of the entire class. One night when he goes to get a drink of water, he accidentally goes to the shower and turns on the faucet, resulting in him getting wet.
When Lucy is looking over Linus's birthday party guest list, she asks who Mimi is. Linus tells her, and Lucy thinks it is ridiculous that he is inviting a girl he just met, and that she probably will not show up. Linus assures her that she will show up, and even sing to him. Linus does not even think the party will be fun if Mimi is not there.
Later that day, after Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, and Snoopy have been shopping, the party takes place. Linus greets everyone who comes, but wonders where Mimi is. Nevertheless, Linus is still certain that she will come. While all the other children are enjoying the party, Linus waits by the door, looking for Mimi. He begins to worry that she will not show up. Then Lucy brings out the cake and starts singing "Happy Birthday" to Linus. Linus tries getting her to stop because Mimi has not shown up yet, but it is too late, everyone else joins her in singing, and Linus grows very upset. As soon as they finish singing, Linus hears a familiar voice singing "Happy Birthday". Linus becomes very excited when he realizes the girl singing is Mimi. He runs outside and finds Mimi in her car.
Once Mimi finishes singing, she hands Linus a flower and kisses him on the forehead, then the car drives away. Linus becomes so happy that she did this, that he starts dancing, and soon becomes the life of the party. The next morning at the brick wall, Charlie Brown tells Linus that he is sorry he did not get to meet Mimi. Linus, who is still thinking about Mimi, wonders if he will ever hear her beautiful singing again. The special ends with Woodstock appearing next to them and whistling Mimi's song, much to Linus and Charlie Brown's enjoyment.
Voice cast[]
- Steven Hartman – Charlie Brown
- Anthony Burch – Linus van Pelt
- Jamie Cronin – Lucy van Pelt/Mimi
- Cathy Cavadini - Mimi (singing)
- Danielle Keaton – Sally Brown
- Brandon Taylor – "Pig-Pen"
- Megan Ellis – Birthday Girl
- Bill Melendez – Snoopy/Woodstock
Patty Swanson, Shermy, Franklin, Frieda Rich, and Marcie appear but are silent.
Soundtrack[]
- "Rollerblading"
- "Linus and Lucy"
- "Getting Ready"
- "Rollerblading"
- Unknown track title
- "Rollerblading"
- "O Mio Babbino Caro"
- "O Mio Babbino Caro"
- "Woodstock Whistles"
- "Linus Tells Charlie"
- "O Mio Babbino Caro"
- "Linus and Lucy"
- "Birthday Blues"
- "Birthday Blues"
- Unknown track title
- "Birthday Blues"
- "Happy Birthday to You" (traditional, sung by cast)
- "Happy Birthday to You" (traditional, sung by Mimi)
- "Getting Ready"
- "Linus Tells Charlie"
- "Woodstock Whistles"
- "Rollerblading"
Trivia[]
- The working title for this special was originally It's Linus' Birthday, Charlie Brown.
- During the party scenes, most of the animation of the characters dancing was reused from It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown.
- This special marks the first time a Peanuts special was animated with digital ink and paint as opposed to traditional cel animation.
- Three tracks from this special, "Getting Ready", "Linus Tells Charlie" and "Rollerblading" were later released in the albums, Here's to You, Charlie Brown!: 50 Great Years and Jazz for Peanuts: A Retrospective of the Charlie Brown TV Themes, respectively.
- The song that Mimi sings is "O Mio Babbino Caro" by Giacomo Puccini. The song was previously used in She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown.
- According to the commercial for this special on some VHS tapes, it is the "first new Peanuts Classic in 11 years". However, this is not completely true, as the last Peanuts special to be aired, Snoopy's Reunion, was aired only 6 years prior. They are likely referring to Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, which was the most recent video up to then released in the Peanuts Classics line of videos, along with the other holiday episode. Thus, this marks the first non-holiday special to be released in the line.
- Mimi bares a striking resemblance to Janice Emmons.
- Marcie appears to be without her friend, Peppermint Patty, in this special.
- This is the third special to depict Linus liking a girl who likes him back. The first one being Someday You'll Find Her, Charlie Brown and the second being Why, Charlie Brown, Why?
- Mimi is the last character to be released in a TV special. After that, future TV specials included characters solely from the comic strip, until 26 years later where Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie introduced Carlin.
- Lucy and Mimi were voiced by the same actress, Jamie Cronin.
- Mimi's hat is shown to be slightly different when she shows up at Linus's birthday party.
- Mimi's singing voice was done by Cathy Cavadini, who was the voice actress for Blossom on the original Powerpuff Girls.
- Lucy mistakes Mimi for Fifi, which is the name of the poodle Snoopy falls in love with in Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown. She later reappears in The Peanuts Movie.
- This is the first, and only TV special where Anthony Burch voices Linus. Burch had voiced the character in two PC-ROM games, Get Ready for School, Charlie Brown! and Snoopy's Campfire Stories.
- This was the second Peanuts special to be released direct-to-video after It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, which was originally sold at Shell Oil gas stations before its TV debut. Along with It's an Adventure, Charlie Brown, Snoopy!!! The Musical, It's the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown, and You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown!, it has yet to receive a DVD release.
- This is the last TV special of the 1990s, and the last one to be created in the 20th century.
- Linus embarrassing himself in front of the whole class is similar to the scene from You're in Love, Charlie Brown where Charlie Brown answers a math problem to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl by making a complicated answer which embarrasses himself in front of his whole class.
- Mimi's first name may or may not be short for "Miriam"
- Mimi is so far, the last girl for Linus to fall in love with.
- Linus blushes or the last time in this special, until 24 years later in Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne where he humiliates himself at the New Year's Party before standing up to Lucy.
Goofs[]
- Charlie Brown is seen dancing with his friends at Linus' birthday party, but when Sally gets home in the next scene, he asked her how the party was or maybe after the party, he was asking Sally if she enjoyed the party they both attended.
- The house that the kids are seen leaving from is different from Linus' own house.
- When Linus enters the garden to search for whoever's singing the beautiful song, he takes his shoes off. However, when he helps her out with the garden, his shoes are right back on.
- Patty Swanson is shown to have black hair when she is normally a brunette. She is also shown to be missing her bow.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown on the Internet Movie Database.
- It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown on the Big Cartoon Database.
- It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown on AllMovie.