It's Christmastime Again Charlie Brown - 'Toon Reviews Shorty

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It’s been a while since I talked about a Peanuts special, and that can be seen as problematic since I have a long ways to go in covering them.  I guess I’ve just lost sight of viewing them through devoting time to many other shows.  Thankfully, there are specials appropriate for certain times of the year to look into.  This includes Christmastime.  “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a very popular special, especially since it’s the one that put Peanuts on the TV animation map.  However, that is not the only Peanuts Christmas special.  There are a few other specials devoted to that holiday despite none of them being nearly as iconic.  At this time of year, I’m now motivated to look into one of those other Peanuts Christmas special.  For this Shorty:

It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown

(November 27, 1992)

Going into the special, you might think that it’s a normal standalone story.  However, that expectation is sure to catch you off guard.  The special isn’t one story; it’s several vignettes of different Peanuts characters doing something Christmas-related.  I can see a possible meaning for its direction.  For the longest time, the Peanuts specials appeared to stray away a bit from the simple childlike tone that gave them a special identity.  Some ideas were either too ridiculous or too intense and heavy particularly through how they were approached.  Moreover, the childlike perspective was more or less compromised by showing adults and allowing them to talk in audible English.  That just robbed the franchise of its uniqueness in my opinion.  The most noticeable thing that caused many Peanuts specials at the time to not feel like Peanuts was the complete change in music.  With the death of Vince Guaraldi in 1976, new composers were brought in.  While their music was certainly not bad, it mostly felt a little too hip or too dramatic for what Peanuts was meant to stand for.  With all these factors, specials of the mid-90s going into the 2000s can be seen as ways to get back to Peanuts’ roots.  The vignette-driven setup and the simplicity of the stories bring to mind the original Charles Schultz comic strips.  They even us a jazzier soundtrack to make the specials feel as wholesome as the older specials.  It’s not the same as hearing something performed by Vince Guaraldi himself, but David Benoit puts a pretty good spin on his covers of the old compositions.  When you look at “It’s Christmastime Again” that way, you can easily like it for what it is.

Even if there is merit to this setup, it’s still not the best route to take with an actual TV special.  I can picture a bunch of little stories working fine in a compilation of Peanuts Christmas comic strips.  Heck, it can even work as an episode of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show whose segments were direct adaptations of the original strips.  The fact is this special doesn’t have the same structure that made those mediums work.  It just jumps from one Christmas activity to another without proper transitions as if to say we’re supposed to look at this as one cohesive story.  However, each segment is so different it’s impossible to view the special as that.  We could start with characters playing in the snow and then suddenly shift to segments about selling wreaths, writing to Santa Claus, buying gifts, and a Christmas play.  One segment near the beginning even covers all of Christmas vacation, ending with the kids back in school in the New Year after the holiday.  Some could argue Peanuts specials have always had random moments haphazardly spread throughout the runtime.  In actuality, from my experience, while the moments were random, all standalone specials had one specific plot point for all of them to revolve around.  True there were times when certain moments went nowhere, but since every special’s story left an impact in some way, they hardly mattered.  For “It’s Christmastime Again,” there is no central plot point.  Each segment exists as its own thing and no attempt is made to make them come together as a cohesive special.  Maybe if there was a framing device or title cards signaling each different part it would work better, but it’s sadly not the case.  On another note, remember how the message of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was to spread love and goodness through simple means instead of overt commercialism?  Well, that message seems to be contradicted with a special of nothing but Peanuts characters in scenes the general public associates with Christmas.  It’s like the special is going the commercial route instead of telling a wholesome story.  This wouldn’t be such an issue if the push for love and simplicity wasn’t vital to not just an earlier special in this franchise but one of the most iconic Christmas specials ever.  For these reasons, I’m sorry to say this, but it makes too much sense that “It’s Christmastime Again” isn’t as valued as what came before it.

With all this said, are the segments themselves weak?  Well, for the most part, they’re not weak at all.  They still feature the same iconic Peanuts characters known the world over. Their approaches to what Christmas has to offer are interesting, entertaining, or both.  Most of the entertainment comes from certain antics in certain activities.  Some of them come in short gag scenes of Linus trying to sled down a hill in a box or Snoopy snagging candy canes off a tree and getting attention as a salvation Santa. 

Other segments have a lot of fun interactions between characters.  We have moments like Sally writing a report on Christmas and a letter to Santa and his wife “Mary Christmas” with humorous results despite Charlie Brown’s assistance. 

