A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
by Bill Melendez, Phil Roman
List Price:
Our Price: $5.28
You Save: $9.71 (65%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.83 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher DeFaria, Hilary Momberger, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Todd BarbeeDirector: Bill Melendez, Phil Roman
Writer: Charles M. Schulz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 30 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-09-12
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Movie Review: A Perfect Thanksgiving Appetizer or Dessert!
Summary: 5 Stars
In this 1973 addition to Charles Schulz's line of Peanuts classic holiday specials, Charlie Brown has a grand Thanksgiving dinner to look forward to at his grandmother's house, but a call from tomboyish friend Peppermint Patty throws a wrench in his plans. She's invited herself over to Charlie Brown's house for a holiday feast, and she's bringing Marcie and Franklin along too! Charlie Brown doesn't know how he let himself get talked into making a pre-dinner dinner for his friends, but now he'll need the help of Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock to pull it off! Unfortunately, all they know how to make is a meal of toast, popcorn, pretzels, jelly beans, and ice-cream sodas!
The Peanuts holiday specials have been American traditions ever since they first started appearing back in the 1960s, and they've been a personal tradition for as far back as I can remember. Some of them are as necessary to complete the holiday experience as jack o' lanterns, eggs, turkeys, and Christmas trees. The most popular of these are the sacred '60s Christmas and Halloween specials, but not too far behind are the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Valentine's, and Easter offerings. In fact, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" is probably considered number 3 in the countdown, if such a countdown exists. The special is classic Peanuts and highly enjoyable and heartwarming entertainment for a holiday that is sadly short on themed programming, though it doesn't have quite as much "magic" as the other two specials. Surely, this is partly due to the fact that Thanksgiving, while no doubt having a much deeper meaning than food, is essentially celebrated through a big feast with family and friends. Christmas is all that and much more, and Halloween, well, Halloween is weird and spooky, and that's why it's so cool. It's clearly much harder to come up with a 25 minute TV special revolving around such a simple, though still wonderful, holiday as Thanksgiving. There are, of course, more critical factors as to why this shining television special doesn't shine quite as brightly as its predecessors. First and foremost, though she does appear for the brief football kicking gag in the opening of the special, Lucy's sassy presence is greatly missed throughout the rest of the program. Instead, we get Peppermint Patty, who doesn't really appeal to everyone, but who became a powerful presence in subsequent Peanuts shows. Second, there probably should have been a couple of touches added to enhance the Thanksgiving feeling of the film. Perhaps a scene of watching a parade on television or enjoying a REAL Thanksgiving meal at the kids' table at grandma's in the finale would have done the trick. We also have a change of voices this time around, and there aren't as many characters as the previous specials have had, which makes the Peanuts world a bit smaller and hurts the overall look a bit I think. Luckily, we do get the wisdom of Linus and Marcie, Woodstock makes his mark on the Peanuts holiday specials (with his own song to boot), and the entire experience is still an endearing one that we can all be thankful for.
I considered making this a 4 star review for a moment, after taking in everything I just wrote, but two things have stopped me from bringing it down a notch from a 5. First, this special is still outstanding entertainment, definitely excellent five-star material. Maybe not as grand as the Christmas or Halloween specials, but it's still grand nevertheless. Second, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" on DVD comes with only one bonus feature, but it is an excellent one. It is, specifically, an entire 24-minute second program entitled, "This Is America, Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers." Now, this is probably mostly of interest to the history buff Peanuts fan. Part of the "This Is America, Charlie Brown" series from 1988 (which I don't remember well but wish would come to DVD in a boxed set someday), this is more educational programming than Peanuts magic, but it's sweet and entertaining educational programming. In the special, Charlie Brown and co. play the roles of pilgrim children aboard the Mayflower. The film takes us through the hardships the pilgrims suffered and introduces us to the leaders, both pilgrim and Native American alike, that helped bring them through the difficult times. It all culminates in the first Thanksgiving feast and is an excellent film to watch annually before your big holiday dinner. Together with the feature program, this is the "must have" DVD for Thanksgiving Day viewing, and it is perfect for that period after the Macy's parade but before dinner is on the table! Pick it up with the "Garfield Holiday Celebrations" DVD today!
Similar DVD Movies
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie BrownRelease date: 2012-02-01; Amazon Instant Video; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $4.99
Be My Valentine, Charlie BrownRelease date: 2011-05-05; Amazon Instant Video; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $6.37
How the Grinch Stole ChristmasWarner Brothers; Release date: 2009-08-11; DVD
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
You're Not Elected, Charlie BrownWarner; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $3.20
Price in other shops:
Charlie Brown's Christmas TalesWarner Brothers; Release date: 2010-10-05; Published: 2009; DVD
Best price: $6.73
Price in other shops:
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (Remastered Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-01-15; DVD
Best price: $10.88
Price in other shops:
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Remastered Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-09-02; DVD
Best price: $6.29
Price in other shops:
Peanuts: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-10-06; DVD
Best price: $9.30
Price in other shops:
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (remastered deluxe edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-02-19; DVD
Best price: $8.98
Price in other shops:
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-10-07; DVD
Best price: $9.80
Price in other shops: