Now, over the course of 6 days, we’ll be looking at the first 6 TV specials of the
animated adaptations of Charles Schultz’s famous comic strip:
Peanuts: (1960s Specials)
Basic Premise
I believe
that Peanuts needs very little introduction.
It is perhaps one of the most popular pieces of media in the world. It’s well-known as a series of comic strips
that has been around for decades, but most people know the franchise for its
many TV specials. In my case, Peanuts is
a very big favorite among me and my family.
We’ve all held the specials in such high regard for all our lives and consider
them as some of our favorite animated products.
The following posts over the course of 6 days
will be covering the specials that come from the 1960s where Peanuts first left
its mark in TV animation. They consist
of two holiday specials that pretty much everyone in the world is familiar with
and four lesser-known non-holiday specials that are the first animated
sightings of tropes that were already popular in the strips and would continue
to be exploited in future animated works.
If you know me, it would be easy to see that I like these starting
specials a lot, but you
might want to know the details of what I really think of them all and how this decade works as
Peanuts’ introduction to the realm of animation. Well, with that said, let’s dive into the
world of Charlie Brown and friends, and discover which specials are highly
recommended (great
specials with little flaws), recommended (good
show with noticeable detracting factors), worth a look (not
that good but has some interesting points to it), or be
skipped (overall
bad special with little good to it). I guarantee there’ll be no
“Good Grief” at the end of these overviews.
Now on with the reviews:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
This is one of the most popular Peanuts specials as well as
one of the most popular Christmas specials. However, I think very few people know
that this is the first Peanuts special ever.
As a special of this kind, it’s a great way for the Peanuts gang to
leave their mark in the television animation medium. It allows the many great characters in the
cast to unfold their highly distinctive personalities right in front of many an
audience member. They include Linus’ childlike philosophical side, Snoopy’s highly
animated antics, Lucy’s trademark bossy moments, and of course, the
down-on-his-luck life-pondering Charlie Brown.
Every moment with these characters perfectly captures the essence of
being a kid and offers a unique look at certain situations. In this case
the situations cover something that’s worth pondering even to this day. It all relates to how Christmas has become
highly commercialized and seems to be taking away from what it’s really all
about. In the special and real
life people get ready for the day with flashy decorations, greedy gift
lists, and thoughts of getting big aluminum
Christmas trees.
There's a tone which shows that Christmas
doesn’t have to be exemplified by things that make it so commercial, but rather
by keeping it simple. It’s felt all
throughout the story as we follow Charlie Brown ponder why, despite all the
great things Christmas comes with, he’s not happy about the holiday. This means we’re following the one kid who isn’t in on all the fun.
There are two moments in the special
that really sell the tone. One is any
moment of Charlie Brown tending to the little wooden Christmas tree he feels will
be perfect for the Christmas play he’s directing. Most of the other kids just laugh without
seeing the value of such a little, and kind of weak, tree expecting something
grand and nice-looking. Charlie Brown still shows great determination in showing that it will work for the play. By the end, it’s his determination that get
the rest of the gang to just show some love to the tree as well, and that helps make the little Christmas tree beautiful.
The other moment showing the benefits
of celebrating the holiday through simple love is what makes Charlie
Brown determined to show off the value of his tree. That is the highlight of the special where
Linus recites a speech about what Christmas is all about straight from the
Bible. What makes the scene stand out is
the delivery from a young child, making it feel genuine and poignant with the
special’s overall message. With Christmas' meaning made perfectly
clear, it’s fitting that we close everything with the entire gang
gathered around the decorated tree singing. It’s these elements that give good reasons
why viewings of this special have become such a holiday tradition as well as
essential viewing for all Peanuts fans.
With a relatable story, a cast of well-defined characters,
Bill Melendez’ simple animation style fitting the tone they’re going
for, and Vince Guaraldi’s memorable jazz compositions, this special is truly a
simple yet amazing way to show the appeal Peanuts has on TV.
Highly Recommended
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special of the decade, "Charlie Brown's All-Stars."
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