Customer Reviews

Peanuts Holiday Collection (A Charlie Brown Christmas/A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) [VHS]

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Finally, a few of Charles Schulz' classic Peanuts holiday specials have arrived on DVD...and I do mean *few*. This 3-disc set is very nicely packaged in a colorful gift box, and the audio and video quality of the discs is excellent. However, I am somewhat disappointed that each disc features only 2 twenty-five minute programs, and nothing in the way of extras. This being the 50th anniversary of Peanuts, it would have been nice to see some special features worthy of the occasion - e.g., some old Charles Schulz interviews, production notes, or perhaps even a gallery of strips. And couldn't they fit at least 4 or 5 specials on each disc? What about "It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown," "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown," "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," and "It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown" (...just to name a few)? What's a "Holiday Collection" without Valentine's Day and Easter? Of course the set is a must-buy -- it's Peanuts on DVD! But it's kind of a shame we aren't getting our money's worth.

I've grown up with the Peanuts gang. I've been a fan of the comic strip for as long as I can remember, and I've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas every year as well. It's a required Christmas tradition with me. Over the years, I've watched other specials, too.

This collection brings three of their holiday classics to DVD: Great Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Also included are three bonus programs, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown; The Mayflower Voyages; and It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown. These programs aren't nearly as good as the headliners, but do still provide some fun moments.

The biggest disappointment for the DVD fan is the lack of bonus material. As others have said, this collection could have been put on one DVD, and there are no bonus features. On the other hand, I don't remember these specials looking or sounding so good on TV.

If you're a Peanuts fan, you'll enjoy having these DVD's in your collection to enjoy at your leisure every year. Hopefully, Paramount will be smarter with future releases and include more programs and bonus material per disk.

Three holiday classics come together in this Peanuts Holiday Collection DVD Gift Set. The features: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". All three make their DVD debut indivdually and as part of this 3-disc set, which seems like one of the ideal gift ideas of the fall. The timeless Peanuts characters can now be seen in all their glory in this Paramount box set. All are fullframe, 1.0 mono sound releases, which juding from Paramount's track record, should receive pristine video transfers. Now that there are no new Peanuts comic strips, we can only rely on the old strips and TV specials like these to enlighten us with the unique and endearing wisdom and wit of Charles Schultz. Enjoy these classic tales with your families this holiday season.

Also included on these discs are three lesser-known specials which are in some way related to the main title of the disc.

3 half hour cartoons can fit on one DVD, other than to rip off customers with a hefty price (not Amazon's fault) why does this need to be on 3 discs? These Peanuts cartoons are classics and a must own but I will wait for a better deal to come around before buying the trio. Horton Hears a Who is on the same DVD with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. If three hours of Titanic can fit on one DVD there is no excuse for this excess packaging.

Here they are, the three greatest Peanuts holiday classics in one awesome DVD boxed set! This lovely case contains three discs in the same cases in which they are sold individually, each with two Peanuts programs: one classic and one lesser special. Here are the details...

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

Halloween specials never caught on quite as strongly as the Christmas special over the past few decades, but there was a time when they were something many of us looked forward to annually, and today some of them are now considered just as much classics as their Christmas counterparts. There was the Garfield Halloween special, the live-action specials "The Worst Witch" and "The Halloween That Almost Wasn't" (known as `The Night Dracula Saved the World' on VHS), Bugs Bunny's Halloween Special, "Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile," and a few others. The king of the Halloween specials, of course, was the 1960's classic, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!"

