Generations have grown up with the Peanuts gang in print and onscreen, but in the 1970s, television specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown were only a few years old. Their incredible popularity fueled Charles Schulz to create a flurry of new Peanuts TV specials about everything from election day to holidays like Thanksgiving and Easter. While Charlie Brown figures prominently in each special, he’s not always the primary focus; in this remastered, six-show compilation, Schroeder, Sally, Snoopy, and Woodstock each get a chance to shine. In the never-before-seen-on-DVD “Play It Again, Charlie Brown,” Schroeder is completely obsessed with Beethoven, and no amount of scheming or flattery on Lucy’s part can get Schroeder’s attention until she provides him with an opportunity to make his stage debut. Unfortunately, overlooked details derail the concert and any chance of Lucy making a good impression on Schroeder. When the polls show that Charlie Brown has absolutely no chance of being elected student body president at his school in “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” Lucy convinces Linus to step up to the challenge. Joe Cool makes an appearance in support of Linus’s campaign, but as in most politics, Linus’s big plans for the presidency lead to little action. Anxiety over school consumes Sally, Peppermint Patty, and Charlie Brown in “There’s No Time for Love, Charlie Brown,” and a field trip gone wrong does nothing to lessen their discomfort. “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is probably the best-known special in this compilation and finds the wishy-washy Charlie Brown unexpectedly hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for all his friends. Relying on Snoopy and Woodstock to set up a table in the backyard and prepare an unorthodox meal of popcorn and toast, Charlie Brown somehow manages to pull off a Thanksgiving celebration that honors the true spirit of the holiday. Another first on DVD, “It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown” is the delightful story of Snoopy’s and Woodstock’s search, à la Sherlock Holmes, for Woodstock’s missing nest, and “It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown” finds Marci mangling the tradition of dying eggs and Linus eagerly anticipating the appearance of the Easter Beagle. The 12-minute bonus special about the creation of Snoopy’s sidekick, Woodstock, sheds light on how Snoopy’s nemesis was created in the 1960s and how the cute little bird quickly evolved into Snoopy’s valued companion and friend. Relive your childhood with this wonderful Peanuts collection and be sure to share these timeless shows with the next generation. (Ages 2 and older) –Tami Horiuchi
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/20/2009 Run time: 175 minutes Rating: Nr
Product Details
- Actors: Todd Barbee, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Hilary Momberger, Christopher DeFaria
- Directors: Bill Melendez, Phil Roman
- Writers: Charles M. Schulz
- Producers: Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson
- Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, NTSC
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0), Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 1.0)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Unrated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: October 20, 2009
- Run Time: 175 minutes
- ASIN: B002LIZWS4
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: #825 in Movies & TV
Special Features
- Disc 1: Play It Again Charlie Brown, You’re Not Elected Charlie Brown, There’s No Time for Love Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
- Disc 2: It’s a Mystery Charlie Brown, It’s the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown
- New featurette: Woodstock: Creating Snoopy’s Sidekick
Editorial Reviews
Charles Schulz’s award-winning “Peanuts” comics and animated television specials are perennial favorites of adults and children alike. What is it that makes a story about a morose young boy struggling with low self-esteem and social ineptness so timelessly appealing? Perhaps it’s the universality of his struggle or Schulz’s social commentary that sometimes proved years ahead of its time–or maybe “Peanuts” is just plain great animated entertainment. Regardless of why “Peanuts” remains so popular today, the 1960s gave birth to current classics A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as well as four other works, with each network debut proving a highly anticipated television event. This two-disc compilation features all six 1960s specials, remastered with strikingly bright colors and crisp, clear pictures for a viewing experience that’s simply great.Probably the best-known Peanuts special, the Emmy-award-winning A Charlie Brown Christmas follows a despondent Charlie Brown through the Christmas season as he tries to get involved and figure out the true meaning of Christmas. The Emmy-nominated It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown chronicles Charlie Brown’s emotional ups and downs as he goes trick-or-treating, attends a Halloween party, and ponders his friend Linus’s unfailing belief in the existence of the Great Pumpkin. The lesser-known, but highly engaging special Charlie Brown’s All-Stars finds Charlie Brown’s losing baseball team excited about a sponsorship offer that will provide them with uniforms and entrance into a real league. Problem is, manager Charlie Brown would be forced to cut Snoopy and the girls from the team in order to comply with league rules–a step he’s just not willing to take. You’re in Love, Charlie Brown finds Charlie Brown infatuated with the Little Red-Haired Girl and frustrated with his inability to overcome his shyness and speak to her. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown features an incorrigible Snoopy who, rather than returning to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for a refresher course in obedience, moves in with Peppermint Patty only to find himself overworked and unhappy. While Snoopy is gone, Charlie Brown and the gang realize just how important a role Snoopy plays in their daily lives. It Was a Short Summer is Charlie Brown’s reflection on what he did at camp over summer vacation. A 38-minute bonus feature about “”Linus and Lucy”” composer Vince Guaraldi delves into his music and philosophy, detailing the evolution of his music over the years and the integral part that it played in the “Peanuts” television specials. Whether reliving childhood memories or creating a whole new set with children or grandchildren, this classic “Peanuts” collection is perfect for sharing. –Tami Horiuchi
All the Peanuts episodes from the 1960s remastered all in one set. Timed to release around anniversary of Woodstock Festival where Woodstock will be the mascot.
