Customer Reviews

Peanuts: Why, Charlie Brown, Why? [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This video is an excellent way to introduce young children to the difficult concept of cancer and major illnesses. Believe me, they are more afraid of the unknown than cancer. When my wife was first diagnosed, we tried to shield my then 4 year old girl. She only heard a word or two that she couldn't comprehend but she wanted to know what was wrong with her mommy. A year earlier, we had read the book version of this simply because she liked Charlie Brown. She found and brought the book to me to read again because she wanted to know about this cancer and what to expect. Shortly after that, the movie was shown on Disney. It (like the book) explores the horror of cancer in a gentle but no-nonsense way that children can relate to. It really helped my little girl understand the whole illness, loss of hair and slow recovery of cancer. This way, she was never surprised and she (and my wife) got through it togethe. I whole-heartedly recommend it for anyone in my circumstances or, God forbid, if the child is the one with the cancer.

My daughter was dx'd with leukemia when she was 2 and 3/4 and we explained as much as you could to a child her age, about what was going on in her body. We really wanted her to know what was happening to her so she could fight it her best-this video was invaluable to her and our family. She watched it umpteen times in the hospital and it really helped her understand that she was not alone and what she had to do(needle sticks, tests, loss of hair, etc) to beat her leukemia. She is now almost 6 and in remission for 3 years and off chemo for 7 months! We still pull out this video every once in a while to watch:) I have to admit though-that if this is a video you want and you have a child with leukemia or some other cancer-(...)the American cancer Association. (...)since that is who funded the making of this video.

This movie was perfect for helping the children in my daughter's elementary class understand childhood cancer. Although these children did not know her before she was diagnosed, this was a wonderful way to educate them. After the movie was played for the class and their parents, my daughter seemed to feel better about going to class, and less nervous about her hair loss. Leave it to Charlie Brown and the gang to bring children together regardless of the situation at hand. I would recommend this movie to elementary aged children with parental supervision.

When this first premiered in 1990 I already had a very high admiration of Charles Schultz-after seeing this I upgraded my opinion.Schultz took a storyline I doubt anyone else would ever have touched on and managed to get a story that was watchable for all ages out of it.The subject is childhood lukemia.
The story goes that Linus's best friend Janis starts to become ill and goes home from school.To he and Charlie Brown's surprise she ends up in the hospital.When visiting her she informs them she was diagnosed with leukemia.She describes her tests and even the side effects of her chemotheropy in detail to a frightened Linus.The story plays out the various dilemas of a young cancer patient-her relatives feeling left out,the fear of others around her and a very unsettling scene in which Linus has to angrily protect Janis from a bully who taunts her because of her theropy induced baldness.And all done in juxtapossion with the changing seasons.In the end Janis recovers but I would say she got REALLY lucky.
No one in my family ever had leukemia but five years ago I almost lost my own mother to cancer and thanks to this I was a little better prepared for it.This may be the most serious of the Peanuts specials but it is an important,educational and uplifting story and I praise Charles Schultz for this strong effort.And I hope that it is these type of things that he will always be remembered for.

This video helped both of my girls understand why one of them had cancer and what both of them were going through. It could have been based on my daughter's experience with Leukemia! SHAME on the people who are trying to cash in on used videos! I just gave my copy to kids who needed it. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society used to give copies away to patients so check there before you pay $74+ for a used video. I'm sorry to be harsh but this is not a good topic to take advantage of people!!!! We parents are already paying an arm and a leg for treatment... Grrowwwllllll.....

Charles Schultz and his animators were always interested in take Charlie Brown characters and put them in storylines that could be taken seriously or deal with serious subjects. This was one of them, and one of the most succesful. It deals with cancer and leukemia, and never gets too dark or too cartoony. The end result is something both children and adults can learn from.

I remember when this first came out - I was probably 10 years old, and my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. It was a scary moment for me, and I could probably see some of myself in Linus when he goes to visit Janis in the hospital. I also remember Linus' words to Charlie Brown nearly echoed what was ringing in my heart: "Why?"

I also have to say Linus gets some decent character development in this. Usually the nerdy one with the blanket firmly in hand and thumb genetically planted in mouth, the boy gets a coming-of-age epiphany throug Janis' leukemia. He not only seems to dump the blanket after he gets closer to Janis, but he stands up for her when she is picked on by a school bully.

If you're a Charlie Brown fan or you want more than goofball cartoons for your kids to watch, this is a good animated feature for your family...or even for yourself.

This movieis great for helping kids understand childhood cancer. I watched it in my eighth grade PE class and thought it wad ridicuously cheesy, but two days later my little brother was diagnosed with leukemia. Having seen the film, I understood the symptons and treatment of childhood leukemia. I felt more confident than my parents about my brother's illness and what was going to happen. I highly recommend this video for any children who know a young cancer patient, especially siblings because it touches on our struggle too.

I've been a Peanuts fan all my life, and was surprised by the serious theme of this story re: cancer. Having lost a relative to that, this story held my attention from the beginning.

A new character named Janice, a close friend of Linus's, has contracted leukemia, and winds up in the hospital. The Peanuts gang all react differently to the tragedy; Charlie Brown is sympathetic, Lucy is mean (this was one time I really wanted to deck her), and Linus is devastated, and tries to do everything he can to help her out, including defending her from an ignorant bully who mocks Janice when she loses her hair from chemotherapy.

I will not post the ending here. I do not want to ruin the story.

But just so you know, not the entire story is all serious - Snoopy is always up to mischief, bringing some much-needed comedy to this story.

This is a wonderful video! At the school I work at we had a student who was suffering from leukemia and had lost all of her hair. As a kindergarten teacher it's often hard to know what words to use to try to explain such a difficult subject when my students start asking questions. This video does a great job of explaining in terms that young children understand, without going over their heads. My students were so touched that they began bringing in their spare change and allowance to donate to sick kids at the children's hospital in our area. I would recommend this video to viewer's of all ages!

This video, or the book by the same title, is excellent for elementary school aged children confronting cancer in themselves or their families. I have donated multiple copies of the video and book to Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago for use with their young cancer patients and their families. The story is especially good for siblings of children with cancer, since it shows how they sometimes feel that they are being ignored, and their sister or brother is getting all of the attention. It also teaches a child how to defend a classmate against bullying, when the girl with cancer is made fun of for having lost her hair. My only reservation would be not to give this video to a child who has extremely advanced cancer, since of course the story has a happy ending, and it might cause the child to wonder why they don't seem to be recovering. Overall: well done, Charles Schulz!