Christmas time is here, and with every holiday season comes the Peanuts Christmas specials. Every year, like clockwork, A Charlie Brown Christmas is aired on TV, or played in millions of households across the US, and even the world. The perennial classic has become synonymous with Christmas, and the country stops to sit down with family to watch it. In 1992, a new Christmas special is shown. It’s Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown.In this special, we get to watch as the gang gears up for Christmas… and watch as Charlie Brown has to find a way to afford a present for his girlfriend, Peggy Jean. Starting in 2003, I Want A Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown premiered following Rerun and his quest for a dog for Christmas. But in 2002, a different kind of special for Peanuts came out. It was a series of vignettes dealing with what goes on for the gang during Christmas time.
Now you can own Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales on DVD!
Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales is a half-hour series of five short vignettes that take place in Christmas time. The first vignette had Snoopy working as a bell ringer, and Rerun trying to get some questions answered by Santa. The second has Linus trying to write Santa a nice letter, and developing a crush on the girl who sits behind him in class. The third vignette deals with Sally’s notions about Christmas, and Santa Claus’ identity. In the fourth segment, Lucy is trying awfully hard to be nice… and still get gifts. And finally in the last vignette, Charlie and Sally Brown are trying to wait up for Santa Claus.
Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales is a wonderful addition to the Christmas series, as it keeps with the same fun spirit that all the other Peanuts specials are imbued with. The special is brimming with the child eyed wonder, and inquisitive nature. Each vignette is like a shorter special, as they could have each been expanded into their own full feature. It also keeps in the spirit of the specials by switching between the Brown and Van Pelt families for each successive vignette.
Special Features:
The DVD for Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales only has one Special Feature. The feature is a bonus Peanuts special, Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? In this special, the gang has to face Linus and Lucy moving away, due to the fact that their father is being transferred within his company to a position in another town. On most other Peanuts releases there is a special ”making of” feature that details the creation of something, or another significant influence, or part of the Specials.
Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales is a nice change up on the usual Christmas special from Peanuts. The five segments give us a fun look into the Christmas time of both the Browns and the Van Pelts. The vignettes are fun to watch, and have the usual feel of the Peanuts specials especially the feel of the Christmas specials. The only problem I have with the special is the fact that Lucy’s voice is noticeably different than all of the previous performers’ voices. This is something to be expected, but with the consistency of the production’s casting over the years, an expectation exists for the voice to sound as like it usually does in all of the other specials. The other actors sound like they always do, as surprising as that one facto should be, since the voice actors routinely grow up and get old, forcing the production to recast on a regular basis. Everything else is great, except for the fact that there is no “making of” feature. Peanuts lovers will enjoy this release, as it is another one of the Christmas specials.
Comics Online gives Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales 3.5 Letters to Santa out of 5.
Get your copy of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales at Amazon.
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