Product Details
- Actors: Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Mimi Gibson, Bill Melendez
- Directors: Bill Melendez
- Writers: Charles M. Schulz
- Producers: Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson
- Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, NTSC
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), Japanese (Dolby Digital 1.0), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 1.0)
- Subtitles: English, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Thai
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rating: Unrated
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- DVD Release Date: July 7, 2009
- Run Time: 150 minutes
- ASIN: B001VFM0TW
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: #512 in Movies & TV
Special Features
- Includes: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, You’re in Love Charlie Brown, He’s Your Dog Charlie Brown, It Was a Short Summer Charlie Brown
- New featurette profiling composer Vince Guaraldi: The Maestro of Menlo Park
Editorial Reviews
Things get off to a bumpy start. First, Charlie fails to make anything profound out of the cloud formations above, just a “ducky” and a “horsy.” (But that’s always been one of his best qualities–he calls them as he sees them.) Then he has a disastrous kite experience, followed by further humiliation on the baseball field (with its dandelion-covered pitching mound). Just when it seems as if things couldn’t get much worse–they don’t. Charlie finds something he’s good at. Lucy, Violet, and the rest of the Peanuts gang doubt that his spelling bee winning streak can possibly last, but Charlie proves them all wrong and makes it to the national championships in New York City. His best pal, Linus, and free-spirited pooch, Snoopy, arrive shortly afterwards and provide their support. Granted, this rare, full-length feature film ends just as it began, with one more small humiliation, but it’s Charlie’s achievement that leaves the bigger impression. There are even a few lessons to be learned, but the tone is never preachy or condescending. Along the way, there are numerous pleasures to enjoy: Vince Guaraldi’s classic Oscar-nominated score (featuring lyrics by Rod McKuen), the brightly hued, clean-lined animation (which occasionally erupts into impressionist and pop art flights of fancy), Schroeder’s lovely rendition of Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata, Snoopy’s ice-skating escapade at Rockefeller Plaza, and Linus’s Fred Astaire-inspired dance with his long lost blanket. –Kathleen C. Fennessy
Join Charlie Brown and the rest of the delightful “Peanuts” gang in their smashing debut on the silver screen in the late Charles M. Schulz’s first full-length animated motion picture. It’s a movie filled with all the characters and charm that has made “Peanuts” the most popular comic strip in the world. And it is musical entertainment that will positively make you grin from ear to ear. Our story begins with Charlie Brown gearing up for his first pitch of the baseball season – stopping midstream because his pitcher’s mound is filled with dandelions. It’s one enchanting scene after another in this very special movie that brings all our “Peanuts” characters to fun-loving life. With excitement added by Vince Gauraldi’s jazz music and songs by Rod McKuen, A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a motion picture Gene Shalit said is “so cheerful I can hardly wait for the next one!”
Product Details
- Actors: Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, Glenn Gilger, Andy Pforsich, Sally Dryer
- Directors: Bill Melendez
- Writers: Charles M. Schulz
- Producers: Bill Melendez, Charles M. Schulz, Lee Mendelson
- Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: G (General Audience)
- Studio: Paramount
- DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006
- Run Time: 86 minutes
- ASIN: B000E1NX9A
- Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,923 in Movies & TV