Every Charlie Brown reference in Wes Anderson movies
Without a doubt, Wes Anderson is one of modern cinema’s most beloved filmmakers. A true auteur, the director has carved out a recognisable style that has inspired exhibitions and books labelling things as ‘Accidentally Wes Anderson’ – a testament to his idiosyncratic use of aesthetics.
Pastels, symmetry and quirky characters define much of his work, which began with 1996’s Bottle Rocket. While this film doesn’t bear as much of his quintessential visual style as his later movies, it kicked off a filmography preoccupied with all things offbeat and, above all, humorous.
Anderson really began to hone his recognisable aesthetic with The Royal Tenenbaums, which remains one of his greatest achievements. Darkly comic, emotional and finely crafted – characters get their own detailed introductions – the movie draws from many classic old movies, such as the ‘60s drama The Fire Within. As you delve into Anderson’s movies, decades such as the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s appear to bear the most influence over his work.
In fact, much of his visual style is borrowed from the works of French New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard, who rose to prominence in the ‘60s with movies which utilise strong, distinctive colour palettes, fourth wall breaks and symmetrical framing. You only have to look at a film like Pierrot Le Fou to see where Anderson gets a large chunk of his inspiration from.
His love for the past bleeds through every movie, with most of them taking place in previous decades, even if the date is unspecified. For example, Moonrise Kingdom is set in the ‘60s, The French Dispatch is located in the ‘70s, and Asteroid City transports us to the ‘50s. It’s a vision complimented by music too, with the filmmaker relying on a jukebox of classic hits to pepper his work with perfectly perfumed pop.
Besides Anderson’s love of old music, fashion and movies, his adoration for the classic comic series Peanuts, which began in the ‘50s, is woven into many of his films. Created by Charles M. Schulz, the comics follow a group of children through their day-to-day lives, with Charlie Brown becoming the most recognisable of the bunch.
A sensitive young boy, Charlie Brown is loved for his relatability, often struggling to do what his peers are capable of and appearing shy yet determined to succeed. In the ‘60s, cartoons based on the comic were first made, starting with A Charlie Brown Christmas. A series of television specials, series, and feature films, such as A Boy Named Charlie Brown, were made over the coming years, attracting millions of fans.
Anderson is a big fan of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts universe, and has doffed his cap to the comic via references to the characters in some of his films. The depiction of children as complex beings in the Peanuts comics and movies reflects the way Anderson often approaches childhood and coming-of-age in his films, such as Moonrise Kingdom. In his 2012 comedy-drama, Suzy wears a pink dress that looks like one that Little Red-Haired Girl is seen wearing.
But that’s not all – the Boy Scout troop reflects Snoopy’s Beagle Scouts. In general, many thematic parallels can be drawn between Moonrise Kingdom and various episodes of Peanuts in regards to their depiction of navigating childhood – often without the presence of strong parental figures. There’s even a dog in the film called Snoopy.
If we go back a few years to The Royal Tenenbaums, Anderson uses the version of ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ from A Charlie Brown Christmas as a leitmotif for Gwyneth Paltrow’s character Margot. The song plays during many scenes in which she is present, amping up the sense of nostalgia for many viewers.
The movie Anderson made before The Royal Tenenbaums was Rushmore, which saw Jason Schwarztman play a teenage boy, Max, who becomes friends with a parent who acts as his well-needed guide, although they soon both begin fancying the same woman. The movie features several references to Charlie Brown, such as Max carrying a plant in the same way that the cartoon often holds a little tree, and the use of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ from the Charlie Brown soundtrack.
However, the Charlie Brown reference which can be found in all of these movies is the presence of theatre productions. In Moonrise Kingdom, we see the kids put on a play, with the main characters meeting during the performance. In The Royal Tenenbaums, flashbacks to Margot’s childhood reveal that she was an avid playwright as a kid, penning plays for her siblings.
Then, in Rushmore, a theatre play is conducted, which Max is in charge of. That’s not all, though – we’ve also got newer examples of Anderson’s obsessions with plays in the form of 2021’s The French Dispatch, which sees a play take place, and 2023’s Asteroid City – a film all about the production of a play.
These repeated references to childhood plays no doubt stem from Anderson’s love of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is based around the titular character’s attempts to direct a festive theatre production. Clearly, Anderson is a massive fan of the widely adored characters, their influence appearing both obviously and subtly across his decades-spanning body of work.