A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

“Pig-Pen, you’re the only person I know who can raise a cloud of dust in a snowstorm.” – Charlie Brown

Number of Times Seen – 1 (7 Nov 2020)

Brief Synopsis – Charlie Brown tries to figure out the true meaning of Christmas.

My Take on it – I have always been a fan of the Charlie Brown comic strip and storybooks, but I must admit that I never really watched any of the animated TV specials that popped up over the years.

This is actually a very intriguing idea and that has a lot to do with the choice to tell this story in a very blunt and straight forward manner in order to get the message across.

It was great seeing the variety of Peanuts characters come to life on the screen, even if some of them have very limited screen time, since hey still add so much flavor to the atmosphere of it all.

This may only be 25 minutes long, ye they find a way to make things fee more meaningful and powerful.

It’s fascination to think about the idea that even over half a century ago people were already commercializing important and poignant ideals.

This film does a wonderful job of capturing the true meaning of the holiday season in such a short and succint way.

Bottom Line – Intriguing idea that works because of the blunt way that they present the message of things. Great seeing all of the various Peanuts characters appear even for short scenes, but they add so much to the atmosphere of the story due to the way that they each act here. This is only 25 minutes long yet they find a way to make things so powerful and poignant in the way that they deliver the message of the true meaning of the holiday season which even 55 years ago, it was seen how diluted things have become due to the commercialization of it all. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – When “A Charlie Brown Christmas” won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program in 1966, only Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez were called up to accept the award, but they made sure that Charles Schultz was with them to give the acceptance speech. Schultz’s speech simply went, “Charlie Brown’s not used to winning, so we thank you.” (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)