Review Detail

Charlie Brown and his teammates, including "that weird kid" Snoopy, are back on the ball field. In a series of tales, that are interspersed with some vintage Schulz cartoons, we see the efforts of the struggling baseball team to win games and have fun. In the first, lengthier episode, Charlie Brown is invited by the president of the United States to play in an exhibition game for the Young Ambassdors program... in Tokyo. In a week! Lucy questions this, but the letter is legitimate, and soon the team is on its way to Japan. Peppermint Patty, who is not on the team, invites herself and Marcy along, and no one seems to mind. Once there, they get to sample Japanese culture, most of which makes ties to well known Charlie Brown facts; when the children are picking out Bonsai trees, Charlie finds one that looks a bit like his forlorn Christmas tree. Shroeder gets to play piano, the group wears kimonos and eats at a teppan restaurant, and Snoopy gets himself into several scrapes. When it's time for the game, the team doesn't do very well, but the day is saved when they get rained out, so they can claim to be undefeated in Japan, despite their abysmal home record. Other episodes include one on spring training, and one where Snoopy fancies himself a lawyer, a night game, and Snoopy dressing as a pelican.