Snoopy inadvertently joins a traveling circus and succumbs to the allure of show business after falling for pretty big top poodle Fifi. Meanwhile, poor Charlie Brown mourns the loss of his beloved beagle. Done with characteristic warmth and amiability by Charles M. Schulz, this TV special makes for a perfectly pleasant and harmless diversion thanks to its easygoing and lighthearted tone, pretty fluid and impressive animation, cheery'n'catchy score by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen, and a sweet and charming canine romance between Snoppy and Fifi. Of course, the always dynamic and personable Snoopy clearly dominates the proceedings throughout: Snoopy initially fumbles with doing flips and jumping through rings before mastering a daring high wire act and performing a dangerous trapeze routine with Fifi (Snoopy also gets renamed Hugo the Great!). Moreover, this show concludes on a nice realistic note with Snoopy having to leave Fifi behind when he decides to return to Charlie Brown. A fun little item.
3 Reviews
Very Good But Not As Great......
jennaspivac18 November 2008
I agree with the other poster on here that all of the Charlie Brown/Peanuts TV specials through the sixties and seventies were much better than the later specials, including this one, but I still think this one is very good. Even though it's not as "touching and even profound" as the earlier ones it is still pretty good and holds up a lot better than most franchises that go on and on for years. I am surprised how well Charlie Brown/Peanuts continued to hold up over all those years. Yes it got worse but was still pretty good and great family themed entertainment that always had a decent message/moral behind it. I also disagree that the Garfield specials were "even worse", I think they were much better than the later Charlie Brown/Peanuts specials at least as far as how many laughs we got out of those specials.
"I Go To A Progressive School, Chuck!"
Better_Sith_Than_Sorry14 May 2023
So says Peppermint Patty to Charlie Brown when she calls to inform him that her school has been given the day off to attend a traveling circus. A day off from school? That seems very unlikely today, and doesn't really ring true for 1980, either. It wasn't a class trip. It was just a day off. OK. A bit of an odd premise for this one. The story could easily have the kids attending the circus on a Saturday. But I digress.
Plot In a Nutshell: Snoopy is forced into a traveling circus act when his attraction to a performing poodle leads him into trouble.
Yes so despite the mentions of PP and CB, this one is about 80% Snoopy. Most of the story centers on his attraction to a French poodle named Fifi, and how he is sort of 'dognapped' by the trainer and forced into a 'performing dog' circus routine. The rest of the Peanuts gang only drifts into and out of the story as it unfolds. Woodstock, usually inseparable from Snoopy, is MIA in this one.
Why I rated it a '7': It's relatively good if not particularly memorable. I'm pretty sure I saw this as a child but the only thing about it I remembered was Snoopy's crush on Fifi. Basically, it's a cute little story of puppy love that comes to an abrupt end when Snoopy and Fifi realize that their lives are just a little too different; he can't live in her world, nor she in his.
Watching it brought back memories of "Snoopy Come Home," as there are some slight similarities to parts of that story. "Life Is a Circus" managed to win an Emmy in 1981 for Outstanding Animated Program.
7/10. Short and bittersweet. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.
Plot In a Nutshell: Snoopy is forced into a traveling circus act when his attraction to a performing poodle leads him into trouble.
Yes so despite the mentions of PP and CB, this one is about 80% Snoopy. Most of the story centers on his attraction to a French poodle named Fifi, and how he is sort of 'dognapped' by the trainer and forced into a 'performing dog' circus routine. The rest of the Peanuts gang only drifts into and out of the story as it unfolds. Woodstock, usually inseparable from Snoopy, is MIA in this one.
Why I rated it a '7': It's relatively good if not particularly memorable. I'm pretty sure I saw this as a child but the only thing about it I remembered was Snoopy's crush on Fifi. Basically, it's a cute little story of puppy love that comes to an abrupt end when Snoopy and Fifi realize that their lives are just a little too different; he can't live in her world, nor she in his.
Watching it brought back memories of "Snoopy Come Home," as there are some slight similarities to parts of that story. "Life Is a Circus" managed to win an Emmy in 1981 for Outstanding Animated Program.
7/10. Short and bittersweet. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.
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