Customer Reviews

Peanuts Holiday Collection Deluxe Edition (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown / A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / A Charlie Brown Christmas)

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

PEANUTS:DELUXE HOLIDAY COLLECTION is a new DVD set featuring the three main holiday Peanuts cartoons that are each a classic and cherished by millions of adults and kids alike.

The set is remastered and each special is in their own DVD case and comes housed in a cardboard box with art work.

What makes this set different from the 2000 release of this set is on "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." This set includes an episode called "It's Magic, Charlie Brown," which replaces the bonus episode called "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" on the 2000 release of ITGP,CB holiday set.

And this set includes all new featurettes on the making of each holiday classic. That alone is worth buying this set. And you also get a bonus music CD containing six song sampler from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" music soundtrack.

If that's not enough, each DVD also contains a ITunes code to download two-additional songs from each of the soundtracks. Very nice!

Here's what's in the set:

DVD #1
IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN
*** bonus episode *** It's Magic, Charlie Brown.
*** new featurette *** We Need A Blockbuster, Charlie Brown--13:50-minutes-- with interviews with director Bill Melendez, executive producer Lee Mendelson, wife and son of Charles Schulz-Jeannie and Monte, historians and others.
*** code for i-Tunes* to two songs *** "Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Oh, Good Grief" from the Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits.

DVD #2
A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING
*** bonus episode *** The Mayflower Voyagers.
*** new featurette *** Popcorn & Jellybeans: Making A Thanksgiving Classic--approx. 12:22-minutes--interviews with Melendez & Mendelson AND the voices of Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty and Sally. They're adults now, obviously, but it's nice to finally see some of the kids who were behind the voices. BTW, Peppermint Patty was done by a boy! LOL! Great cast!
*** code for i-Tunes* for two songs *** "Camptown Races" and "Thanksgiving Theme" also from Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits.

DVD #3
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
*** bonus episode *** It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
*** new featurette *** A Christmas Miracle: The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas--approx. 15:50- minutes--discussion from Mendelson, Melendez et al, about the making of this Christmas classic and how it almost never came to be. And you'll find out why the bible passage was included in the script, because people told creator Charles Schulz that it would be blasphemous and degrading to use such sacred words in a cartoon! I guess he showed them, LOL! CBS thought that ACBC would bomb and that they would never re-run it again. How wrong they were!
*** bonus music cd *** A Charlie Brown Christmas Six Song Sampler--songs include: My Little Drum, Linus And Lucy, Hark, The Herald Angels Sing, Christmas Is Coming, Für Elise, and Greensleeves.
***i-tunes* code *** "Hark, The Hearald Angels Sing" and "Christmas Time Is Here" (vocal) from A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack CD.

So, I guess aside from the featurettes and the different bonus episode on ITGP,CB, the remastering and 6-track music cd, this set is pretty much like the one from 2000. If you don't have that set, then I would recommend this set! Or if you're a big Peanuts fan like me, you'll probably get this set and sell the old one. The holidays wouldn't be the same without these Peanuts specials.

*EDIT *iTunes Codes:
The i-Tunes codes seem to work only for the songs on the "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" DVD insert. But if you email customer support at i-Tunes, they'll give you song credits to purchase the additional i-Tune songs from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtracks.

I own the "original" set of DVD Holiday Classics and this set mirrors those in content except for different "B-sides" on the Halloween and Christmas Specials, as well as small "making of" featurettes on each disc.

After reading a few reviews, I purchased this set just for the fact that they've been remastered. The're gorgeous. The colors are vibrant, the presentation and menus are updated, and the original content looks better than ever. Well worth the purchase.

The video quality of these specials on Blu-ray is, as was the case with the release of Charlie Brown Christmas last year, simply the best these specials have ever looked on home video, period. That would make them an instant purchase, if only...

Warner Home Video remastered the audio of all these specials with a very cheesy faux 5.1 surround, giving the audio a hokey, echo-filled sound that just sounds very, very wrong. They sound as if they were processed through a "faux surround" mode found on the cheapest surround processor available.

Worse, because there is an echo added to the tracks, even if your processor or TV has a "mono" mode you CANNOT restore the audio to the original mono soundtrack most of us have heard for years, meaning that if you buy these for any kind of decent experience you need to WATCH the Blu-ray but sync up the DVD release for the AUDIO.

