Saturday, November 2, 2013

Discuss: The Charlie Brown Specials


Doug:  The Peanuts animated features, whether on television for the holidays or even as feature films in the theaters, were always treats.  Tell about your favorites... and have a Zinger while you're at it!


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10 comments:

Redartz said...

Quite right Doug, those specials always evoked anticipation at each holiday they celebrated. The Great Pumpkin is my favorite; just watched it the other night. Loads of fun, even with poor Charlie Brown and his bag of rocks. I was always struck by the sequence where Snoopy's WWI flying ace is shot down and makes his way across no-man's land. For an upbeat holiday cartoon, this scene is almost hauntingly evocative (perhaps reflecting Charles Shultz' wartime experience). Plus, Vince Guaraldi's score just nails it ; from the lonely melody accompanying the WWI scene to his classic "Linus and Lucy".

November 2, 2013 at 7:26 AM
Rip Jagger said...

Put me down for the Christmas special. It along with Rudolph are on my annual must-not-miss-if-possible list.

I keep buying it on dvd and it keeps wandering off to other households. Just saw it again at the local discount store this morning.

I'm not a monster Peanuts fan overall, enjoy it, but don't have the great attachment some do. But I love that special.

Rip Off

November 2, 2013 at 9:16 AM
Graham said...

I loved those specials growing up, and my kids loved the Christmas, Halloween and Thanksgiving specials so much that we had to buy them. We still watch them when things slow down enough that we're all in the same place at the same time during the holidays.

One of my favorite parts of each one of them was the score by Vince Guaraldi. I even bought the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

November 2, 2013 at 11:46 AM
Edo Bosnar said...

I used to love all three when I was a kid, and probably liked the Christmas one the best. Now, though, the Halloween special is my favorite, for many of the same reasons mentioned by Redartz.
And I definitely agree with the Graham, Vince Guaraldi's music in all three is simply wonderful.

November 2, 2013 at 11:55 AM
J.A. Morris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
November 2, 2013 at 3:01 PM
J.A. Morris said...

I love them, I'm a "monster Peanuts fan" to borrow Rip's phrase. When I hear the tune 'Linus And Lucy', I'm a little kid again. Guaraldi was a genius, just like Schultz.

We've reviewed quite a few Peanuts specials at my Holiday Reviews blog,check 'em out if you feel like it:
http://holidayfilmreviews.blogspot.com/search?q=peanuts

November 2, 2013 at 3:18 PM
david_b said...

Not much disagreement here.., the 'big 3' are awesome. So much so, that I was slightly peeved when they later did more for the different holidays and fads (July 4th, the 'Flashdance' one in the '80s, etc..). They just milked the original charm dry.

Loving the television specials, I was quite surprised at the first theatrical film, 'Snoopy Come Home' with Snoopy being punished by that new owner.. "Juuuuust a bit dark, wasn't it..?"

Anywho, not a huge fanatic, but I love collecting vintage (late '60s) Peanuts collectables.

Who here had the Snoopy models..?

http://www.oldmodelkits.com/jpegs/Monogram%206779%20Snoopy.JPG

LOVED the Sopwith Camel model.. I remember playing with it, then it accidentally falling and crashing into little pieces. I was so heartbroken. I just had the Camel, the motorcycle and Bugatti.., all with the battery-powered motors. They were great.

November 2, 2013 at 4:41 PM
Anonymous said...

Ah, Dolly Madison. My favorite first lady.

November 2, 2013 at 6:42 PM
Joseph said...

The Peanuts specials (and ever present Dolly Madison commercials that accompanied them) signaled fun holidays for me as a kid, too.

David B: my family had the Snoopy Come Home soundtrack and listened to it often (on 8-track, of course). Along with the plot you mentioned (little girl in the hospital), even the songs were melancholy (No Dogs Allowed, etc). Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that I find myself drawn to sadsack, maudlin tunes now.

November 2, 2013 at 11:49 PM
Anonymous said...

Well, I guess I'm gonna have to go on You Tube and revisit some of this, when time permits.
Thanks to Joseph, for clarifying my cryptic remark about Dolly Madison. I was a little nervous about that one.
I was a big fan of Snoopy and the Red Baron. Like Snoopy, I would also like to meet Bill Mauldin in a French tavern and share war stories over a few root beers. "Curse you, Red Baron! Thompson is in trouble, Charlie Brown!"

November 3, 2013 at 3:31 AM

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