Tag Archives: Snoopy

Someday You’ll Find Her Charlie Brown Review

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Time for another Charlie Brown special. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite as good as the others. It decides to go for a romance angle which isn’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t work for this series all that well. Charlie Brown doesn’t look all that great again either and spends the entire special blushing. Poor kid, he simply got his hopes up too high!

We find out that Charlie has been falling in love with someone every week. He always tunes into a Football game just for the 2 second shot that shows a different person in the audience each week. This time he wants to find her so he enlists the help of Linus. Linus warns Charlie that this will be a difficult task, but ultimately decides to help. The two of them go on a long wild goose chase in hopes of finding her, but the path is filled with perils.

A tough cat attacks Charlie and Linus at one point. They tried to be brave about the situation, but the cat quickly chased them away. Even Snoopy lost round one against the foe, but he managed to make a comeback, which is what separates Snoopy from the average dog. He has guts and isn’t afraid to fight off any opponent who gets in his way. He probably should have won the first time though. Snoopy even managed to stop traffic which was a pretty hardcore moment. The cars better stop before his greatness!

There’s not much of a soundtrack and the visuals are the same as ever so we’ll bypass that section this time. I will say that the blush around Charlie the entire time was annoying though and Linus falling for the girl in the end was a little predictable. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to rub it in Charlie’s face the whole time though. Man, he simply wouldn’t stop as he kept reminding Charlie just how tricky of a situation this was. Linus was clearly having a blast while Charlie’s week probably got ruined as a result.

Still, Charlie probably should have been a little braver. This all happened because he sent Linus in to do all of the hard work. It makes sense that the girl wouldn’t give Charlie the time of day at that point. As a result, Charlie lost out on his milk and cookies. It’s hard to sympathize with Charlie here, but it is definitely a sad ending for him. Ah well, better luck next time Mr. Brown.

This special is easily one of the weakest ones though. The scenes tended to drag out quite a bit after a while and the romance didn’t really add anything to the story. It was just the same old story with each person that they came across. It might have been helpful if the rest of the gang had decided to come along for the ride as a class field trip. The more characters the better right? I do think that the supporting cast can help out quite a bit in a film like this one. I was glad to have a change of scenery though.

Overall, Someday You’ll Find Her Charlie Brown is probably the worst Charlie Brown TV special that I’ve seen. Not saying that it’s terrible or anything, but it’s not as entertaining as the average special and the romance really starts to bog it down after a while. At least Linus had a happy ending I suppose. More Snoopy scenes and a different plot would have done wonders for this special. After all, seeing Snoopy use his hand to hand skills to claim victory over the cat was pretty impressive. If you want to watch a Charlie Brown special, watch the Christmas one instead. It’s more fun and teaches you valuable lessons.

Overall 5/10

It’s Magic, Charlie Brown Review

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Time to look at the next Charlie Brown special. As the title suggests, this one heads into the realm of magic as Snoopy gains supernatural abilities. He was already a dog who could defy the natural order of things and physics, but now he can take it to the next level. He decides to put on a magic show, but in the process he turns Charlie Brown invisible. The kid’s in quite the predicament now and he’ll have to think of something very quickly. Luckily Charlie is among friends..right?

Charlie and Snoopy are really the only characters with big roles this time around. Lucy appears and Charlie quickly takes advantage of his new powers to mess with her and the Football. Lucy doesn’t like this, but she can’t figure out how to stop him so she gives Snoopy some more (violent) incentive to fix what he has done. The animators definitely had fun with Charlie’s facial expressions this time around. When he turns visible again, we see just how intensely Charlie is taking the situation. He looks rather deranged and sinister, but Lucy puts him back in his place. He temporarily got to have his fun though.

As for Snoopy, he takes everything in stride as expected. The fame of being a magician certainly got to his head, but once the show was over, he just forgot about the whole thing. It simply didn’t matter all that much to him anymore. It’s part of Snoopy’s charm. Everything is always over in a flash for him, but it also means that an enemy that he was scared of 5 minutes ago will turn the other in another 5 minutes. Snoopy’s a class act and he is easily the best character in the Peanuts franchise. What would we do without him?

That being said, the friends should definitely realize the dangers of being Snoopy’s volunteers. Their lives will always be put in jeopardy, or at least their appetites from being made very dizzy. I suppose that they handled it decently well though and at the very least they can’t doubt Snoopy’s ability anymore. I was glad that it turned out to be real by the end since I was a little worried for a second there. It was cool to just see him firing the lasers all over the place. Snoopy came a long way from his original skills.