Warner Home Video could have EASILY included the original mono soundtracks as well, but decided that hokey fake surround would be a better choice, so ironically, sound quality-wise the mono Spanish audio tracks are BETTER.

As most of the reviews concentrate on the VIDEO quality of these releases, you likely would never know until you placed these discs in your player, hit play and wondered just what went wrong with the sound.

I can't say to stay away - I'll keep mine for the video quality and because I doubt I could get a decent price for these on the second-hand market - but be warned that if you are expecting that sound you've heard from years of TV runs or on the DVDs, you'll be SORELY disappointed.

Update: Note the 2011 release of this collection features the same horrid 5.1 DD mix as the earlier release. Stay away if you like the audio until WB gives us the original English 1.0 track back...

I purchased this set through amazon and received it today (October 7th, 2010). Prior to purchasing this set, I also owned the standard peanuts holiday dvd set that was released a few years ago. I purchased the blu-ray dvd set because I thought they would be a better quality than the former. Honestly, I do not see any difference in the quality of the blu-ray dvds in comparison to the standard dvd set. My blu-ray player has an upconverter and so the standard dvds are upconverted to a better quality. I reviewed both sets (blu-ray and standard) and honestly could not tell a difference between the two (in terms of quality). So, for those who own the standard dvd set and question whether it is worth the money upgrading to blu-ray, if I were to offer any advice, it would be to save your money...that is unless you're into collecting blu-ray dvds and feel the need to obtain this set for its special features.

To be fair, I found that the special features make up for some of the lack in quality of the blu-ray dvds. It is interesting to learn about the histoy of each holiday specials and how the Christmas special was almost never produced. For the special features and the amount I paid for this set ($34.99), I didn't feel too bad about the purchase. I am disappointed in the quality but found that the special features make up for some of that disappointment.

Again, the quality of the dvds are not as great as I had hoped, but the special features are worth the consideration.

They are like familiar guests that visit every holiday season only they are not as obnoxious as family members and they don't overstay their welcome. Warner Home Video has released The Peanuts Holiday Collection, a three DVD boxed set containing the Peanuts most beloved holiday specials: A Charlie Brown Christmas Deluxe Edition, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Deluxe Edition. Each feature has been re-mastered and looks fantastic. In addition, each comes with a brand new featurette and other bonus material making the set a perfect selection for the holidays.

A Charlie Brown Christmas Deluxe Edition is the feature that started it all, an Emmy and Peabody award winning classic that premiered in 1965. Charlie Brown searches for the meaning of Christmas while all of his friends are wrapped up in the seasonal commercialism. It is up to Linus to explain what Christmas is all about in his Biblical reading from the Gospel of Luke.

The disc includes the featurette, "A Christmas Miracle, The Making of A Charlie Brown Christmas". In the featurette, producers the late Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson discuss how the show came about and their collaboration with Charles Schulz. They actually thought they did a terrible job and figured it was the last time they'd ever do a Peanuts feature. More than a few network executives had to eat their words when the show was the second highest rated show of the week. Melendez explains the decision to use actual kids for the Peanuts voices at a time when using adult actors was common place. As a tidbit, Melendez himself voiced Snoopy.

This disc also contains the 1992 special "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown", a far less successful feature. Here, Charlie Brown is selling wreaths door-to-door (and it's not even Thanksgiving yet) and the gang prepares to put on a Christmas play. You also get a CD with several songs from the original soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition was actually the third Peanuts special, debuting in 1966. Charlie Brown and the gang go out trick-or-treating, Linus and Sally are camped in the pumpkin patch awaiting the arrival of the Great Pumpkin, and Snoopy imagines himself as a World War I flying ace, battling the Red Baron. This special was just as successful as the Christmas show, pulling an incredible 49 share in the ratings.

