Cute, with great extras
After reading some of the negative reviews posted here on Amazon, I decided to first watch this DVD myself before allowing my kids to see it. I found it to be delightful, even as I watched it a second time with my kids. The documentary on the making of A Charlie Brown Christmas is a nice extra, and I especially enjoyed the animated short "Christmas Tales".
I feel the need to address some of the other reviews. Yes, Rerun gets suspended for "harassment", but the word "sexual" is not used, for starters. I was worried I would have to explain that word to my kids. Wasn't an issue. The "harassment" consisted of Rerun suggesting, innocently and jokingly, to a disillusioned girl in his kindergarten class, that they run off to Paris. That's it. Not only does Rerun not know where Paris is, he doesn't have the first clue what it would mean to "run off" there. For her part, the girl thinks it's funny, so she tells her mom about it. Presumably her mother was the one who took issue with...
Cute DVD for Xmas
This 40-minute TV special tells the story of Rerun, Linus and Lucy's very cute younger brother (I loved the scenes with him stuck on the back of his mother's bicycle). As the smallest child he feels left out of playing around with the other kids and wishes for a dog for Xmas. He starts a great friendship with Snoopy but Charlie Brown is reluctant to let him go. I felt so sorry for Rerun. He's just so desperate for attention, to be taken seriously. He's got a lot of love inside him and needs a best friend to let it all out. Jimmy Bennett's voice acting is spot-on and makes him so real.
It's all harmless fun, if not completely in-disposable. I've made it a Xmas tradition already as well as the other seasonal Charlie Brown specials. Though the DVD is where the real worth comes in. Included is a decent documentary on the original Charlie Brown Christmas, with interviews with cast members and the filmmakers. Also included is Happy New Year, Charlie Brown in which Old blockhead...
Cute and Funny Gags for Little Kids and Rare Old Footage Too
This hour-long Christmas special aired on ABC in prime-time last year, and it's now out on DVD with two featurettes that were produced specifically to be tacked on to ABC's recent airings of "A Charlie Brown Christmas". One of them is a brief documentary on the creation of the original 1965 Christmas special with rarely-seen animation from the early sixties, making it a must-see for Peanuts historians.
There's no underlying religious theme here - just a string of family-friendly gags recycled from strips dating back to the sixties. The only thing here that might confuse your pre-schooler is why any parent would name their kid "Rerun". (It's actually a nickname; Lucy felt alienated when Linus was born, and she experienced a "rerun" of those feelings when her new baby brother joined the family. The kid's real name has never been revealed.)
Long-time Peanuts fans are making unflattering comparisons between this special and the 1965 holiday classic, but I think...
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