There isn’t much in the way of songs here so the soundtrack is nonexistent. The visuals hold up as well as any other Peanuts special. It may not be anything super amazing, but they’ll do. I do like the art style here and prefer it to most Flash titles and the Lego artstyle. Modern day CGI probably takes the win, but CGI from this period would likely get crushed. Hand drawn is still the way to go and it always feels like a lot of effort was put into it.

If there is anything holding this special back a little, it’s the fact that it gets off to a bit of a silent start. It was cool to see Snoopy checking out a book with his library card, but the adventure didn’t really start until Charlie turned invisible. As a result, I’d say that “She Can Skate Charlie Brown” is a better special as it got right to the point. Still, this is one of the stronger Charlie Brown specials in the end.

Overall, It’s Magic Charlie Brown is a solid special. It may not have been quite as engaging as some of the others, but I do think that Charlie being turned invisible made for a good plot point. It’s always good to see something new in the Peanuts and this made for some original scenarios. Charlie deciding to have his vengeance after so long definitely shows that he has been taking the football gag rather personally all these years so he lets out a lot of steam there. It’s also why he ends up tripping yet again so he really got his just deserts there. I recommend this to all Peanuts fans and as always, it is quite short. It’s not as if you will lose a lot of time while watching this one. Finally, just imagine Snoopy shooting laser blasts. You don’t want to miss this!

Overall 7/10

She’s a Good Skate Charlie Brown Review

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It’s time for another Charlie Brown special. Surprisingly, Charlie doesn’t have much of a role this time, which is actually quite shocking. Patty is the main character this time around as she enters an ice skating competition so she has to train quite a lot if she wants to take home the gold trophy. With Snoopy as her coach this goal is definitely possible, but it will still be quite difficult. Will she fall to the Charlie Brown curse or will she be able to win the whole thing?

It’s definitely unique to have Patty have such a starring role. She is a decently good character, but I have to say that Charlie Brown has more charisma as the title character. One scene where Patty shows why she is a good main character is when she is attacked by around 10 bullies. Charlie Brown would have ran away, but Patty eagerly fights them off along with her coach, Snoopy. Snoopy then clears the field so the 10 kids are shoveled away. It’s why you never want to mess with Snoopy when he is coaching someone. It was probably the highlight of the special.

As with the last Peanuts special that I reviewed, this one is essentially a sports themed one. Ice Skating can be a sport after all and Snoopy teaches Patty all that she knows. Unfortunately, Snoopy was probably burdened with too many tasks this time. He makes costumes, handled the music, handles the field, and is Patty’s coach. This gives her an edge on the other contestants, but Snoopy mishandles the music so Patty has to wing it with the whistling of a bird nearby. The other contestants weren’t bad for their ages, but they simply didn’t put in the same amount of practice that Patty did. She got up at 4:30 after all and while her homework may have taken a hit as a result, at least she got to have her 5 minutes of fame and a trophy that will last a lifetime.

If I had one complaint with Patty, it would be that she is rather ungrateful to Marcie. Patty asked Marcie to make her a costume out of the blue so Marcie tried her best, but the end result wasn’t so good. Still, the thought is what counts, but Marcie threw in some insults right off the bat. It was a bit harsh considering the situation. Ah well, not all of the characters can be as awesome as Snoopy right? Charlie Brown and the others only get a line or two and typically only try to discourage Patty from afar. These friends don’t have a lot of confidence in her.

The animation is fairly standard for Peanuts. If you’re a fan of this more abstract retro animation style, then you’ll like it. Keep in mind that these specials did come out quite a while ago. The songs used for the skating scenes are all classics that have aged well to this day. They are all soothing and fitting for a nice game of Ice Skating although I wouldn’t want to see the themes pop up in an action film. Some music are simply more suitable for one genre than another one, although battle music is pretty much always applicable.

Finally, it’s nice to have a happy ending for a change. Most Charlie Brown specials have rather sad endings to remind you that life isn’t easy. That’s fine for most of them, but once in a while the characters should have a victory right? This is that moment and maybe it will just be a running gag that the only films to have happy endings will be the ones where Charlie Brown isn’t the main character. That would be rather sad, but also an interesting gimmick.