A new featurette, `We need a Blockbuster, Charlie Brown" is included. Here, Melendez and Mendelson talk about how they were asked by CBS to create another ratings winner and went to Schulz to find out what theme would work. Schulz' wife and son also provide input on the creation of this seasonal favorite.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Deluxe Edition first premiered in 1973 and was yet another Emmy winner for Melendez, Mendelson, and Schulz. This special differed in that it did not draw upon the comic strip for its plot but was mainly composed of all original material. Thanksgiving becomes a meal with toast, popcorn, and jelly beans! A second feature "The Mayflower Voyagers" is also included. Part of the "This is America, Charlie Brown" series, this 1994 feature finds Charlie, Sally, Linus, and Lucy, as pilgrims crossing the ocean onboard the Mayflower.

The all-new featurette for this disc is entitled "Popcorn & Jelly Beans: Making a Thanksgiving Classic". Once again, Melendez and Mendelson talk about the genesis of this cartoon. To them, Thanksgiving seemed to be the next obvious choice for their latest Peanuts special.

If you already own these specials there probably isn't a very compelling reason to run out and buy this set if you're just interested in the cartoons themselves. However if you are interested in learning more about these classics then it is definitely worth getting for the three new featurettes. Each runs about 14 - 15 minutes and is a lot of fun. You get the sense that they had a lot of fun making these holiday specials.

Length:: 1:58 Mins

My daughter's a huge fan of Snoopy and the other Peanuts characters, and like most people, enjoys the holiday specials each year when they come on. When this gift set with the 'snow globe' went on sale, I snagged it figuring that I might as well since it included those cool window clings. See, I'd seen this gift set in stores before I went and bought it, and was fully aware that a real snow globe wasn't included. The packaging was too thin, and it was clear that the snow globe was just a kind of lenticular display. Sure enough, it's a cheap little plastic display piece not worth the extra money. You're better off going with the standard blu-ray or dvd set this time around.

Everyone knows the movies, so there's no need to go over them. They're classics and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It's funny watching these when you've grown up, and see that a lot of adult themes are part of the stories that feature young children, especially in the Christmas movie. The team that cleaned up the movies did a great job given how old these are, and this is probably as good as the movies are going to look and sound. There's some grain on the picture, but honestly, I think it adds to the charm of the time these were made, as crazy as that might sound. Colors are still vibrant though, and you can really see the different shades of colors in the night sky on the Great Pumpkin disc. Of course these movies won't be used to blow anyone away with your new home theater setup, but they sure do look better than previous releases, and a heck of a lot better than they look on tv. The audio got a nice lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master track for Great Pumpkin and Thanksgiving, but the Christmas special has a standard 5.1 Digital Mix. Of course these movies didn't need such a huge treatment, since there's not much action going on in any of them. If anything, you can really hear the little sound effects after Charlie Brown misses the football like he always does. The audio tracks do their job and are nice and clear, though it's still weird that the Christmas special has the lesser track, given that it has the big musical number.

Special features are sparse- there's just two extras on each disc: a bonus Peanuts episode and a making-of featurette going over the special. Great Pumpkin gets 'It's Magic, Charlie Brown', Thanksgiving gets Mayflower Voyagers' and Christmas gets 'It's Christmas Again Charlie Brown'. The making-of extras are short but nice to have as a quick look at how the specials were made, and looking back at what makes them so beloved.

I'm taking off one star for this gift set, but the movies themselves are all great. Some more extras would've been nice, but you can't really argue with bonus episodes of Peanuts, especially when they're all good. Again, go with the standard edition of this blu-ray set unless you can get it for a great price.

The Peanuts holiday tales are timeless holiday traditions, and just about everybody has fond memories of watching our favorite round-headed kid as he and his friends struggle through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. "The Peanuts Holiday Collection" brings together three beautifully remastered, beloved holiday tales, accompanied by three other bonus stories to complement them.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" when Linus decides to spend Halloween night sitting in the pumpkin patch, hoping for the Great Pumpkin to appear. While he and the besotted Sally are out there, Charlie Brown and the others are off trick-or-treating and going to a party, even as the World War I flying ace (aka Snoopy) is shot down behind enemy lines. Will the Great Pumpkin appear, or is Linus' pumpkin patch not sincere enough? And if he doesn't appear, what is Sally going to do?

