Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Rating:
Summary: Another great Peanuts holiday outing
Review: "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" is a worthy addition to the Peanuts pantheon of prime-time holiday specials. Guess how many valentines Charlie Brown Receives? (The painful in-class distribution of cards rings true to my own childhood experience. In my kids' classes, they now require them to bring valentines cards for everyone, probably to avoid the tragi-comic scene that Charles endures so charmingly.) Even funnier is Linus's pining for his teacher, and Sally's mis-reading of the gift-buying by her "sweet babboo." As with all of the best Peanuts videos, this one works on (at least) two levels: Plenty of kid-friendly humor and hijinx, as well as wry dialogue for the more sophisticated viewers. Buy it with confidence.

Rating:
Summary: A triple heart collection - Love Peanut's style
Review: For sheer value, this is the best Peanuts holiday special released. 3 Animated specials on a single DVD, all sharing a common theme of love, although not all set during Valentine's Day. A much better bargain than the usual two special per DVD that has been the standard.

Each holiday special has that Peanuts flair, with Charlie Brown being the Charlie Browniest of them all. His simple, misplaced optimism is constantly crushed by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Of course, the course of true love never did run smooth, especially if you are Charlie Brown. It is nice to watch all three specials in order, to see the round-headed kid finally win one for a change, but only after heaps of suffering.

Snoopy gets some great moments in all three specials, with a classic "Paw-ppet show" and his bizarre helicopter ears, which looks much stranger animated than on the strip. He has a bit of WWI fighter pilot going on as well, which is a constant favorite.

A great collection all around. I would love to see future Peanuts specials continue in the 3 specials per DVD mode.

Rating:
Summary: A triple heart collection - Love Peanut's style
Review: For sheer value, this is the best Peanuts holiday special released. 3 Animated specials on a single DVD, all sharing a common theme of love, although not all set during Valentine's Day. A much better bargain than the usual two special per DVD that has been the standard.

Each holiday special has that Peanuts flair, with Charlie Brown being the Charlie Browniest of them all. His simple, misplaced optimism is constantly crushed by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Of course, the course of true love never did run smooth, especially if you are Charlie Brown. It is nice to watch all three specials in order, to see the round-headed kid finally win one for a change, but only after heaps of suffering.

Snoopy gets some great moments in all three specials, with a classic "Paw-ppet show" and his bizarre helicopter ears, which looks much stranger animated than on the strip. He has a bit of WWI fighter pilot going on as well, which is a constant favorite.

A great collection all around. I would love to see future Peanuts specials continue in the 3 specials per DVD mode.

Rating:
Summary: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
Review: I love Charles M. Schulz's dipiction of kids and giving and recieving valentines. Of course, Charlie Brown doesn't get much thought, and Snoopy and Woodstock stick hearts on each other's nose.

Rating:
Summary: Send Your Valentines to Charlie Brown!
Review: I remember how excited I was when this special 1st debuted in 1975. Charlie Brown has high hopes of getting lots of valentine this Valentine's Day including one from the beloved little red haired girl (he brings a suitcase to school). Linus has spent his allowance on a big heart-shaped box of candy for Miss Orthmar and Voilet inquires about heart-shaped shaving lotion for her teacher (who's a man). Lucy asks Schroeder: "Do you realize you could lose me some day?". Sally thinks the box of candy her sweet babboo bought is for her. Snoopy does his hand-puppets show (or should we say "paw-puppets"?). Funny and sad, this special got a lot of valentines sent Charles Schulz's way when it was 1st aired, all for Charlie Brown!

Rating:
Summary: One excellent cartoon, two adequate ones
Review: In terms of length, this is the best "Peanuts" DVD available -- three of the classic half-hour TV specials on one disc. Most of the others give you two. ("Pied Piper" gives you ONE, plus a 20-minute special about Charles Schulz.) In terms of content, these aren't the best of the Peanuts shorts, but they aren't terrible either.