Overall, She’s a Good Skate Charlie Brown was a solid special. It felt more to the point than some of the others and there wasn’t really any filler here. The special didn’t try to buy any time and just launched right into the plot. I feel like some Charlie Brown specials have a hard time cutting out the padding so this was nice to see. I’m always up for a snow time adventure as well since the scenery is quite sharp. If you want to see a charming little adventure than this special is right up your alley. It’s also short so it is not as if you would lose a lot of time by watching it. It’s over in a flash.

Overall 7/10

You’re the Greatest Charlie Brown Review

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Looks like it’s time for the next Charlie Brown special. I’m slowly building up my resume as far as these are concerned. One day, I will have seen them all! This one focuses on the school’s Olympic meet so it makes sense that this was one of the better ones. I’m always up for some sports and the special actually doesn’t skip any of them which was nice. I was expecting some to be glossed over for the sake of time, but they all got their props. Snoopy doesn’t look as dominant as he should have though.

Charlie Brown’s school is neck and neck with a rival group, but none of their members want to enter the Decathalon. Luckily, Charlie Brown shows up and asks them if he can enter any of the events. The kids quickly give him that one since it is the toughest of the bunch. Charlie Brown undergoes a tough training program so that he can compete with the best of them. Just in case, Charlie Brown’s school enters Marcie as well and even Snoopy gets in on the action. Their only opposition is a bully that the other team sent in to even the score. Still, Charlie has trained for this so he should have the edge right?

Charlie actually proves that he can hold his own and actually would have won the event if not for his severe overconfidence. Charlie seemed to think that none of the other contestants had the skills to defeat him so he decided to run the last race with his eyes closed. That was his big mistake as he went charging into the forest and nearly cost his school the win. Luckily Marcie still claimed victory for the school, but Charlie really let everyone down. Typically he tried his best and things just didn’t work out, but this time it was directly his fault. It was rather out of character for Charlie, but I suppose he’ll get em next year. He’s still a solid character and at least he went through with the training.

As for the supporting characters, only Patty and Marcie really got roles this time. Lucy would appear every once in a while to insult Charlie a little, but that was it for her role. Marcie kept subtly insulting Charlie by complimenting him after he would fail a task. She was definitely a bad character in this one and also had the most predictable ending of the group. I’ve never really cared for Marcie, but this was probably her worst appearance. It was clear from the start that she would be the one to win. Patty wasn’t bad and served her role as group leader, but that’s really it for her this time.

The animation has stayed consistent with the other Charlie Browns specials. It is really retro and you can tell that the series came out a very long time ago, but it still looks fairly good to this day. It certainly ages well. There isn’t much of a soundtrack, but I can’t say that I was expecting one. At this point in time, films never really had much of a soundtrack. At the very least it was rare to find anything besides the usual themes.

Overall, You’re The Greatest Charlie Brown is a good special. As I mentioned earlier, I do think that Snoopy was a little under powered this time. I would have expected him to have easily crushed all of the other contestants. I was glad to hear that he took the bully down in the end, but he should have won the whole tournament. This is Snoopy that we are talking about after all, he is virtually invincible. Marcie was also annoying for the most part. Snoopy, Lucy, and Patty were solid though. If you like the other Charlie Brown specials than you should like this one. There is more action than usual due to the events and as a result this special doesn’t reuse most of the normal gags. With the new scenery this means that it is telling more of a fresh story than usual. In the end, this Charlie Brown special is a pleasant way to spend a half hour or so.

Overall 7/10

The Peanuts Movie Review

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It’s time to take a look at the latest Charlie Brown film that came out. This one decided to go with the comic title “Peanuts” which was an interesting move. I suppose it works as the film isn’t as centralized around Charlie as usual. He is still the main character by a long shot of course, but I’d say that this is more of a trip down memory lane than anything else. The film adapts parts from many of the older films and does its best to bring back all of the running gags as well. It’s really a trip down memory lane for Charlie Brown fans.

The main plot of this one revolves around Charlie Brown trying to work up the courage to talk to the little red haired girl. (She never gets a real name) He gets his big opportunity to do this when they are paired together to write an essay for class. She has to go back home for a bit though so it’s up to Charlie to impress her with his essay skills. Meanwhile, Snoopy continues to be attacked on the Astral Plane by the Red Baron. He’ll have to really hone his skills if he wants to make it out of this fight alive. That being said, this is Snoopy…he can handle anything that comes his way!

The Peanuts Movie really went all out to try and be like the older films. This is commendable since fans were really hoping that this wouldn’t go the Bayformers route or that it simply wouldn’t change everything for no real reason. Unfortunately, it only manages to be an imitation of the older films and doesn’t quite deliver its performance with the same amount of heart. The characters all go through the motions and act like their old selves, but it doesn’t quite work as well as the originals. A copy can never surpass the original right? Think of this situation like that.