It's Halloween, and everyone is getting ready to go trick or treating, followed by the big Halloween party at Violet's house. Somehow, Charlie Brown has received an invitation too! Everyone is excited! But Linus has different plans. Linus is a firm believer in The Great Pumpkin, Halloween's answer to Santa Claus. It seems that every Halloween Night, the Great Pumpkin flies through the sky in search of the most sincere pumpkin patch around, and when he finds it, the lucky kids who are waiting there for him will get tons of presents and candy! Everyone thinks Linus must be crazy! But Charlie Brown's little sister Sally has a huge crush on Linus and has decided to take a chance on him. She agrees to give up trick or treats and spend the night sitting in the pumpkin patch with Linus waiting for The Great Pumpkin to arrive.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," is loads of Halloween fun with our favorite group of sassy comic strip kids. Snoopy performs his legendary WWI reenactments, Lucy is meaner than ever, and Charlie Brown couldn't be Charlie Brownier. Who else could get nothing but rocks when trick or treating? The DVD is great, with a bonus Charlie Brown special to boot! "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown!" In this special, Linus suggests that Charlie Brown should run for class president, but when Lucy takes a poll, it appears that Linus would have a much better chance. The Peanuts gang immediately sets to work on getting Linus elected, but it seems that the Great Pumpkin will ruin yet another day in Linus' life in the end. It's a fun little special, but nowhere near as wonderful as "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" Pick this one up for the feature presentation, but stick around for the extra!

"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"

In this 1973 addition to Charles Schulz's line of Peanuts classic holiday specials, Charlie Brown has a grand Thanksgiving dinner to look forward to at his grandmother's house, but a call from tomboyish friend Peppermint Patty throws a wrench in his plans. She's invited herself over to Charlie Brown's house for a holiday feast, and she's bringing Marcie and Franklin along too! Charlie Brown doesn't know how he let himself get talked into making a pre-dinner dinner for his friends, but now he'll need the help of Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock to pull it off! Unfortunately, all they know how to make is a meal of toast, popcorn, pretzels, jelly beans, and ice-cream sodas!

The Peanuts holiday specials have been American traditions ever since they first started appearing back in the 1960s, and they've been a personal tradition for as far back as I can remember. Some of them are as necessary to complete the holiday experience as jack o' lanterns, eggs, turkeys, and Christmas trees. The most popular of these are the sacred '60s Christmas and Halloween specials, but not too far behind are the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Valentine's, and Easter offerings. In fact, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" is probably considered number 3 in the countdown, if such a countdown exists. The special is classic Peanuts and highly enjoyable and heartwarming entertainment for a holiday that is sadly short on themed programming, though it doesn't have quite as much "magic" as the other two specials. Surely, this is partly due to the fact that Thanksgiving, while no doubt having a much deeper meaning than food, is essentially celebrated through a big feast with family and friends. Christmas is all that and much more, and Halloween, well, Halloween is weird and spooky, and that's why it's so cool. It's clearly much harder to come up with a 25 minute TV special revolving around such a simple, though still wonderful, holiday as Thanksgiving. There are, of course, more critical factors as to why this shining television special doesn't shine quite as brightly as its predecessors. First and foremost, though she does appear for the brief football kicking gag in the opening of the special, Lucy's sassy presence is greatly missed throughout the rest of the program. Instead, we get Peppermint Patty, who doesn't really appeal to everyone, but who became a powerful presence in subsequent Peanuts shows. Second, there probably should have been a couple of touches added to enhance the Thanksgiving feeling of the film. Perhaps a scene of watching a parade on television or enjoying a REAL Thanksgiving meal at the kids' table at grandma's in the finale would have done the trick. We also have a change of voices this time around, and there aren't as many characters as the previous specials have had, which makes the Peanuts world a bit smaller and hurts the overall look a bit I think. Luckily, we do get the wisdom of Linus and Marcie, Woodstock makes his mark on the Peanuts holiday specials (with his own song to boot), and the entire experience is still an endearing one that we can all be thankful for.

"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" comes with an entire 24-minute second program entitled, "This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers." Now, this is probably mostly of interest to the history buff Peanuts fan. Part of the "This Is America, Charlie Brown" series from 1988 (which I don't remember well but wish would come to DVD in a boxed set someday), this is more educational programming than Peanuts magic, but it's sweet and entertaining educational programming. In the special, Charlie Brown and Co. play the roles of pilgrim children aboard the Mayflower. The film takes us through the hardships the pilgrims suffered and introduces us to the leaders, both pilgrim and Native American alike, that helped bring them through the difficult times. It all culminates in the first Thanksgiving feast and is an excellent film to watch annually before your big holiday dinner. Together with the feature program, this is the "must have" DVD for Thanksgiving Day viewing, and it is perfect for that period after the Macy's parade but before dinner is on the table! Pick it up with the "Garfield Holiday Celebrations" DVD today!

