Cinema Crazed

DVD:

2003

Rated: Unrated

Genre: Kids/Family Animated Comedy

Directed By: Larry Leichliter, Bill Melendez

Running Time: 41 Minutes

Review by: Felix Vasquez Jr.

Review Date: 12/20/09

I WANT A DOG FOR CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN: DELUXE EDITION

While I appreciate that today's animators are still doling out the disgruntled adventures of Charlie Brown, the latest episodes haven't been too good. In fact, they're just mediocre. There's not really such a thing as a bad Charlie Brown episode, but the special from 2003 is pretty darn sub-par. The past Charlie Brown specials have had a purpose with thoughts about religion and belief, while we were given a sense of companionship among the kids in the group. Here all we get is a story through the eyes of a young child named Rerun. Charlie Brown has nothing more than a cameo here as someone who pops up every now and then to comment on Rerun and basically disappeared for minutes at a time. Snoopy is also one who is outdone by Rerun as he has a misadventure in the opening only to appear sporadically to listen to Rerun's problems.

I don't have too much of a problem with Rerun, but this is a Charlie Brown cartoon after all and the whole point is having Charlie Brown star regardless of who appears with a series of problems. This leaves the episode to feel like imitation Charlie Brown, almost as if someone wrote an animated special to sound like Charlie Brown yet never quite getting there. Typical episodes have a more complex dilemma to them, with a premise that's often much more sophisticated than they seem. But here there's just a simple one line synopsis:

Rerun wants a puppy and he wants Charlie Brown's help. The only upside to the plot is that we get to learn and understand more about Snoopy and his family members, all of whom are just as eccentric as the precocious beagle. For a recent special it's pretty much not worth hurrying to see because this is not Charlie Brown at his best. Special Features on the DVD include the extra episode entitled "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown" from 1986 that pretty much lays out the premise from the opening scenes. It's a more entertaining look at Charlie Brown's bad luck as he struggles to read "War and Peace" while maintaining his social circle who are planning a big New Year's party. This second episode is a lot more entertaining than the headliner on the DVD release and includes a very cute musical number from Peppermint Patty.

All in all it's a good family release for the holidays with a change in pace for anyone looking for something besides "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown." While it's not the best episode I've seen, it more than makes up for itself through its special features. The extra episode and bonus feature make this a sound purchase come Christmas time.

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