Obviously, the animation has changed quite a lot since the old days. Rather than get better, it has unfortunately gotten a little worse. I did like the tributes to the old days as the classic animation would pop up from time to time though. That was always fun to see, but the CGI is fairly lifeless otherwise. All of the character designs are rather hollow. The CGI could have used some more sparks or something, but it is just CGI in general that always looks lifeless next to hand drawn animation. It’s not downright bad animation, just a little sub-par. There’s a decent amount of music here and the tunes are decently good. I can’t really recall any of them at the moment, but having any sort of soundtrack is always a good start for a Western animated film. It’s not much, but it’ll do to help give the film an extra kick.

Meanwhile, the film puts a great deal of emphasis on romance plots rather than focusing on the storylines that made Peanuts great in the first place. A female Snoopy character even appeared in this film to help him out against the Red Baron and it instantly turns into something romance related. That’s a shame since we certainly didn’t need more of that. It’s a Peanuts film so the romance won’t really go anywhere, but it doesn’t help the film at all either. These are scenes that could have been used for something more engaging. For example, more scenes of Snoopy actually fighting the Red Baron. Naturally, the same goes for Charlie’s plot.

Regardless, Snoopy still steals the show as per usual. His dancing skills have certainly not declined over the years and he is still an expert at everything that he attempts to do. It’s tough to surpass a natural genius who also trains at everything. Snoopy is a nice dog though and he teaches Charlie how to be cool whenever he has the time. Charlie’s a solid character for the most part as well. He always tries hard to accomplish whatever goal he has set his mind too even if he lacks confidence and can be a pessimist at times. Letting the essay get ripped was a little dicey though and I think you’ve gotta just keep that in your pocket once it is already written. Never take any chances! Charlie also acts selflessly quite a few times such as when he refused to take any credit for someone else’s test score. He’s always an honest individual who tries to help others. He may have his faults, but he is certainly a good person through and through.

As for the other characters, they’re true to form. Charlie Brown’s sister is pretty unlikable though as Charlie helps her out in a pinch during her stage performance, but she refuses to return the favor and help him learn how to dance. Charlie really could have used some assistance, but luckily Snoopy stepped in. Linus is always ready with words of encouragement and is probably Charlie Brown’s only real friend. His other “friends” still mess with him for a quarter and hold a soccer ball only to make him trick. (Well, that’s Lucy in particular) The Little Red Haired Girl seems like a reasonable character as well. She doesn’t talk all that much, but she certainly isn’t mean spirited. She’s just not around all that much unlike the other kids who seem to have unlimited free time.

Overall, The Peanuts Movie is an enjoyable experience. Technical merits are certainly not everything and the things to focus on here are the writing and the likable characters. Perhaps it tries a little too hard for nostalgia at times like Star Wars VII or even Goku and Friends Return to an extent, but a sequel would likely try to develop its own plot. I don’t think we’ll be seeing one for a while, but you never know. The romance could have definitely been played down a little, but I believe you’ll still enjoy this film. Can it beat the Christmas special? Definitely not, but maybe you’ll prefer it to the original Charlie Brown film.

Overall 6/10

A Boy Named Charlie Brown Review

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It’s time for another Charlie Brown film! This is the big one since it’s what really got the ball rolling for the Peanuts, but it’s actually not quite as good as the legendary specials like Christmas or Thanksgiving. The main reason is that the film tries to artificially extend the run time so that it can be a feature length film. This involves some rather odd musical scenes that aren’t bad, but they aren’t all that good either. In the end, it’s still a fun film though.

Charlie Brown is pretty sad because the Baseball team always loses on account of his bad play. It’s not just him as none of the other characters know how to play either, but the instant he isn’t around the team finally manages to get a win. That’s okay, Charlie has bigger things to worry about now. He is going to enter the big spelling bee to prove that he is the best in the entire planet. It’s a tough job, but someone has got to do it so it may as well be good ole Charlie.

It’s a pretty peaceful adventure as you would expect. As mentioned earlier, the one iffy part here is the fact that the film evidently couldn’t last as long as the writers wanted it too without a little help. This results in the odd dance numbers where the characters just run around if they’re on screen or you’ll just see some crazy visuals. It felt like something out of Serial Experiments Lain, but without the depth and interpretative visions. It’s a lot more entertaining than 2001 A Space Odyssey, but nothing happens so it is really just a time for you to walk away, grab a snack, and then come back. The fact that this happens more than once is another problem altogether.

Again, it doesn’t really hurt the film all that much, but it is enough to push it under the classic specials. On the bright side, this could be Charlie’s best appearance yet. Sure, he may not have won the spelling bee, but he actually gets pretty far and proves that he is one of the best memorization experts in the whole country. Charlie wasn’t super smart from the get go, but he tried and tried until he made it. He’s still as gullible as ever when it comes to letting his friends trick him, but you can’t be perfect.

He’s also got allies who help him get that far. Linus gives him a blanket to help Charlie focus and Snoopy saved Charlie’s bacon when it was crunch time at the first regional. qualification test. Imagine getting knocked out of the tourney before it even begins. Yeah, Snoopy’s definitely a pal and someone that you want to have in your corner. As per usual, Snoopy steals the show here. He is a pro at everything that he tries and he helps Linus navigate through the city at night even if the kid isn’t all that grateful for the dog’s efforts.

The rest of the characters aren’t all that supportive of Charlie during this endeavor. Nobody even comes out to greet him after he gets back home, which shows where their priorities are. Well, all you really need are Linus and Snoopy as pals anyway. Charlie can also get some advice for 5 cents as well so he’s pretty well off. It is tough to imagine being the reason why your team loses every single game for years though. That’s got to be eating away at Charlie’s confidence since he practices so much, but still lets the other team win. I’m waiting for the film where he actually excels at everything and has a perfect day only to find out that it was all a dream. That’d be pretty hype.

As per usual, the animation is pretty fluid and consistent. The series has always had a very distinctive style that works well for it. I wouldn’t mind seeing a black and white Charlie Brown adventure. I think it would work pretty well in this style and could even look visually more interesting although the dream sequences certainly wouldn’t be as good. It’s definitely a bit of a pros and cons kind of angle. There are a bunch of songs and themes as well. They aren’t quite as memorable, but I remember them being fairly good/decent. They certainly don’t hurt in case you were a little worried about that happening.

On another note, these kids sure do get a lot of freedom. Charlie Brown gets his own hotel room and Linus is able to travel through the city in the dead of night. Back in the day things were definitely safer so people could wander around, but it also fuels my theory that Charlie Brown is actually about a group of college students and the animation just makes them look small. The blurry voices? They still belong to the adults and teenagers just can’t understand anyone who has exceeded a certain age. There are a number of fairly decent theories you could make about the series, which is always fun to do. Of course, I would not want a live action film to go that route.

Overall, A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a good film. It serves as a decent introduction to Charlie Brown’s character in case you haven’t seen the other specials. As far as Charlie’s plots go, the Spelling Bee was definitely one of his better ones. My favorite is probably still Charlie trying to read Love and Peace. He typically has the best plots in each of the specials/films, but that makes sense when you think about it. The main character should always be the highlight right? Otherwise, why would the films be called…Charlie Brown? Peanuts would have been a nice title, but I actually prefer it this way. If you want a fairly uplifting story with an emotional climax, this is the film for you!

Overall 6/10

Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! Review

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It’s time for another Charlie Brown special! I got to see this one right after the ball dropped to ring in the New Year right! I actually missed the ball dropping because I had been playing video games right before this, but that’s okay…these things happen. I knew that it would be tough to beat the Charlie Brown Christmas special, but that’s all right. It’s still a solid film and the main plot about Charlie Brown having to get some reading done is good. Unfortunately, he still cannot manage his time very well.

Charlie was looking forward to New Year’s, but his teacher decided to spring a big homework project on him during the last day of class. He now has to read War and Peace during Winter Break. He decided not to start it until a few days before New Year’s Eve though and then he spends a lot of time spacing out. It doesn’t help that there is a big party going on to celebrate the New Year and this means that he has naturally been invited. Charlie is stuck on page 5 for days and things are not looking up for him. Then again, things rarely go over very well for Charlie Brown and that’s because he’s not a very strong individual. He lets the other kids push him around the whole time.

Charlie loves to pull out the friend zone card when the other kids try to make a move on him, but they always ignore him. The only person that Charlie actually likes also has the friend zone card at the ready, which means that it is a very vicious cycle, but one that I can get behind. Given that all of the other kids were able to finish War and Peace a while back, it just goes back to show that Charlie may not have the best work ethic and his attitude towards life in general is a little negative. He aims to be more positive moving forward, but I can’t say that it is a great improvement for him at the moment. An improvement is an improvement though and while Charlie is still not one of the more likable main characters out there, he’s not terrible. I just don’t particularly like the guy and getting stuck in the mail slip when trying to send a letter across was pretty sad. He could have tried opening the mail slot again, but I suppose that it was simply too much work.