Our Feature Presentation, "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," is easily the best of the three, with some of the gags taken directly from the comic strips. As Charles Schulz once said about his creation, all of the loves are unrequited -- Charlie Brown wants a Valentine, ANY Valentine, Sally wants one from Linus, Linus wants to show his love for his teacher -- all meet with the sort of misfortune that Schulz was famous for, tugging at your heartstrings and reminding you of the times in your life you've felt the same way. The climactic scene at the mailbox may be one of the best moments in any "Peanuts" cartoon.

The other two shorts aren't nearly as good. "You're In Love, Charlie Brown," about ol' Chuck trying to work up the nerve to talk to the infamous Little Red-Haired Girl before school ends for the summer, is sweet, but not particularly memorable. "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown," feels a little funky at times. The kids seem to be drawn slightly older than they should be, and perhaps that's intentional, since the fervor surrounding an elementary school football game that is the focus of this short seems completely off-the-wall.

Still, the first cartoon makes this disc worthwhile. Besides, if you're like me, you've got every "Peanuts" DVD they've put out so far, and you're not about to start skipping them now.

Rating:
Summary: Unrequited Love is in the Air
Review: Peanuts once again hits DVD with this collection of three animated specials focusing on love.

The disc starts off with "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," which first aired in 1975. Valentine's Day is coming, and the gang's getting excited. Charlie Brown is hoping for lots of Valentines this year. Linus has a crush on his teacher and buys her a box of chocolate which Sally thinks is for her. And in the middle of all this, Snoopy puts on a special Pawpet Theater show involving love. Frankly, I found this story to be a little depressing, even for Peanuts and was surprised that The Little Red Haired Girl didn't even get mentioned.

Next comes 1967's "You're in Love, Charlie Brown." It's two days before school lets out for the summer, and Charlie Brown is trying to work up the nerve to talk to The Little Red Haired Girl. This is affecting every aspect of his life, leading to some embarrassing moments and potentially the worst last school day ever. This short was filled with the humor and warmth I usually associate with Peanuts.

The final selection is "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown," from 1977. Charlie Brown is shocked to learn that part of his duties during Homecoming is to dance with the Homecoming Queen after kissing her. And the queen is none other then The Little Red Haired Girl, whose name we learn is Heather. But first, he must do his job as punter in the homecoming football game. This would be easy, except guess who's holding the football! This sweet story brought a smile to my face with the ending.

As with other Peanuts DVD's the three programs are the heart and sole of the disc. There is a computer game for another movie, and that's all. Still, the programs are ultimately what I bought it for. The picture is clear and sharp. The sound seems to have a bit of a problem, but only on the first show and only when Linus and Sally are speaking. Other wise, the sound is fine in all three.

This disc will appeal to Peanuts fans of all ages. While the first program may not have as happy an ending as usual, the other two make up for it big time. I'd never seen these programs before buying the disc, but I intend to watch them for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Unrequited Love is in the Air
Review: Peanuts once again hits DVD with this collection of three animated specials focusing on love.

The disc starts off with "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown," which first aired in 1975. Valentine's Day is coming, and the gang's getting excited. Charlie Brown is hoping for lots of Valentines this year. Linus has a crush on his teacher and buys her a box of chocolate which Sally thinks is for her. And in the middle of all this, Snoopy puts on a special Pawpet Theater show involving love. Frankly, I found this story to be a little depressing, even for Peanuts and was surprised that The Little Red Haired Girl didn't even get mentioned.

Next comes 1967's "You're in Love, Charlie Brown." It's two days before school lets out for the summer, and Charlie Brown is trying to work up the nerve to talk to The Little Red Haired Girl. This is affecting every aspect of his life, leading to some embarrassing moments and potentially the worst last school day ever. This short was filled with the humor and warmth I usually associate with Peanuts.

The final selection is "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown," from 1977. Charlie Brown is shocked to learn that part of his duties during Homecoming is to dance with the Homecoming Queen after kissing her. And the queen is none other then The Little Red Haired Girl, whose name we learn is Heather. But first, he must do his job as punter in the homecoming football game. This would be easy, except guess who's holding the football! This sweet story brought a smile to my face with the ending.

As with other Peanuts DVD's the three programs are the heart and sole of the disc. There is a computer game for another movie, and that's all. Still, the programs are ultimately what I bought it for. The picture is clear and sharp. The sound seems to have a bit of a problem, but only on the first show and only when Linus and Sally are speaking. Other wise, the sound is fine in all three.

