A Boy Named Charlie Brown and The Peanuts Movie are two sides on the same coin

If you think about it, the two movies are almost the same. I say almost because there are a lot of differences between them, but they are very similar as well.

In both movies, Charlie Brown tries to win at something to prove that he's not the loser that everybody makes him out to be. In A Boy Named Charlie Brown, it's the spelling bee. In The Peanuts Movie, it's the talent show, the dance, the book report, and trying to impress The Little Red-Haired Girl.

In both movies, he finds that fleeting joy of success before it's taken away from him and he ends up right where he started.

The biggest difference between the two films is, of course, the ending.

In A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Linus tells him that it's not the end of the world just because he didn't win the spelling bee. Quietly encouraged by his words, Charlie Brown walks out of his bedroom and strolls through the neighborhood while all the other kids go about their day. He spots Lucy holding the football and slyly runs up to kick it. She pulls it away from him as always and he lands on his back. Lucy leans over him and welcomes him home.

The ending of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is indeed a melancholy one. But it does give us a powerful message. You shouldn't give up on yourself even when everyone's given up on you. It fits Charlie Brown's character and his philosophy. Never give up, no matter what.

The ending to The Peanuts Movie is quite different. At the film's end, Charlie Brown finally speaks with The Little Red-Haired Girl and asks why she chose him to be her summer pen-pal. She says it's because of how kind, selfless, and genuine he was shown to be throughout the movie. He saved Sally's talent show act, he confessed about his test score at the assembly instead of lying about it, and he wrote the book report that she was assigned to do with him while she was away. It was his pure, true character that she liked the entire time. With that, all of Charlie Brown's friends celebrate him and finally accept him for who he is.

I've heard some people say The Peanuts Movie's ending isn't accurate to how Schulz portrayed Charlie Brown. They do have a point, but I also believe that the ending did stay true to Charlie's character. He didn't become friends with The Little Red-Haired Girl because he impressed her by winning something. He became friends with her because she accepted him for who he really was, faults or not. In a way, it beautifully ties into the theme of finding love and acceptance, which is very true for Charlie Brown's character.

So to summarize, the two movies are similar with their main plots, but they differ in endings. I'm not saying that I prefer one ending over the other. I think both endings are great and represent the heart of Peanuts. Even when you've lost at everything in the world, you never stop being the person you're meant to be. Who knows? Maybe someday, you will find people who'll see you for who you are. Not for your accomplishments, but for your heart.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Share your thoughts!