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang deliver the true meaning of Christmas in this 1965 Holiday Classic beloved by millions! Charlie Brown is more depressed than usual now that Christmas is in the air, and he really doesn't know why. It soon becomes clear that his problem is the commercialization of the sacred holiday. A visit to Lucy's psychiatry stand lands him in the director's chair of their school's upcoming Christmas pageant, but the lack of respect he gets from his cast and crew does little to cheer him up. Lucy's next suggestion is that he take a break to purchase a Christmas tree for the show, but Charlie Brown's selection of a scrawny twig of a tree instead of a gaudy aluminum one only makes things worse. Luckily, a recitation by Linus of the Christmas story from the Bible brings the Peanuts gang around to Charlie Brown's way of thinking. The little tree finally gets the love it needs, and Charlie Brown gets renewed faith in the spirit of the season!

Of all the holiday movies and specials ever to grace the television screen, this is the one no Christmas lover wants to miss! This is the great one, the masterpiece, the tradition of traditions: "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Amidst all the Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Clauses, the Pac-Man Christmas Specials, the ten-million versions of "A Christmas Carol" (don't get me wrong, I love `em all!), this simple holiday favorite IS the diamond in the rough. It's no wonder why the Peanuts have been so successful on TV since this wonderful program first hit the air waves. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a must have on DVD, and this edition even includes an entire program as a bonus feature! "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown," is one of 3 Peanuts Christmas programs made after the 1965 original. It's a standard 23 minute special, but it is more a collection of comic strip style gags than a solid story. Likely taken directly from one year's holiday run of the actual Peanuts strip, the short jokes are funny and do reflect the holiday season (Charlie Brown is trying to sell Christmas wreaths door-to-door to buy a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, Snoopy is a Salvation Army Santa Claus, Peppermint Patty is upset about her role in a Christmas Pageant, etc...). However, the special doesn't have nearly as much charm or Christmas spirit as the classic special. Fine as a time-killer, but nothing too memorable. Still, a very nice bonus feature on a very nice disc.

All in all, this boxed set is a must have for the holiday lover! I'm happy to have it in my collection and hope they will eventually release a set that brings together the rest of the Peanuts Holiday classics as well! One last thing: If you enjoy the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" DVD, I recommend picking up "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown," as well. This much more recent Christmas special DVD not only includes the lengthier than usual holiday special it is named for, but also two bonus features, "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales" and "The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas." Yes, this OTHER Christmas special DVD contains the making of the original Christmas classic, so you'll have to pick it up too if you want that behind the scenes featurette. I've certainly added it to my list, and the feature program is quite enjoyable as well!

It is a nice set of the classics you remember as a child! However only contains 3 episodes, not 6, on VHS tapes. The initial review is misleading because they are refering to the DVD set. The VHS tapes only contain: "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (according to the packaging). Also included is a bonus inflatable Peanuts chair, which is great for a youngster to sit in and watch. It will surely keep your children entertained for hours. My son has been asking me for Peanuts tapes for months. Now he is finally getting this set for his birthday....

I was given this set for Christmas, as these have been favorites of mine for 30 years. Every year as a child we would watch these specials a week or two before the holiday on television. In short, these stories and characters are part of my childhood.

In DVD format they look like new. The colors are so sharp, and the format is simple and easy. Each DVD comes with the classic story (Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween) and each comes with a bonus Charlie Brown special. For example, the Christmas disc comes with a "sequel" special I had not seen before. It is not as good as the original, but was very entertaining. Likewise the other bonus specials were new to me as well, so that was a fun treat.

One of things that make the Christmas special in particular so timeless and good for the family is that they were written before the era of censorship of any mention of the Biblical meaning of Christmas. Whenever I read the second Chapter of Luke, and the story of Christ's birth, I "hear" it in Linus's voice! The music in the Christmas special is classic as well, and a foundation for the Holiday at my house.