Snoopy really stole the show this time, but that’s no surprise. He was ready for this party a day in advance and didn’t have to worry about doing any required reading. Snoopy took care of everything that needed to be taken care of so then he could have a good time at the party. The only thing that wasn’t very fun with Snoopy in the Christmas special was that he would pick on the little bird a lot, but here they were closer friends and now worked together as Snoopoy looked after the little guy. He even knows how to dance, further cementing the fact that Snoopy is the most complete character in the entire cast.

The animation style is certainly iconic. It may be very old, but at least the animation has a standard air about it and they didn’t try going for any gimmicks, which would have made the film not age as well. I can get behind this animation and I also like the voice acting more than expected. I like how the characters are practically yelling the whole time. Since there aren’t many background sounds to distract the audience from the words, each character really gets to project and it makes them all look like they’re about to just go back home and take a nap as they’re so hyper with a sugar rush. That being said, the characters did decide to drink some Root Bear with a plate of cookies to celebrate so maybe I’m on to something here. I do think that the food combo is quite brilliant though.

There was a game of musical chairs at one point, which was neat. I was definitely surprised that Charlie Brown performed so well in the match. He got second place, but spaced out at the end as he was listening to the music, which led to his untimely demise. Game Over Charlie….it’s why you must stay focused when playing any game. You can’t underestimate your opponent or how your hunger for dinner can alter how well you perform. The song wasn’t quite as catchy though and I can’t say that any of the songs were particularly interesting, but the kids don’t have the greatest voice out there so the song choices have to be a bit limited.

I enjoyed the ending a lot as the teacher realized that Charlie Brown was trying to pull a fast one and acted accordingly. Even Charlie couldn’t defend himself and quickly had to admit to it all. Maybe he will start reading the next book a little sooner to avoid a repeat of what happened this time, but seeing as how Charlie Brown doesn’t always learn his lesson..it may be a bit tricky. Still, I do think that he mostly handles the situation with his friends pretty well. There’s a lot of drama everywhere so Charlie tries to keep out of it and that’s usually a small move. Now, if only Peppermint would get the hint.

Overall, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown! is a pretty good TV special. As far as the main plot goes, it was pretty engaging and can hold its own against the Christmas special. That being said, the special doesn’t have the great morals that the Christmas one had, which sets it down 1 star. Still, I definitely recommend checking this out for New Year’s and if you already missed that date, then watching it whenever you have time is another good option. Think of your New Year’s Resolution and then compare it to Charlie Brown’s to see if you gave yours enough thought. These specials are also very short so they don’t drag out and the plot keeps moving at a rapid pace. It’s a winning strategy. The Charlie Brown specials have definitely been enjoyable thus far and hopefully Snoopy continues to get the leading role. He really outshines everyone else!

Overall 7/10

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Review

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It’s been a while since I saw the Charlie Brown Christmas special. As Thanksgiving is now upon us, it was the perfect time to see this one. I haven’t seen the new Charlie Brown film yet, but all in good time. There are certainly a lot of specials to catch up on as it is. This one’s naturally not as good as the legendary Christmas special, but it holds its own. At less than 30 minutes, the special is also over in the blink of an eye.

Charlie Brown is not looking forward to Thanksgiving as he can’t appreciate how great the holiday is. Many Americans have grown jaded about this day, but not me. I still have fun filling my stomach with food and snacks while watching some good Dallas Cowboy Football. He is going up to his grand parents for dinner, but then some friends decide to spend the day at his house for a meal. Charlie doesn’t have the courage needed to tell his “friends” that he won’t have time for their games so he’ll have to think of something and quick!

As per usual, Charlie Brown’s not a very likable character. It’s hard to root for the guy since he lets everyone kick him around the whole time. It’s hard to find a main character who’s weaker willed than Charlie when you think about it. These are supposed to be his friends after all so imagine how tough it will be for him to stand up to a bully. I doubt it would go all that well for him.