This disc will appeal to Peanuts fans of all ages. While the first program may not have as happy an ending as usual, the other two make up for it big time. I'd never seen these programs before buying the disc, but I intend to watch them for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Snoopy Theatre.. remind me not to come
Review: There are a few funny moments here and there, but all in all this is a downer. I particularly like Snoopy's "pawpet" show and his own original brand of audience participation. This was way before Gallagher and his melons. Sally's 'How do I love Thee?' heart isn't bad either. Poor Linus has a crush on his teacher and he buys her a huge box of candy Sally thinks is for her. No happy ending for Charlie Brown either. A bit depressing, really. But then again I'm not one for happy endings every time. My favorite peanuts special is "A Charlie Brown Celebration". You'll laugh yourself silly. That one is a full TV hour (~44 minutes) and also has a rare forward by Charles Schultz. "Charlie Brown's All Stars" is an execllent 1960's Charlie Brown TV special.

Rating:
Summary: the Valentine's specials!
Review: This DVD release has three classic Peanuts cartoon specials on it. All three were Valentine's Day related episodes. The episodes are "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" (1975), "You're in Love, Charlie Brown" (1967), and "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown" (1977). While the episodes vary in overall quality, it is always nice to have a collection of the Peanuts shorts.

First on the disc is "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown", and this may be the one that most people are familiar with. It is almost Valentine's Day and everyone is looking forward to the day. Charlie Brown brings a briefcase with him to school because he believes this is the day that he will get mounds of valentine's cards. Linus buys a big box of chocolates for his teacher and hopes to give it to her. Sally is waiting for a valentine from Linus. Lucy wants one from Schroeder (who would presumably want one from Beethoven). The theme of Peanuts, unfortunately is unrequited love, so nobody gets what they want. Charlie Brown is so desperate for a valentine that he is willing to take a used card with the original name scratched out because Patty felt bad when nobody gave poor Charlie Brown a valentine. This is the best episode of the disc.

The second episode is "You're in Love, Charlie Brown". This episode takes Charlie Brown on the last two days of the school year and he is trying to work up his nerve to talk to the Little Red Haired Girl. He talks to Linus and complains but he never can quite work up his nerve. Once again, we have the sadness of Charlie Brown not achieving his dreams, but the episode ends on a high note. When Charlie Brown finally decides that he is going to talk to the Little Red Haired Girl, he misses the opportunity in the press of students as school ends. But he finds a note in his hand when the students all pass that says "I Like You, signed, The Little Red Haired Girl". This one has its moments (Charlie Brown eating a peanut butter sandwich in disappointment is one), but overall it isn't quite as good as the first.

The last episode is "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown". This is the strangest episode of the three. The episode opens with a Homecoming Parade. Charlie Brown and Linus are on one of the floats and Charlie Brown asks what exactly they are doing as an escort. Linus tells him that their role is to escort the homecoming court at the dance and that Charlie Brown's date is the Queen. Charlie Brown looks over and realizes that the Homecoming Queen is the Little Red Haired Girl. Linus tells him that her name is Heather. Before the dance, though, is the Homecoming Football game. This takes up a rather large portion of the episode, and Charlie Brown is the kicker. Naturally Lucy repeatedly pulls the ball away before he can kick it (the old Peanuts gag). Every time Charlie Brown gets close to kicking it, the ball is pulled away and he lands flat on his back. Amazingly enough, every time this happens the entire team gets mad at Charlie Brown for missing the ball while ignoring the fact that Lucy clearly pulled the ball away in an important game! We come to the dance where Charlie Brown gets to lay the ceremonial first kiss on the cheek of the Queen and Charlie Brown's dreams come true. It is a nice sweet ending (especially the conversation with Linus at the very end) to a weird episode.

This DVD is a nice chance to own three Valentine's specials on one disc. While I found these enjoyable, there is nothing like the magic of the first Christmas special here. Decent episodes, but nothing spectacular. Still, they are Peanuts and that is always a good thing.