They also have distinctive approaches to selling Christmas wreaths with Charlie Brown being honest and upfront and Sally spouting wild claims with every sale.  Working in antics from Snoopy is a plus too as uses a more active sales approach. 

Peppermint Patty and Marcie work off each other well in a segment involving approaches to their Christmas vacation book report.  If you know they’re dynamic, you shouldn’t be surprised that Peppermint Patty constantly trying to work around it is funnier. 

The last segment is also a strong one to go out on with many antics occurring during a Christmas play.  There’s hilarious banter of Peppermint Patty complaining about Marcie playing Mary instead of her while in a silly-looking sheep costume.  It builds to a grand finale where she flubs her one line of “baa” with any random sound or line on her mind.  Sally also has a humorous bit of making a note to say her one line, “Hark” as effectively as possible.  This also has a grand punchline where she instead says something completely unprecedented, “hockey stick.”  Despite her embarrassment, the payoff doesn’t stop there when her claims of someone called Harold Angel appearing leads to something.  After the play, he shows up at her doorstep much to the shock of Charlie Brown as well as the audience who should be used to Sally constantly getting facts mixed up.  This whole segment comes out the strongest for its use of characters and many of their special approaches to the Christmas play.  It’s a great one to save for last. 

Now, not all segments are as strong as others.  The wreath sales, while featuring a fun dynamic does get repetitive with Charlie Brown getting the same response to his sales with every house he tries.  It gets to the point where you question why he’s even selling wreaths if it’s not even Thanksgiving.  There’s also a particularly long segment of Charlie Brown trying to raise enough money to buy gloves as a gift to a girl he met at camp.  It’s fine on its own, but nothing really stands out about it, and it doesn’t even feel like it needs to be a Christmas story.  Also, what about his interest in the Little Red-Haired Girl?  Still they’re not bad.  Other segments just leave a better impression as Peanuts Christmas tales.  As long as the majority is good, that’s what matters.

This special doesn’t have the best setup to be a highly regarded Christmas work, and that’s disappointing since this franchise has brought one of the best ones ever.  However, if you’re in the right mood and want to really see a Peanuts comic strip come to life, this special will turn out enjoyable.  They still star the iconic Peanuts characters and you still get a lot of what make them so fun to watch.  It may not be one worth making a tradition of watching, but it’s solid Peanuts entertainment to see if you’re interested.

Recommended

That’s it for this ‘Toon Reviews Shorty. Until the next one:

Stay Animated Folks,

And Merry CHRISTMAS!

'Toon Reviews 15: Steven Universe Season 2 Episode 14: Historical Friction

Historical Friction

Jamie’s back in a cartoon that expands on his theatrical passions.  He’s done something with his talents by holding auditions for a play about the founding of Beach City.  Granted, Steven is the only one interested in trying out, but his ambitions are still perfectly clear and relatable to those who want to get into the arts. 

The play is written by Mayor Dewey with emphasis on the greatness of his distant relative, William Dewey.  It includes completely far-fetched events like William inexplicably becoming a giant who carries his ship to shore during a storm.  When you look back on Mayor Dewey’s previous roles of doing anything to keep his position of power, his play can basically be seen as a ploy to get Beach City to continuously vote for him.  Jamie grows to disdain the play with William being portrayed as great and nothing more.  I personally latch onto how Jamie feels.  Characters like that are not relatable or interesting enough to watch.  They need other sides, which can include flaws, to let the audience know that no one is infallible or all-powerful beings, otherwise the product won’t be worth anyone’s time…at least from my perspective. 

Now, at this point in the season, it becomes strange to focus on a play when we’re in the middle of the Crystal Gems shaken dynamic, and that we’re not dealing with anything of significant importance.  However, the aftermath ties into the story when Pearl gets involved.  She’s disappointed in her big mistake and that she isn’t like the play’s version of William Dewey who supposedly never made mistakes.  When Steven shares Jamie’s philosophy on how no one is without flaws, she gets some comfort that leads her to change the play by fixing William Dewey, and making it historically accurate.  Her being present at Beach City’s founding 200 years ago has something big to do with the changes. 

With the changes in place, we get an entertaining and interesting payoff on the night of the play.  It’s simply constructed with only Steven as William and Jamie as the remaining roles.  Instead of an ultimate good deity, Steven’s William is unsure of the journey and has a history of clumsiness making him a believable flawed character which makes the play interesting.  It’s also fun to see Jamie jump to different roles from William’s first mate to the various Crystal Gems who did most of the work in helping William found Beach City along with Mayor Dewey’s reactions to the unexpected changes as everyone else finds humor in what’s onstage.  This relatable setup is positively received as any work with flawed, multi-layered characters would usually be. 