Snoopy is the best character as expected. He always knows what to do in a pinch and he has more talents than the rest of the characters combined. The shenanigans between him and the bird typically aren’t that funny though and Snoopy’s best scenes are when it’s just him. He’s always prepared and he even grabs a nice turkey to have for his supper since his ungrateful owners didn’t like the feast that he had made. Then they didn’t deserve the snacks and meat that he had gone out of his way to get right? It all makes sense when you think about it and you can’t deny that Snoopy steals the show here.

Linus is the voice of reason and the best human character in the film as expected. He always give Charlie wise advice and says the prayer for the feast when Charlie froze. This guy also plays the friendzone card when necessary and trust me, you always want to have that card on deck. The other characters are typically just around to bully good ole Charlie. They complained about his dinner and tricked him into taking a pretty mean spill. They could learn a thing or two about how friendship is like magic. When it’s real, then things end up going quite well.

The animation is solid as expected. It’s a very old TV special so it’s not like the colorful visuals are going to blow you away, but it’s nice to look at and the animation is very clear. I’m definitely satisfied with it. There’s no real soundtrack, but that’s to be expected since this film isn’t really about that. It’s just about watching Charlie Brown try to solve a problem and then have a nice Thanksgiving while Snoopy gets to really enjoy the holiday. The writing and voice acting are what typically makes the specials memorable.

One issue that keeps this special from being as good as the Christmas one is that there are too many fake romance plots scattered throughout the special. We don’t need those to be here as the film just needs heart and a fun plot. I would have liked to have seen the Red Baron here at some point since he always gives Snoopy a nice fight. You also end up feeling bad for the bird since he can’t fly yet or move very quickly so he usually gets one upped the whole time. The two animals are technically friends…but it’s a little iffy when you think about the kids who are supposed to be friends. These negatives aren’t that bad though and just barely help to keep the star off. Besides that, it just wasn’t quite good enough to give a solid 7.

Overall, This is a good little special to watch on Thanksgiving. Charlie Brown may not be the world’s best main character just yet, but he gives it his all. As mentioned earlier, this is about as long as your average cartoon episode so it flies by very quickly. Counting the credits and everything, it may be even shorter because this definitely felt like it was under 25-30 minutes. Now, you can get set for Black Friday and Slow Saturday as the holiday weekend continues. Next up, Christmas!!

Overall 6/10

Ten Year Celebration 2015 Free Comic Book Day Special Review

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It is time for the final Free Comic Book! I left this one for last because the one from last year bored me to be honest and anthologies are really hard to get into. This one features a lot of stories, but most of them are extremely short so you aren’t able to really get into them. That just doesn’t seem like a winning formula. The readers won’t be enticed to buy any of the issues and I doubt that the writers like to be confined to such a small area to show off their artistic talents. I suppose that it is supposed to just be a fun little comic to read to celebrate 10 years of…something, but it just doesn’t work.

There are a bundle of stories here. The one that is the longest and also the most boring is about a few mice who listen to a story about the days of old. Nothing happens and you wonder why the story is being told. Adventure Time’s short is about a card game tournament that is about to begin and this was one of the best comics. Had we actually gotten to start the tournament, it likely would have blown the rest of the stories away. I love a good card game tournament! Snoopy got one where he is trying to write a book, but one of the kids keeps criticizing him. I would give this one points for effort, but this comic feels like it has been ripped off panel for panel from other Snoopy issues. The plot is not new or original so no points for effort.

Garfield’s story is cool because he now has the title of fastest cat in the world. It was a comedy story as he did it for the pizza, but it was still satisfying to see him take the win. I thought that his owners would lose the money somehow, but they actually kept the 10000 dollar reward. That’s pretty great! There is a story about a Kirby ripoff who decides to fight a two headed dragon, but realizes that he doesn’t have any deodorant on. That’s certainly a dicey predicament when you are about to enter the fight of your life eh!? There are a few other stories, but you get the jist and the others were all extremely short anyway. Although, the story about the Red Cardinal giving people a chocolate milk drink when they thought that they were drinking coffee was decent. It was only about a page or two though so it really went by quickly.

The art really varies as each comic has a different art style so it’s really hard to talk about it. Some had good art like Garfield, Adventure Time (Gimicky, but still good) Snoopy, and the Cardinal, but others like the Mice story had art that was very sub par. By and large, it depends on the issue, but more issues have good art rather than bad so that’s always a good thing. The writing is typically in the same boat, but I’d argue that it is the opposite. More comics have poor writing than the kind of writing that will make you grin.

