Delightful Charlie Brown classic specials

What we have with the PEANUTS CLASSIC HOLIDAY COLLECTION dvd boxed set are six Charlie Brown animated shorts, not three. All six, as best as I can tell, have been written by Charles Schulz and produced/directed by Lee Melendez. Two are flat-out ***** masterpieces: IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN and A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. PUMPKIN is a perennial Halloween classic with everyone making fun of Linus, who wants to sit all night in the local pumpkin patch waiting for The Great Pumpkin. Linus does not quite get what he was expecting, but his sister Lucy has an exquisite wordless scene at the end when she wakes up in the middle of the night and notices Linus is shivering and asleep out in the pumpkin patch. She carries him inside the house, takes off his outer clothes, and sweetly tucks him into bed.

CHRISTMAS belongs on the National Film Registry in the Library of Congress; it is immortal, right from Charlie Brown saying to Linus, "I know I am supposed to be happy at this time of year, but I really don't." Noticing no holiday cards in the mailbox, he then adds, "I know no one likes me. Do we need a holiday to remind me of that?" Sublime. Then the group bobs for apples, Snoopy is the World War One flying ace, and everyone ridicules poor Charlie Brown when he buys the smallest tree in the Christmas lot. "It looks like it just needs love,"Charlie says to the group. And so it goes until everyone realizes what some lights and garlands can do for the tree. They end up singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" as they wish Charlie a Merry Christmas.

A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING gets ****, but is still very good and ideal Thanksgiving season viewing. A pesty Peppermint Patty forces Charlie Brown to cook a full turkey dinner without asking him, then one by one makes sure the whole gang can show up for it. Snoopy helps cook popcorn to go with bread and butter and candy, which enrages Patty. But Patty's friend saves the day by asking her if she was invited to the party, or invited herself and everyone else. It all ends happily, of course.

The three bonus Charlie Brown specials on this boxed DVD are YOU'RE NOT ELECTED, CHARLIE BROWN, which has Linus running for Class President, but ridiculed for his Great Pumpkin platform. THE MAYFLOWER VOYAGERS, paired with A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING, has the gang back in historical times, traveling to the New World and setting up Jamestown colony after making peace with indians. And IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN is ideal Christmas viewing and revolves around putting on a Christmas play. It has some laugh-out-loud moments, like someone who only has to say "Baa" as a sheep getting stage fright and going "Moo". All three of these are in the ***/**** range, not classics but lots of fun and very festive.

The PEANUTS CLASSIC HOLIDAY COLLECTION three disk DVD boxed set is a festive delight that belongs in every home to pull out three times each year...or six times. It really captures the spirit of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and especially Christmas.

That's what it's all about!

This DVD set includes three classic Peanuts specials and three bonus shorts. While I have viewed all three of the specials, I have only viewed the short "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown". I bought the set for the holiday specials, which were all great. Just the way I remembered them from my younger days! Without a VCR to tape them, my brother and I would be vigilant in making sure we were home to watch these specials. Just to get the specials without the bonus cartoons would make it a great deal. I would have liked to have seen some sort of "behind the scenes" or "the making of.." as a special feature, but maybe that will come in the future. For the meantime, I will just enjoy the memories.

peanuts holiday collection

These are classic specials. Our son grew up watching them and still loves them as do we.
My wife and I watch them over and over again. Can't wait for our son to come home for the holidays to watch them with us.