Many characters involved get satisfying resolutions with Jamie moving forward with his acting passions through becoming community theater director, Mayor Dewey getting more support from the citizens, and Pearl feeling a little better about the mistake she made.  Her role may not have the strongest tie to the Sardonyx incident and can easily be viewed without even being aware of it, but knowing about it does make what she does here stand out more than it would otherwise.  Along with solid character moments and a great piece of advice for anyone wanting to make it in entertainment, this may not be the most important cartoon, but it’s got significant merit that makes it worth watching. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Sworn to the Sword
2. Keystone Motel
3. Chille Tid
4. Cry for Help
5. Keeping it Together
6. Full Disclosure
7. We Need to Talk
8. Reformed
9. Historical Friction
10. Joy Ride
11. Say Uncle
12. Onion Friend
13. Rising Tides, Crashing Skies
14. Love Letters

The next Steven Universe review covers the end of the Sardonyx arc when a desperate pursuit for Peridot gives Pearl the perfect opportunity to make amends with Garnet.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Hey Arnold review on "Sid's Revenge" and "Roller Coaster."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Hey Arnold reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 18

Much Ado About Scrooge

What we have here is one of the show’s most creative, as well as relatable, episodes.  In my life, I noticed that it’s not uncommon to get enticed into buying things you really don’t need.  Enter Filler Brushbill, a door-to-door salesduck bent on selling all sorts of random merchandise to anyone he comes across with the intent on making some serious cash.  His sales pitches are so enticing that the beginning of this episode features Scrooge and the boys going to big measures of defense to keep Filler away from the mansion to protect their fortunes.  The best part about the sequence is how the whole thing is staged like an army attack, and if you know me, I love it when animated products portray something simple as something bigger.  It just suits the medium.  Now, while the mission to beat Filler Brushbill back is a bust, it serves as a lead-in to the creative center of the episode.  One of the things Scrooge and the boys end up buying is a set of the works of famous playwright, William Drakespeare, and one of the works has a note explaining that there’s a lost play by Drakespeare on the island of Great Written, so they head there to obtain the play so they can sell it.  The adventure to the lost play includes our heroes running into all kinds of creatures like witches, fauns, talking trees, just about any creature that was part of any Shakespeare play.  These creatures try to drive Scrooge and the boys away, but through all the encounters from them, it’s Filler Brushbill who actually gets them out of trouble with his salesduck skills, nicely portraying him as more than a one-dimensional antagonist.  Then, when they eventually find the play, we get a couple twists to the ultimate outcome to aid in the creativity.  It turns out all the creatures were descendants of actors who starred in Drakespeare’s play trying to protect the play.  It would be simple for Scrooge to strike a deal with everyone so to go along with selling the play, but instead things are resolved with the actors performing the play, Scrooge discovering that the play is lousy, and deciding that it’s not worth selling despite Drakespeare’s name.  Even Filler discovers this after trying to steal it for himself.  This ending message of how selling something bad is not a good idea is one I’m all for and one that can relate to the entertainment world.  While it’s true that bad products can be successful, they can hurt the reputation of something like a show or film franchise and eventually turn everyone off altogether.  This is something most people should consider.  It just goes to show that the play, or episode in this case, is the thing because the creativity, relatability, and cast of likable characters make this a great watch.  9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Maid of the Myth
3. Hero for Hire
4. Robot Robbers
5. Much Ado About Scrooge
6. Magica’s Shadow War
7. Duckman of Aquatraz
8. Armstrong
9. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
10. Master of the Djinni
11. Sphinx for the Memories
12. Send in the Clones
13. Down and Out in Duckburg
14. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
15. The Money Vanishes
16. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
17. Dinosaur Ducks
18. Superdoo!

That's it for disc 2 of the Volume 1 set.  Now we’re left with just one more to cover, so join me next time as we start that disc with a review of "Top Duck."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 3: Peanuts 1960s Specials Part 1

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."

