Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanut gang has been repackaged dozens of times over: the comic strip, storybooks, Broadway plays and, of course, the cartoons. Some of the cartoons have become staples of holiday tradition while others have been marginalized with nowhere near the same attention. Charlie Brown’s miserable Christmas tree, the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’s sad walking music and Snoopy’s suppertime dance have permeated pop culture in ways guaranteed to make you smile. This latest assembly of (almost) all of the original 1960s cartoons reminds us what makes them so iconic even with noticeably aged animation – these things are classic.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)
A yuletide masterpiece, this tale of Charlie Brown’s Christmas woes has a very traditional bent to it: the man of infinite melancholy just can’t seem to get into the holiday cheer. Can Charlie Brown’s friends help him out? Will the evening’s events end with the wholesome goodness we’ve come to expect from Schulz’s kids.
“Charlie Brown’s All-Stars” (1966)
A fun little lesson on materialism comes via the Peanuts’ seminally featured sport: baseball. Charlie’s down-on-their-luck team gets new hope when new uniforms arrive – but is teamwork all about material things? Or is it something more? Charlie and the gang learn their lesson with an entertaining little feature.
“It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlies Brown” (1966)
Charlie Brown’s social ineptitude gets put to the test when he’s invited to a Halloween party. Being the homebody he is, such an event poses no small supply of worries for the boy in the yellow zigzag-striped shirt. Meanwhile, Linus waits loyally in the pumpkin patch for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. This may be the most meaningful piece of pop culture centered on Halloween. The concept of the Great Pumpkin has become an interesting symbol of faith in the face of overwhelming doubt with an almost Godot-esque message. Is the Great Pumpkin representative of God? Maybe. But one thing is for certain: this may be the best cartoon in the set.
“You’re In Love, Charlie Brown” (1967)
The seldom-remembered little red-haired girl has Charlie Brown smitten as the school year comes to a close. As the clock counts down on the final days of academia, Chuck struggles to find the words to tell her how he feels – but come on, we all know the man’s about as smooth as gravel.
“He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown” (1968)
Here’s a side of the cartoon world of Charlie Brown that usually gets glossed over when it comes to choosing which Charlie Browns to air on a Saturday afternoon. Casting Snoopy as a more irritating pet, Charlie Brown and friends work to get Snoopy’s bad behavior under control. It’s an interesting part of Schulz’s cartoon lore that doesn’t get quite as much play thanks to Snoopy being in a more negative light – and let’s be honest, people love Snoopy. So seeing him lambasted as a miscreant makes this installment in the series somewhat out of place – but on the other hand it offers plenty of room for some fun Woodstock moments.
“It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown” (1969)
Every kid shares this title’s grief. The gang’s days at a summer camp come filled with hijinx and competition as the boys and girls go head to head in a series of events. Peppermint Patty spearheads the female efforts at victory as the boys gather under Chuck and a mysterious newcomer named “The Masked Marvel”. This is a great closing cartoon for the set; it has all the carefree elements of childhood wrapped into the characters of Peanuts that have made memories for so many generations.
It’s a priceless set and seems to suggest similar sets for the later Peanuts cartoons as well (the absence of which on this set is only acceptable due to the decade time constraints). The real value of the set is the accumulation of 6 great cartoons in one set whereas they were recently only available as individual DVDs – this is something that’s been needed for a long while. The picture and audio haven’t changed and that’s really not too surprising as they’ve clearly just repackaged it as one set – but who’s complaining?
DVD Bonus Features
Past acquaintances of Vince Guaraldi, the legendary composer behind the Peanut scores, convene for a touching retrospective on the man and the mark he left on the world with his warm, bouncing compositions. The documentary is full of musicians, family and people attached to the Peanuts specials regaling the camera with their interpretations of what made Guaraldi such a monument of musical greatness. Heartwarming – every moment of it. Finally, Martin Scorsese, George Clooney and Steven Spielberg collaborate on a very brief tribute to some of the most iconic Warner Brothers film moments. It’s a nice little clip show, but its presence on the disc is somewhat puzzling.
One question remains: where is “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”? It should have been in this set. Too bad.
"Peanuts: 1960's Collection" is on sale July 7, 2009 and is rated NR. Animation, Children & Family, Television. Directed by Bill Melendez. Written by Charles M. Schulz. Starring Chris Doran, Bill Melendez, Karen Mendelson, Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Tracy Stratford.
