Peanuts: 1960’s Collection
The classic television series of specials gets its start and childhood just isn’t the same
Tags: Peanuts Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 10th, 2009
I don’t think I’ve made it any secret how the Peanuts televsion specials as some of the more quality offerings that kids can get as far as entertainment. These are universal in their stories that people of all ages can enjoy them, regardless of when they first saw them. That was the appeal of the comic strip
There’s a great leap in the animation quality between the first and second feature. Where much of A Charlie Brown Christmas is good, but somewhat crudely drawn, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars features much smoother lines and animation. Watching these two “episodes” back to back was a little startling. Not in a way that detracts or lessens the experience, but shows that the medium was evolving and these specials were at the cusp of that change.
Rather than rehashing the individual specials I’ll point you to reviews that were already written so that I can focus on this as a package as well as the specials that are new to DVD:
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown’s All-Stars was previously released on DVD in 2004 (paired up with Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown) before we started reviewing DVDs here so I’ll sum up that special as well as the other two that are new to DVD – He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown and It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown.
If you don’t have the individual specials as there were released on DVD, this is a great way to get started. Two of the absolute all-time classics are included here, and there is an argument that could be made regarding how these could be essential viewing for all of childhood.
Previously released on DVD a few years ago, but not in the new round of “deluxe” editions that Warner Brothers is putting out, Charlie Brown’s All-Stars focuses on the sports mishaps of the gang. As always, the team is losing, but now the players are fed up and quit until a possible sponsorship deal comes in. Much of the plot plays out lie the strips and there is plenty of great humor throughout the special. In a way, Charlie Brown comes out with a moral victory, but in the end, he is left standing in the rain. Loyalty and friendship are themes explored, but really they are just backdrops to making fun of poor Charlie Brown.
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown naturally focuses on the rising popularity of the canine character – Snoopy. Snoopy’s antics get him in trouble with “the gang” so he needs to go back to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for obedience training. He is walking there, and can only travel so far in a day, in this instance it is to Peppermint Patty’s house. Instead of heading out to his destination the next day, Snoopy decides to stay there a while. There are some great interactions between Peppermint Patty and Snoopy which makes this one of the funnier entries.
It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown has the kids heading to summer camp, splitting off into a division of the sexes. Naturally, this division is also the basis for conflict as each respective camp thinks it can out do the other. It all boils down, however, to the absolute classic match of Lucy versus Snoopy. There is plenty of humor in this episode as well, and while it is good, I don’t think it is as classic as some of the other specials, as it spends too much time on the conflict between the boys and girls rather than on the universal conflicts of kids versus camp.
Sadly, all the special features from the previous DVD releases are missing – which is really just bits of interviews with those involved in producing the specials. This is a shame, because collectors are going to have to “double dip” in order to have a complete collection. There is, however, a wonderful new featurette that runs about 35 minutes and focuses on Vince Guaraldi, the musician behind much of the music in the Peanuts specials, including the theme. This featurette gives a decent overview of the musician’s career with plenty of interview with people who directly knew him and played with him. It is a very informative and entertaining featurette, even if it is the only one included.
Despite the fact that there is only the one special feature and some of these were previously available, Peanuts 1960’s Collection is an outstanding set for fans. This is a collection that is certainly worth picking up.
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Tags: Peanuts
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jul 10th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