Then in "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," Charlie Brown is planning to go with his family to his grandmother's house. But then Peppermint Patty calls him, and ends up inviting herself, Marcie, and Franklin to a Thanksgiving dinner... at HIS house. Charlie Brown's friends agree to help out with dinner -- but with a ping-pong dinner table and a main course cooked by a dog and a bird, is there any chance of this being a satisfying Thanksgiving?

Finally it's "A Charlie Brown Christmas," with poor Charlie Brown feeling depressed just before the holidays. Lucy comes up with the idea of having him direct the Christmas play... which turns out to be a disaster, since everybody is too busy dancing. And when he's sent off to buy a Christmas tree, Charlie Brown ends up buying a scrawny little thing that keeps shedding needles. It's up to Linus to remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas.

There's also a bonus special accompanying each of these classic episodes: "It's Magic, Charlie Brown," in which Snoopy's dabblings in magic render Charlie Brown invisible, which has some unexpected drawbacks and benefits; "The Mayflower Voyagers," the story of how the Pilgrims came to the US, and is acted by the Peanuts gang; and "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown," a series of goofy, kooky yuletide adventures for the Peanuts gang, including a disastrous pageant, mittens, and Charlie Brown's ceaseless attempts to sell a Christmas wreath.

Every one of these holiday stories has that simple, down-to-earth magic that Charles Schulz managed to create for several decades -- there's nothing cutesy or twee about these stories. Just lots of understated humor ("What did you expect, a turkey card?"), running jokes, and poor Charlie Brown flailing around trying to stay afloat during the holidays.

But there are some powerful moments as well, such as Linus solemnly reciting the story of Christ's birth during the Christmas episode, or telling them about the origins of Thanksgiving. He's less inspiring when going off about the Great Pumpkin, though.

The characters are the really endearing part of it, mainly because they don't come across as snotty/cutesy caricatures of children -- they're more like everyday kids with an adult twist (Lucy rambling about Christmas being run by a syndicate). Charlie Brown is depressed by every holiday and struggles to make everybody happy, while Linus is wise and sensible (except on Halloween). And there's the feisty Peppermint Patty, grumpy Lucy, and of course Snoopy (who lives in his own little world).

As for anyone wondering what the "ultimate edition" of a holiday pack that's already been released in DVD AND blu-ray, this is basically the same -- three DVDs and three blu-rays bundled together, with the same bonus episodes (mentioned above) and featurettes on each one. The only new stuff is some window clings (Snoopy and Charlie Brown at Christmas, Snoopy as a vampire, and Snoopy as a scarecrow) and a lenticular "snowglobe" (whatever that is) of the gang skating.

Assuming you don't already have these stories (because there's nothing new here), "The Peanuts Holiday Collection" is a must-buy for anyone who has ever hummed along to the jazzy piano theme, or suffered through some holiday pangs.

This (next to the Deluxe collection boxset) is one of the great Peanuts DVD boxsets.
Inculded in this boxset are:
1.A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): When Charlie Brown is directing the play the kids decide to need a Christmas tree. Inculdes a bonus Peanuts TV special which is "It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown" (1992): Good grief! Christmas again approaches for the Peanuts pals, and that means yet another Christmas play. Sally's one-word role as an angel may make or break the entire production, but Linus saves the day by again highlighting the true meaning of Christmas.
2.It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966): Sally and Linus go to the pumpkin patch to wait for "The Great Pumpkin" while Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts gang people go trick or treating. Inculdes a bonus Peanuts TV special which is "It's Magic, Charlie Brown" (1981): Snoopy puts on a magic act. His tricks are failures, except for one--turning Charlie Brown invisible.
3.A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973): Charlie Brown goes to his grandparents house for Thanksgiving while he tries to celebrate Thanksgiving with Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Franklin FIRST. Inculdes a bonus episode from "This Is America Charlie Brown" which is "The Mayflower Voyagers" (aired October 21, 1988): Charlie Brown and the pilgrims celebrate a glorious Thanksgiving together.
That's all. A really great Peanuts boxset for the fans.

This is truly a nice collection of classics. What makes it even better is that the package includes a few downloadable songs that are available for pick up at the iTunes store.

I've only watched the Halloween one to date, but it looked fabulous! The work done on it was certainly a success...the animation looked so fresh and crisp. Also, I really enjoyed the extras with it. I'm certainly glad I bought it!