Of course who could forget such classic scenes as Peppermint Patty exclaiming "What kind Thanksgiving is this? Where is the turkey, the cranberries, where is the Pumpkin pie?" Or when Charlie Brown and the other kids are looking into their trick or treat bags and Charlie says "I got a rock". These scenes and many others make the Halloween and Thanksgiving specials fun to watch again and again.

Buy this set so your children will make these timeless and classic specials part of how they identify with these Holidays, or better yet, buy it for the child in you. Highly recommended for everyone.

Since I've already reviewed most of these DVD's (save It's Christmas Time Again Charlie Brown), I'm going to review them in a different light. I will say that Charlie Brown Christmas, It's the Great Pumpkin, CB and Charlie Brown Thanksgiving are 3 of my alltime favourite Charlie Brown specials.

A CB Christmas (1965) was (as I used as a title for my 2000 review) "The Special that Started It All!" Most of you have already seen this one, but if you haven't, go see it in this package! If you don't have it on DVD but liked it, all the more reason to buy this. Anyways, Charlie Brown seeks out the true meaning of Christmas and is asked to pick out a tree for the Christmas paegant. Finally, the true reason for Christmas is explained in the midst of the commercialism which even back in 1965 caused many to forget what Christmas is all about. 5 stars

It's Christmastime Again, CB (1992) is really a series of short stories. Charlie Brown plans to buy some mittens for his sweetheart Peggy Jean, Sally is in the schoolplay and her one line is simply "Hark!" Peppermint Patty is jealous of Marcie's role in the schoolplay. To compare this with the original would be unfair but this special is still cute and entertaining. 3 and 1/2 stars

Great Pumpkin (1966) shows Linus awaiting the Great Pumpkin's arrival with Sally, Charlie Brown's not-so-pleasant goodies in his Halloween bag and Snoopy's World War I flying ace routine (my favourite scene). 5 stars

Not Elected, CB (1972) is a lesser known special which should be shown each election year. Since Charlie Brown doesn't favour too well in Lucy's polls, Linus is encouraged to run for class president. 5 stars

CB Thanksgiving (1973) teaches a little about the 1st Thanksgiving and also Peppermint Patty learns a valuable lesson from Marcie after she invites herself, Marcie and Franklin to Chuck's house for Thanksgiving. 5 stars

The Mayflower Voyage (1988) was part of This Is America, CB (an 8 part series). My only complaint is that all of the This Is America series should be on DVD (they could include What Have We Learned CB? to even it out). Until then, enjoy this more educational view on the Mayflower with the Peanuts gang dressed as pilgrims. 4 stars

Though extras would be nice (commentaries by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendellson, the old Ford commercials, and a 2001 special about CB Christmas), these specials carry enough weight for themselves. Maybe extras are in the planning for the future. In the meantime, Melendez and Mendellson had enough understanding on Charles Schulz's characters to do justice to Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang!

When I was a youngster, I used to look forward with great delight to the Peanuts holiday specials on TV. "Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was one of those subtle signals that the holiday season--my favorite time of year--was approaching.

In recent years, it seems either the local stations aren't running these classics any more, or I keep missing them. How wonderful to have these timeless holiday specials available to watch at one's leisure! The DVDs are well mastered; the picture quality is very clear (quite remarkable considering that some of these films are 30 years old!), and the sound quality is good.

I would have loved to see some interviews with Charles Schultz included, but even without, these DVDs are a must-have for anyone who cherishes their childhood memories of that magical time of year from Halloween to Christmas.

I just got my copy of the boxed set and as we all know, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" are indispensible classics on the level of "It's a Wonderful Life", "Miracle on 34th Street", and "A Christmas Story". In my opinion, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was kind of mailed in, but you can hardly have the other two without the third.

The DVDs are a little lacking though. (...) Why does it take three DVDs to contain six 25-minute cartoons? Especially when there are no special features to speak of. English subtitles are not a feature...give me a director's cut, a music video for "Linus and Lucy" or something of the like. They could have gotten away with one DVD for which I still would have paid (the money) for.