Customer Reviews

Peanuts - This Is America, Charlie Brown

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great way to teach your children about American history. This Is America, Charlie Brown was an 8 part miniseries in 1988-89. In it, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Sally, Lucy, Linus, Marcie and others travelled back in time to witness events like the dreary Mayflower voyage, the signing of the Constitution, Ben Franklin discovering electricity, the Depression of the 1930's, the building of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Wright brothers' 1st flight. In addition, the Peanuts gang took a trip in outer space, travelled to the Smithsonian Institution, paid tribute to many American musicians like Scott Joplin and Stephen Foster and got to meet George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Squanto, Alexander Graham Bell and others. Some "purists" may object to the showing of adults in an animated special but the caricatures of some of the famous historical figures look like something Charles Schulz would've drawn. This features music from Dave Brubeck, George Winston, the Winans, Lou Rawls, Ed Bogas, Wynton Marsalis, David Grusin and David Benoit (and of course, lots of standards from the late Vince Guaraldi). Enjoy the history lesson and try to be patient until July, when this video collection is released!

Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the rest take viewers on an eight episode tour of highlights in America's history (well, seven, and one look to the future, at Nasa's then current plans of a manned space station, which here becomes a fun adventure for the Peanuts kids.) The best of these episodes put Charlie Brown and the rest into entertaining retellings of events in history, such as The Birth of the Constitution and The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, or have the kids talking to historical figures like Alexander Graham Bell and Abraham Lincoln. Some of the episodes try to cover perhaps a bit too much material through narration by Charlie Brown and the others, which takes a bit away from episodes like The Mayflower Voyagers and The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. The mini-series ends with a look at The Music and Heroes of America, in a co-production by Schroeder and Lucy (which was certainly NOT Schroeder's idea!) This was certainly a departure for Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez's long line of TV specials based on Schulz's famous comic strip, but for the most part they turned out well. In a few of these episodes, the drawing is a little sloppy, but not totally unwatchable. There are a lot of good character moments in these shows as well as all those facts...Snoopy and woodstock trying on powdered wigs in the Constitution episode, Charlie Brown loaning Ben Franklin a kite, Lucy pulling her old football gag on Charlie Brown in the Nasa Space Station and a lot more...One of my favorite parts is seeing just who drove the golden spike that connected the railroads (according to Schulz, anyway) I won't spoil it here, watch it yourself!

Let's face it, Peanuts has been slow getting onto DVD. Fortunately the holiday specials are out (and on the DVDs include extra shows). I'm still waiting for The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show from 1983 to hit DVD. Some viewers didn't like it, but I did because even when it missed (and it often hit) it had the same pacing as the comic (as did Garfield and Friends which began in 1988) which is so distinctive of the best Peanuts specials.

These eight specials ran on Nick under the umbrella title "You're on Nickelodeon, Charlie Brown" and made it out on VHS. This double DVD set saves more than $60 off the cost of the VHS videos. Pardon the 'e' word, but it's very educational. The shows are very different one from another. I very much liked the NASA space station show, which is sort of like a Peanuts take on the History Channel. But this set costs less than two of the VHS tapes, so it's like you get six shows free.

Of the 75 half hour Peanuts specials, some of the best had an educational bent, such as "What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?" about D-Day, which won a Peabody Award. The four best known specials are the feature length ones: "A Boy Named Charlie Brown", "Snoopy Come Home", "Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown" and "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown". Then there was the live action Broadway musical, "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," which I saw recently in its current revival. Charles Schultz didn't originally like the name "Peanuts" which was foisted on him by the syndicate. But like that addictive snack food, at least some of us can't get enough of his comic creations. Here's hoping more of them make it to DVD soon.

There are often times where the comics have done really well at projecting a great deal of joy and entertainment to so many young hearts. That has been the feeling with the Peanuts cast for so many eras. While the comic strips the late Charles Schultz have drawn for all throughout his lifetime, and until his retirement in 2000, continue to entertain al ages, the televisions specials have also gained a lot into the light as well such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Snoopy's Reunion. When it came to the moments of history, Schultz put them as if they were at those gracious eras too. Now, that series is on DVD for the first time.

This Is America Charlie Brown, the 1988 eight episode series take so many great moments as told by Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts gang. The collection includes special moments from the original flights at Kitty Hawk from the Wright Brothers, to the moments of NASA and the history of space, and the moment the pilgrims have stepped off The Mayflower. The collection of episodes from the CBS mini-series has been restored very well, and the animation looks and sounds better than ever. It still continues to enetertain for all ages, and portraits a lot of history that still hasn't been described enough in classrooms today.

All in all, This Is America Charlie Brown is a great DVD package for anybody who loves the Peanuts series from television, or for anyone who hasn't yet read even the comic strips. I loved watching this when I was seven years old, and I still enjoy the shows today.

Episodes: B

Price: A-

Remastering: B+

Educational Value: B+

Packaging: B+

Overall: B 1/2+

I purchased this DVD for my 6 year old grandson. He thoroughly enjoyed it. He wants to watch it over and over and I think that he has learned a great deal from the different segments. His favorite is the Space Station selection, but he likes all of the segments. I enjoy watching this DVD with him. I am delighted that he can respond to the quieter and more thoughtful pace of the Charlie Brown DVDs.

I use this video before the holidays when the students are the least bit interested in me and only thinking about the holidays and their time off. This grabs their attention and is factually correct. Great aid in the classroom.

I have been a Peanuts fan for quite a few years now. I remember watching these on TV back when I was about 5 years old. I am happy this series is finally out on DVD and at such a great price. Bring back some good memories and happy times of my childhood.

My son selected this dvd at the library and we loved it! Short segments for each chapter with unusual facts presented by the lovable, familiar peanuts gang. I loved the segment on the Mayflower. I am thinking of buying a copy for our school library.

I borrowed the DVD from the library mainly because I thought it would be a educational but didn't expect my 8 and 4 year old to actually sit down through the duration of the movie, to my surprise they both did! We borrowed the video a couple more times after that and they are still not tired of viewing it, so I decided to purchase one. The characters are cute and they thought were funny. To this day, it is still one of their most favorite DVD.

This is an excellent addition to any family DVD collection. I especially recommend it for home schooling families and any family interested in reinforcing a child's education in American history!