 

 

'Toon Reviews 1: Hey Arnold Season 1 Episode 6

Heat

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a cartoon that takes a common occurrence in real life and attempts to portray it in an entertaining way.  The occurrence for the cartoon is a heatwave.  I don’t even have to assume that most people in the world have been exposed to heatwaves several times in their lives usually in the summer, so that alone should aid in the relatability factor of the cartoon.  You think of things you find yourself doing whenever a heatwave hits, and you practically see it all here.  There’s residents of the city sweating up a storm, people catching a breeze near the air conditioning, some people dunking themselves in something cool, customers buying ice, Arnold and Gerald struggling to get into the movie theater or pool, and all the kids demanding the local ice cream man, the Jolly Olly Man, to give them ice cream at a decent price.  These are all believable things that anyone can find themselves facing whenever there’s a hot day, and that’s where the appeal of this cartoon lies.  Is it entertaining and enjoyable?  I’d say it is for the most part since it means a lot if you can relate to it.  However, even if it is really hot, it can sometimes get a little too mean.  Every time an attempt to keep cool fails, everyone is very bitter and hostile and we see poor Arnold getting the short end of what goes wrong.  Some of what he goes through get some laughs, but spending too much time on him suffering isn’t exactly fun.  Then there’s the climax with the Jolly Olly Man.  Arnold and Gerald come across the kids of the neighborhood demanding ice cream, but the Jolly Olly Man sells them at prices they can’t afford.  I certainly can’t side with the Jolly Olly Man because his high prices he’s given these roasting kids are all kinds of unreasonable.  As for the kids, I really don’t know how to feel about them.  I keep going from supporting their anger for their unfair treatment which includes trying to flip the ice cream truck, to finding them to be just as unlikable as the Jolly Olly Man.  Even Arnold doesn’t seem to know how to feel about this since he willingly intensifies the kids’ riot, and then regrets it.  Basically, this scene is pretty frustrating.  Fortunately, the cartoon ends on a satisfying note for all when it suddenly rains, and everyone gets some nice relief from the heat.  At least we end with a reminder that heatwaves don’t last forever.  There may be some mean moments that don’t sit well with me, but this cartoon is worth a look for its undeniable relatability. 7/10

Snow

To say the least, it’s interesting that this cartoon is teamed with the previous cartoon about heat.  Together, you get a half hour filled with views on different cases of extreme weather be it hot or cold.  In the case of this cartoon, the extreme weather is cold, and it leads to a much more pleasing experience of a snow day.  There’s a charming factor to a cartoon that revolves around a snow day which takes great advantage of showing the many different ways the characters involved spend their time.  We see characters put their spin on activities like sledding, starting snowball fights, and building snowmen, Grandma gets a humorous running gag of having a sled and the herd of animals always running out the boarding house door as a dogsled, and moments of people showing disdain towards the snow, particularly a rap called “I Hate the Snow” are fun to watch.  Amidst these short scenes of snow day fun, the main plot of the cartoon follows Arnold wanting to get in on the fun, but is constantly told to help Grandpa with doing some snow-related chores instead that take up most of the day.  All the while, he constantly is told Grandpa’s philosophy about how there’s not enough work ethic in today’s society.  As a kid, I held a strong dislike towards this cartoon because of how Arnold is forced to work all day and not join in the fun.  Looking back, that may have been my inner immature little kid talking.  While I still find myself pitying Arnold missing out on the fun more than enjoying the fun snow day moments going on, I can still admire the relatability of what he goes through especially since at my age, working is all I do when it snows.  Plus, Grandpa eventually gets a reminder that snow days are meant for fun as well as work in a nice flashback of his youth inspiring him to create an ice rink in the middle of the neighborhood.  It’s frustrating that he gets it going without telling his own grandson about it, but at least he does let him in on the fun later on.  Plus, it makes for a good message that in this life, you got to have a good balance of work and play, which are especially good words for me to live by.  Ultimately, with Arnold finally joining the snow day fun at the homemade ice rink, we’re gladly able to end the cartoon on a charming note.  Your enjoyment of this cartoon will depend on how much you can tolerate Arnold being given all these snow chores while everyone else plays, but I still say it’s a good one for its nicely built snowy atmosphere, relatability, and charm. 8/10

The Rankings

1.      Stoop Kid

2.      Arnold’s Hat

3.      Helga’s Makeover

4.      The Baseball

5.      Downtown as Fruits

6.      The Old Building

7.      Field Trip

8.      6^th Grade Girls

9.      The Little Pink Book

10.  Snow

11.  Eugene’s Bike

12.  Heat

 Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the 7th episode of this season: "Operation Ruthless/The Vacant Lot."