MovieChat Forums > He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (2006) Discussion > Excellent Cartoon! You must see it!

Excellent Cartoon! You must see it!

posted 17 years ago by naturalblondeforreal
6 replies | jump to latest

I love the Charlie Brown Christmas and Halloween specials. However, most of the other animated cartoons of Charlie Brown (like the Thanksgiving episode where Snoopy battles a lawn chair that magically comes to life) were disappointing.

Then, I saw, "He's a Bully, Charlie Brown" and I loved it! First of all, Charles Shultz apparently worked on this cartoon before he died, so I knew it's heart would be in the right place. Secondly, Charlie Brown got to triumph in this cartoon, which rarely ever happened. Third, there was a good, solid villain that we could really hate. Fourth, Peppermint Patty was so over the top in this cartoon that she has become one of my favorite characters.

It was a joy to watch and had a great moral about standing up for kids who are picked on by bullies. Too bad I didn't tape it. See it any way you can.

[–] cricharddavies 17 years ago

This special is based on one of the very few Peanuts "continuity" strips that Charles Schultz did towards the end of the strip. (It ran in 1996 or 1997, if memory serves.) It changed a few details -- Snoopy teaching Charlie Brown how to play marbles, for example -- and mixed in another (earlier) continuity strip about Marcy teasing Peppermint Patty while she's at camp, but it was pretty much the way that it was presented. In fact, it actually ended better than the original did -- Charlie Brown walking away with that smile on his face was much better than him walking away while Rerun calls out, "Shane! Come back!"

That said, I have a feeling that this may be one of the last Peanuts specials, if not the very last. Mr. Mendelson and Mr. Melendez, who've been keeping the series going, are both elderly gentlemen, and I don't know how much more they've got in them ...

[–] VoodooChicken 17 years ago

Because of Charles Schultz's contract, there can never be any original Peanuts stories. However, story arcs can, and have, been pulled from the strips, and then fleshed out for the specials. I do remember the Joe Aggate arc, but I'm anxiously waiting for an adaptation of Charlie Brown's home run (if it hasn't been spliced into something already) from 1993.

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Look behind you! A THREE-headed monkey!!!!!!

[–] cricharddavies 17 years ago

I knew about the contract, but I thought that they made a lot more changes to the storyline in this one than they have in previous ones -- such as 2003's "Lucy Must Be Traded Charlie Brown". (Of course, with that one I was just fine with it staying just as it was, since it involved my single favorite Peanuts strip of all time -- "Win ... have you ever noticed what a beautiful word that is?") I was really startled by the "Joe Cool teaches Charlie Brown to play marbles" sequences ...

[–] VoodooChicken 17 years ago

Evidently, this special was in fact in development before Schultz died, so maybe the "Joe Cool teaches Charlie Brown to play marbles" sequences was already included in the prcess?

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Look behind you! A THREE-headed monkey!!!!!!

[–] flippensweet88 16 years ago

It's re-airing November 20, 2007!

http://amandabynesnews.blogspot.com

[–] Woodyanders 13 years ago

Just watched it and really enjoyed it. It was nice to see Charlie Brown win for a change.

1,000 mini-bios and I feel like I'm just getting started