Snoopy, Come Home

I have seen all the Peanuts movies, and this is the Peanuts movie that really makes me cry no matter how many years I have been watching it for (since around 1979 or so, when I was 5 or 6). It deals with the fact that Snoopy has gotten a letter from his former owner, a little girl named Lila. She is sick in the hospital and asks him to come see her (how did she get Charlie's addresss? Maybe the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm kept the Brown's address, and she asked them for it). He goes to see her, and then comes back. He then tells the rest of the gang (by typing out that he is leaving some of his worldly possessions to them, since he can't speak) that he must return to her. Here's where the sad part comes in--the going away party, and one of the saddest songs you'll ever hear in your whole life. It really hit me hard because my best friend at the time had moved away, and it always makes me think of that. This movie to me deals with losing a best friend, and then them coming back to you, which is what happened with me in real life. Also, you get to learn the story of how Charlie Brown got Snoopy in the first place (an incident on a playground resulted in Charlie's parents going to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm and picking out Snoopy a their dog). But, as with all the Peanuts movies, there is a happy ending...I think that you could figure out what it is, because even I'm happy in the end after crying my eyes out :)!

I bought the VHS (because it has not been released on DVD) version of this movie for my 5 y/o daughter (an avid Peanuts fan) and myself. I last saw this movie at least 25 years ago, yet I remembered all the songs/lyrics as if I had just watched it yesterday. My little girl was captivated by the movie and the so very sad "goodbye scene" even made her cry (which in turn almost made me cry).

You know, under this façade of sheer machismo, I'm really just a pathetic little wuss-bag of a girly-man. Yep, here I am in my late twenties, and I still get misty watching "Snoopy Come Home"! Oh, I've tried endless viewings of Clint, Sly & Arnie flicks- and any other cinematic fare that's saturated in pure manliness- to exorcise this little skeleton in my closet, all for naught. Snoopy's drawn-out farewell to ol' Chuck is just as weepingly heart-breaking today as it was when my eight-year-old eyes first saw it. If it weren't for the upbeat ending, I'd likely be on heavy antidepressants now!

But that's not the worst of it- some time ago I let a close friend in on my softer side surfacing whenever this harrowing tale comes on the tube. This ended up being one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made. Not one to keep the knowledge of a fellow man's secret shame to himself, he made sure my little quirk became well-known among our other less-than-sympathetic hang-out buds. Now I can't even host an old-school Star Trek eppie marathon party without some wiseguy slipping a "Snoopy Come Home" video in between the second season finale & the third-season premiere. With friends like these, who needs grief counselors?

My word of advice to you: if watching "Snoopy Comes Home" (or any other movie for that matter) leaves you feeling a little misty- and no one else knows about it- do yourself a favor and keep it to yourself. You'll be spared quite a bit of pain & anguish if ya do, believe you me!

'Late