A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Of all the Peanuts specials
released in this decade, this is probably the most well-known. It revolves
around one of the three major year-ending holidays, the other two already having
specials which were released the previous decade. Also, it’s advertised a lot around
the Thanksgiving season, and it’s one of the few Peanuts specials to win an
Emmy award. While it’s not as strong or
thought-provoking as the holiday specials that came before it, it’s still
worthy of its classic status.
Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin over to Charlie Brown’s place for Thanksgiving. Since she’s too absent-minded to know that these actions aren’t socially appropriate and that Charlie Brown can’t bring himself to object, the plans are set in stone. The problem is Charlie Brown and his family already have plans to visit their grandmother for Thanksgiving. To Charlie Brown, it’s impossible to explain things to Peppermint Patty.
The way around this problem is a clever one that nicely ties into his capabilities. He, along with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock put together a dinner for their friends before the big one at grandma’s. The catch is that the dinner consists of food that’s incredibly easy to prepare such as toast, popcorn, pretzels, and jelly beans. It’s a unique and charming Thanksgiving dinner to say the least. In fact, I actually recall some Thanksgivings where I had some of that food along with our own traditional Thanksgiving menu out of intrigue (usually toast and popcorn). Basically, the scenes of the dinner preparations have that distinguishable childlike charm of Peanuts to add to the appeal and are also pretty fun scenes to make up the plot. Plus, there’s a fun and entertaining feel from the many comedy moments with Snoopy and Woodstock as they work to set up the dinner, making this special great for a couple of laughs.
However, the preparation of this dinner is not just great for fun, it also ties into the overall message of the holiday. When Peppermint Patty and company finally arrive and dinner is served, Peppermint Patty completely lambasts it. Doing so, she shows a mindset that the only proper Thanksgiving dinners are traditional ones. It’s certainly a way harsh moment from her on account that Charlie Brown took so much time to prepare it for her, and that it was forced onto him.
Thankfully, her behavior doesn’t harm the special’s quality since Peppermint Patty is soon called out for it by Marcie and feels bad. She also lets Charlie Brown know that she regrets her behavior and is fine with the dinner by having Marcie, someone who’s better at socializing, do the talking. This part of the special really shows that despite her faults, Peppermint Patty means well and has friendly intentions at heart, making her a strong addition to the cast. It also effectively shows that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have and being together with others, not having what you feel you’re expected to have.
In fact, the whole ending sells the message. Charlie Brown decides to take everyone with him to his grandmother’s dinner while Snoopy and Woodstock are left at home to dine on their own turkey dinner. The fact that Snoopy COULD make a turkey all along without anyone knowing is especially a nice implication of how everyone has grown to be more thankful for what's present. That said, does this scene have Woodstock turn out to be a cannibal? Good Grief!
With strong comedy, great character moments, effective ways of showing Thanksgiving's meaning, and Peanuts’ childlike charm, this special is one of the essential holiday traditions.
Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin over to Charlie Brown’s place for Thanksgiving. Since she’s too absent-minded to know that these actions aren’t socially appropriate and that Charlie Brown can’t bring himself to object, the plans are set in stone. The problem is Charlie Brown and his family already have plans to visit their grandmother for Thanksgiving. To Charlie Brown, it’s impossible to explain things to Peppermint Patty.
The way around this problem is a clever one that nicely ties into his capabilities. He, along with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock put together a dinner for their friends before the big one at grandma’s. The catch is that the dinner consists of food that’s incredibly easy to prepare such as toast, popcorn, pretzels, and jelly beans. It’s a unique and charming Thanksgiving dinner to say the least. In fact, I actually recall some Thanksgivings where I had some of that food along with our own traditional Thanksgiving menu out of intrigue (usually toast and popcorn). Basically, the scenes of the dinner preparations have that distinguishable childlike charm of Peanuts to add to the appeal and are also pretty fun scenes to make up the plot. Plus, there’s a fun and entertaining feel from the many comedy moments with Snoopy and Woodstock as they work to set up the dinner, making this special great for a couple of laughs.
However, the preparation of this dinner is not just great for fun, it also ties into the overall message of the holiday. When Peppermint Patty and company finally arrive and dinner is served, Peppermint Patty completely lambasts it. Doing so, she shows a mindset that the only proper Thanksgiving dinners are traditional ones. It’s certainly a way harsh moment from her on account that Charlie Brown took so much time to prepare it for her, and that it was forced onto him.
Thankfully, her behavior doesn’t harm the special’s quality since Peppermint Patty is soon called out for it by Marcie and feels bad. She also lets Charlie Brown know that she regrets her behavior and is fine with the dinner by having Marcie, someone who’s better at socializing, do the talking. This part of the special really shows that despite her faults, Peppermint Patty means well and has friendly intentions at heart, making her a strong addition to the cast. It also effectively shows that Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have and being together with others, not having what you feel you’re expected to have.
In fact, the whole ending sells the message. Charlie Brown decides to take everyone with him to his grandmother’s dinner while Snoopy and Woodstock are left at home to dine on their own turkey dinner. The fact that Snoopy COULD make a turkey all along without anyone knowing is especially a nice implication of how everyone has grown to be more thankful for what's present. That said, does this scene have Woodstock turn out to be a cannibal? Good Grief!
With strong comedy, great character moments, effective ways of showing Thanksgiving's meaning, and Peanuts’ childlike charm, this special is one of the essential holiday traditions.
Highly Recommended
The Ranking
- There’s No Time for Love Charlie Brown
- You’re Not Elected Charlie Brown
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
- Play it Again Charlie Brown
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special where Woodstock takes up the starring role for the first time in "It's a Mystery Charlie Brown."
If you would like to check out other Peanuts special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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