Overall, This collection was just as (not) good as I expected. You simply can’t hope to cram in like 10 different stories in a comic that is only slightly bigger than the typical one. There simply isn’t enough time to develop all of the tales and a lot of them will just tend to be unlikable or uninspired. We ended the free comics on a low note, but I did leave this one for last on purpose. I knew what to expect and I put it off for quite a while. No worries though as my next comic reviews will be about much better comics. You likely won’t see another comic with a score so long in quite a long while. If you like anthologies then maybe you should pick this up, but I still recommend skipping this comic and just reading a Justice League issue.

Overall 4/10

Let’s Dance Snoopy Review

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It’s time for another newspaper styled comic in this Snoopy volume after the Superman review that I recently wrote. I think that this is probably the first Peanuts comic that I’ve read so that’s pretty neat. I’ve always wanted to purchase the Snoopy video game and I’ve only seen one of the TV specials so I’m relatively new to the franchise, but this should help me really be able to delve into it.

Snoopy is the main character here. Naturally, as this is essentially newspaper strips combined into a volume, there’s not much of a plot. In the background things do happen though and there is continuity, it’s just not the biggest factor here. Some bird are hatching on Snoopy’s land and they come back to visit sometimes. Snoopy’s adventures against the Red Baron continue as well and then the kids try to comfort him once in a while. The plot isn’t really the important thing here.

The art is simplistic, which fits the Peanuts style. It’s the kind of art that you can envision matching up to one day, but it’s still good. If it works, then it works right? The author is able to reuse a lot of character expressions and movements because they often do the same things, but it’s just part of the style. An elaborate art style like in Marvel or DC could ultimately go to waste here since it could only be used for a few panels each issue. As long as the art is clear and allows you to read through the comic, that’s really all that counts.

The collection is fun to read through. It’s rather short so you’ll be done with it quickly. That’s a good thing as a much larger collection could have dragged on. It’s fun to see Snoopy and the gang go at it, but it’s not really my style as much as some of the other comics. I just prefer to have more of a loose plot somewhere or a continuing story. Something in between the TinTin adventures and the Superman newspaper comics would be a nice balance.

Snoopy’s still the best character in the Peanuts franchise. He takes charge and doesn’t let anyone mess with him. His home is his fortress and you never know what he’s going to do. It is a little sad that his Red Baron adventures aren’t actually real, but at least he has a good imagination. I imagine that being a dog could be a little boring after a while so I suppose that I would start day dreaming as well. It passes the time at least right?

It doesn’t help that the kids aren’t very nice to Snoopy. Charlie Brown tries his best, but the other kids don’t seem to realize what a great dog Snoopy is. Snoopy can wrestle and tackle with the best of them. Snoopy’s one of a kind and while he isn’t as cool as my dog, Sonic, he’s still a pretty excellent pup. Without Snoopy, the comic would lose a lot of its personality.

Still, Charlie Brown is a decent supporting character. He’s just not very interesting. Charlie rarely says anything that isn’t a fact that we just heard. He’s a nice kid, but that’s about all that Charlie Brown has going for him. Snoopy has looks, bravery, and skill. He even lives it up during Christmas by switching his water and food bowls. The humans never suspected a thing.

Peanuts has had many products in just about every area. I think it has had the most success in the video game world and next would be in TV land. Comics are its weakness for now, but that will likely not be the case forever. Archie has gotten many spinoffs and various comic series and that title’s not nearly as big as the Peanuts. (Debatable I suppose) I’m sure that the Peanuts have more than one series and there are likely some more plot based ones out there. Even if they are simply stand alone stories like Sonic Boom, full length stories would do wonders for the series.

More of a plot is all that I ask from the series. If not that, then maybe the elaborate art that I was talking about earlier. The writing is good though and typically the adventures are fun. The worst subplot was probably the one where Snoopy would stick out his tongue and say “Bleh” but it luckily didn’t get too much screen time. You’ll end up feeling bad for Snoopy as well since he is constantly defeated by the Red Baron. It’s easy to see who is winning the war in Snoopy’s version of the world war. Come on Snoopy, you can do it!

Overall, Let’s Dance Snoopy is a nice nostalgia boost for long time fans. As someone who isn’t very deep into the franchise yet, it can be a little uneventful. An actual plot is the big upgrade that the comic needs to make the leap to the next rating. I’m sure that it will happen at some point. A Snoopy solo series based on his adventures (real ones this time) would be pretty great and a very promising premise for the next series. If you are a big fan of Peanuts, then this is the comic for you. If you’re looking for a fun comic to pass the time by, I’d refer you to TinTin instead.

Overall 5/10